＜Match Review＞
Tokyo stopped their losing streak in the previous match, drawing 2-2 against Shonan Bellmare at home. In this round, which is also a home game, they will face Cerezo Osaka. They previously faced each other in the first match of the Levain Cup on March 8th, where Tokyo lost 0-1 due to a late goal. Although the team composition may be different, Tokyo aims to repay their debt in Osaka and secure their third victory of the season in the league.
Tokyo started Shuto ABE and Ryoma WATANABE, who returned from injury and made a substitute appearance in the previous match, in the starting lineup. Masato MORISHIGE, the captain, replaced Henrique TREVISAN as one of the center-backs.
1st HALF - Approaching the goal while holding the ball
The match started with both teams cautiously observing each other's strategies on a rain-soaked pitch.
As Tokyo becomes more accustomed to ball control, they start to connect the ball intricately and create a rhythm. Not only do they move the ball in their own half, but they also enter the opponent's half while building up vertically, and carry the ball to the vicinity of the penalty area.
Although there are few scenes where they bring the ball to the finish, they maintain a high defensive line even when the ball is taken away, delaying the opponent's attack, quickly pressing back to regain possession of the ball, and then carefully building up the attack again.
Tokyo's first chance came in the 22nd minute of the first half. In the midfield battle, Abe picked up the ball and faced a numerical parity situation in the vital area. He passed the ball to Watanabe, who had come in from the left to provide support, while carrying the ball into the penalty area. Watanabe, who had drawn the opposing goalkeeper towards him, sent a cross in front of the goal. Diego Oliveira tried to jump and score, but he was blocked by a defender coming from behind and couldn't push the ball into the net.
Although he had the ball, he struggled to make the final pass. However, in the 41st minute of the first half, Nakamura received a pass in a deep position on the right side with a mid-range pass. He then made a slightly negative pass to Matsuki. Matsuki turned forward and took a strong left-footed shot. It was a shot that caught the bottom right corner of the goal, but it was cleared by the opponent's goalkeeper with a great save.
2nd HALF - Catch up with a splendid goal by Watanabe player, but...
In the beginning of the second half. As the ball was moved from left to right with a wide spread, the defensive slide did not catch up in time, and Croux took a powerful shot, but the ball flew to the upper right corner of the goal and SLOWIK made an incredible reaction, stretching his right arm to make the save.
After that, the ball was moved inside the opponent's territory. In the 7th minute of the second half, Shuhei Tokumoto, who was open on the left side, received the ball and passed it to the feet of Watanabe, who was positioned just outside the penalty area. Watanabe, who evaded the opponent's defender, took a controlled shot but it narrowly missed to the right of the goal.
While we were progressing the game at our own pace, we made a momentary mistake. In the 14th minute of the second half, we gave away a free kick from a slightly shallow position on the right side of our own field. A perfectly timed and speedy ball was placed between the field players and the goalkeeper, and Okuno player jumped in and scored, allowing them to take the lead.
It would not have been strange to be disappointed by conceding a goal at a time when it seemed like they were controlling the game, but Tokyo players continue to attack positively. In the 23rd minute of the second half, Nakamura sends a high cross from the right side, and Watanabe traps the ball with his chest just outside the penalty area, then falls down and shoots with his right foot. The ball with a brilliant trajectory is sucked into the top right corner of the goal, and Tokyo equalizes.
Tokyo, which shows no signs of stopping, had Kota Tawaratsumida, who was substituted in the 37th minute of the second half, break through the right side with individual skill. He broke through to the goal line and sent a pass in the negative direction, and Abe, on the near side, made a one-touch shot, but it slightly deviated to the right of the goal.
Tokyo wanted to accelerate towards a comeback by making substitution cards, but instead, they were broken down from the right side in the 40th minute of the second half and once again allowed Okuno to score and take the lead.
The substitution cards that were prepared before conceding were used as they were, and attempts were made to break through by bringing in players Koki Tsukagawa and Keigo Higashi, but they were unable to create effective attacks. The game ended with a score of 1-2, resulting in the first home defeat of the season.
MATCH DETAILS
＜FC Tokyo＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Jakub SLOWIK
DF Hotaka NAKAMURA / Yasuki KIMOTO / Masato MORISHIGE / Yuