<Match Review>
The third match of the Levain Cup group stage, which we approached with 1 win and 1 loss. If we win here, we can turn the tide and gain an advantage towards advancing to the Prime Stage. The men entrusted with this important match are hungry for the game.
In the last three matches, Taishi Brandon NOZAWA has been guarding the back, with Junya SUZUKI starting for the first time in the official season as right back. Takuya AOKI, who returned to the pitch after a long absence in the previous match against Sagan Tosu, also started and 16-year-old Ryunosuke SATO, who started on the right wing, followed the first match against Cerezo Osaka. Up front, Naoki KUMATA, who scored his first professional goal in the second match against Kyoto Sanga F.C., secured his first starting position in this match.
This season, Tokyo has yet to achieve a victory in away games, even when combining league and cup matches. In order to secure their first away win with a "fresh" lineup, they faced off against Gamba Osaka.
1st HALF -Despite enduring a tough match, they concede a goal just before the end
The start of the game was a battle of long balls, but gradually the game settled down. With two teams led by a Spanish coach, the ball began to move with short passes. Although the first shot was conceded to Gamba Osaka, in the 7th minute of the first half, Kumada took a left-footed shot in front of the goal. It was blocked by the defender in front of him, but it was a shot that showed potential.
However, the opponent, who had been fielding their main team, continued to dominate the game. Even if we managed to steal the ball, our passes during the build-up play were sloppy, resulting in the ball being given away to the opponent more often and allowing them to create more shooting opportunities. Nevertheless, thanks to the efforts of players like Masato Morishige and Seiji Kimura, we were able to prevent them from scoring. However, we were unable to maintain possession of the ball for a significant amount of time.
In the 38th minute of the first half, Tokyo launched a counterattack. Adailton forcefully cut through the left side and brought the ball to the front of the goal. Although he was unable to take the shot, Suzuki quickly followed up with a direct shot on the opposite side, resulting in a corner kick.
This play will be the catalyst for movement in the game. In the 41st minute of the first half, the opponent's goalkeeper was pressed, but a skillful build-up resulted in the ball being quickly carried to their own goal. In the end, player Morishige responded and caused the opponent to miss their shot, but it was a dangerous scene that could have resulted in a goal being scored.
Although it was a difficult situation, we wanted to keep a clean sheet and continue in the second half, but we were scored against at the end. The opponent entered the penalty area from the left side and Sugiyma player kicked it in spectacularly, resulting in us being one goal behind at halftime.
2nd HALF－Defeated by adding 2 points in the final stage
At halftime, Diego OLIVEIRA and Hisatoshi NISHIDO were substituted in and adjustments were made to the defensive formation. Diego TABA took care of the opponent's anchor player Neta LAVI and worked to shut down their build-up.
However, the flow of the game remains unchanged. Gamba Osaka is quicker in decision making and switching, and they move the ball around using the pitch more effectively. In the 8th minute of the second half, they were able to take a decisive shot in the area, but it was saved by player Nozawa's fine save.
Gradually, Gamba Osaka's pace began to drop, and around 15 minutes into the second half, Tokyo was able to move the ball in the opponent's territory. They were able to carry the ball deep into both sides and increase the number of crosses.
However, as time passed without being able to create a chance for an equalizer, the team switched to an attacking formation by bringing in players such as Leon NOZAWA and Yuta ARAI to add depth to the front line, and sliding Nishido to left back. However, they continued to struggle with unstable build-up play and were vulnerable to short counter attacks. In the 42nd minute of the second half, they conceded a second goal which sealed their fate. In additional time, they also gave up a third goal from a long counter attack, resulting in a tough outcome.
On the weekend, we will return to our home Ajinomoto Stadium and play a league match in just 3 days. In order to redeem ourselves from the disappointment of consecutive away matches, we will fight for victory against Shonan Bellmare, not just in terms of performance but also in pursuit of a win.
MATCH DETAILS
＜FC Tokyo＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Taishi Brandon NOZAWA
DF Junya SUZUKI/Masato MORISHIGE/Seiji KIMURA/Yuto NAGATOMO (36th minute: Yuta ARAI)
MF Koki TSUKAGAWA (0th minute: Diego OLIVEIRA)/Takuya AOKI (10th minute: Tsubasa TERAYAMA)/Kuryu MATSUKI/Ryunosuke SATO (19th minute: Leon NOZAWA)
FW Naoki KUMATA/Adailton (0th minute: Hisatoshi NISHIDO)
SUBS
GK Tsuyoshi KODAMA
DF Renta HIGASHI
GOAL
―
＜Gamba Osaka＞
Starting XI
GK Masaaki Higashiguchi
DF Riku Handa (36th minute: Ryu Takao)/Genta Miura/Kyung Won KWON (25th minute: Shota FUKUOKA)/Keisuke Kurokawa
MF Neraravi/Dawhan/Naohiro Sugiyama/Yuki Yamamoto (16th minute: Rihito YAMAMOTO)/Juan ALANO (16th minute: Yuya FUKUDA)
FW Issam JEBALI (25th minute: Hiroto YAMAMI)
SUBS
GK Kei ISHIKAWA
MF Shu KURATA
GOAL
First half 43rd minute: Naohiro SUGIYAMA/Second half 42nd minute: Yuya FUKUDA/Second half 45+1 minute: Naohiro SUGIYAMA
[Coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA Press Conference Comments]
Q: please review the game.
A, for me, this cup tournament is recognized as an important event that gives young players a chance. Today, I also fielded many young players. They may have made many mistakes. I believe that young players have the right to make mistakes. Due to the mistakes of the young players, we lost possession of the ball and conceded many counter-attacks from the opponents, resulting in many goals against us. However, I am proud of the young players. Once again, I want to give young players a chance in the next Levain Cup. For example, KUMADA is attracting attention as a promising player for the future. I think we need to give him many opportunities to become a great player. That's why, today, the young players challenged themselves and lost due to their mistakes.
Gamba Osaka is a dangerous team when given possession of the ball, and I think they are in a process of growth with their new coach. In the first half, they made many mistakes and gave the ball to the opponent, leading to a defensive game. They were especially outnumbered on the sides and were broken through multiple times, resulting in late goals. In the second half, they started with even more young players and fought for an equalizer and a comeback. Gamba Osaka fielded their main players, while also trying to improve in the second half by using many young players. It was great to see the young players increase their awareness towards the opponent's goal for an equalizer and a comeback. However, it is unfortunate that they made mistakes and conceded multiple goals during that time.
I want to continue giving chances to young players, and I believe the Levain Cup is a great opportunity to do so. I have also directly told the players in the locker room. As long as I am here, I will continue to give chances to young players. I would like to take this opportunity to thank veteran players Morishige, Nagatomo, and Diego for supporting young players in difficult situations.
Q, what was the intention behind changing the system to 4-4-2?
A, in the first half, we lost the ball in the midfield many times. To prevent the block from dropping, it is important not to drop the midfield. Today, Ryunosuke SATO had good movement and played well, but he is still 16 years old. In the first half, I think there was a tendency for the defensive block to drop because we couldn't dominate the midfield. In the second half, we tried to improve that. And we continued to give playing time to player Kumada to encourage his growth.
Today, we made substitutions with full consideration of giving playing opportunities to young players. It was not only a substitution to improve the points to be corrected in the first half, but also a substitution to give playing opportunities to young players and maintain balance. For example, CACA was used as a starter, but he still needs more time to regain his game sense.
[Player Interview]
<Naoki KUMATA>
Q, how do you look back on the game?
It was a complete defeat as a team. I think the opponent was superior in terms of play intensity and technical aspects.
Q, how did you see the content of the front line, where the final line is also low and the time zone where the second ball is picked up continues?
I think we need to improve the accuracy of possession when we have the ball, but personally, I believe that if I can firmly control the ball evenly, we can create solid attacking opportunities as a team.
Q, it was also a game with few crosses.
A, yes. The number of times the cross came up was not many, but I want to increase the plays that lead to goals other than crosses.
Q, I think it was a bitter experience despite playing the full game. How will you make use of this experience?
It was a game where we were able to get a sense of progress. No matter what the situation is next, I want to do my best to make the team win.
<Ryunosuke SATO>
Q, it was your second consecutive start in the match against Cerezo Osaka. Please reflect on the game.
A, I'm honestly frustrated. In the first half, we fell behind in terms of defense and had a tough time. Personally, I think the only thing I can evaluate when looking back on today's game is that I didn't show any weaknesses in defense.
Q, I think the intensity was high, but I don't think we were able to demonstrate our strengths in the attacking aspect.
A, the defensive time was long and physically demanding, and I couldn't showcase my strengths in the attack. I think my basic physical fitness is still lacking.
Q, I think the team as a whole made many mistakes and the game became drawn out.
A, I think we were able to make some improvements during halftime and the second half. However, if we had communicated and made improvements during the first half, I believe the game would have been different.
Q: In the previous match against Cerezo Osaka, you mentioned it was the most intense 60 minutes of your life. How would you describe today's match?
A, I think today was also a wonderful time that leads to growth. The coach also says that we cannot grow without making mistakes, so in that sense, it was definitely not a waste of time.
Q: How do you want to connect today's game to the next one?
A, I think it is important to continue playing with the same attitude in U-18 matches while aiming to always play in the top team.
<Taishi Brandon NOZAWA>
Q, how do you look back on the scene of the first goal conceded?
It was a shot that could have been prevented. I think I am responsible for making the game difficult as a goalkeeper because we couldn't finish the first half, which was not going well as a team, without conceding a goal.
Q, regarding the second and third goals conceded, they were goals scored from counterattacks while trying to score. How did you feel?
A, especially if we could have prevented the second goal, I think we could have kept the possibility of winning as a team, so it's frustrating.
Q, as a result of losing this match, we ended up with 3 points in 3 matches.
A, there are still 3 matches left in the group stage, but I don't want to end the Levain Cup for this season in those 3 matches. I want to win those 3 matches no matter what. However, I think everyone on the team knows that we can't play like we did today and each of us needs to fight harder.
Q: This defeat was a bitter experience, but how do you want to use it for the next game?
A, it is not guaranteed that I will be able to play in the next game. I believe that the goalkeeper position requires me to lead the team as a leader, so I want to do my best to express myself in the next game.
<Kuryu MATSUKI>
Q, how do you look back on the game?
A, as an individual, I made many mistakes and the team couldn't make progress. There were many scenes where we lost the ball due to our own mistakes and ended up conceding on the counter-attack, which actually led to goals being scored against us. Therefore, I think it is necessary to make corrections.
Q, the entire team was stretched out due to the opponent's counterattack. There were also scenes where Matsuki took care of multiple opponents in the midfield position.
There were also situations where, after losing the ball on the side, there was a lack of communication between the midfield and defensive players in terms of risk management. I felt that we needed to play soccer in a way that we wouldn't easily lose the ball.
Q, considering the upcoming summer matches, do you think it will be necessary to increase the time of ball possession? Do you feel that today's match has become a lesson for the future?
A, today was a very poor performance. We couldn't express our positional play during the build-up. We will take this as a good learning experience and in the next Shonan Bellmare match, as the opponent also plays a unique style of football, we want to show football that adapts to that.
Q: The game ended up being one where we couldn't fully utilize the strengths of player Kumada. How do you plan to make the most of Kumada in the future?
A, I want to communicate and coordinate well from regular practice. Since Kumada is still in his second official game, I think there is still room for coordination. Of course, we have to work together, but I want to make sure that we can make better use of the first-year players, including myself.
Q: What kind of game do you want to have against Shonan Bellmare, which is scheduled in 3 days?
A, switch your mindset and accumulate points. I definitely want to win.
Q, There were also scenes where I talked with Terayama, A, There was space between the side back and center back, so Terayama told me that by playing the ball there, it would be difficult for the opponent to take it away. So, Terayama and I played while being conscious of that. There were also scenes where we could pass the ball, so I think it became a good option.
Q, is it safe to say that the team has achieved a positive balance?
A, in the end, I think it was not good because I couldn't take a shot. However, I believe we were able to create a way to move forward as a team.
Q, what do you need to do to move the ball to a higher position from there?
A, the impression was that there was a lack of distance between the players and individual skills. Many players, including myself, had scenes where the ball was taken away from us. I want to improve my individual tactics so that the ball is not easily taken away.
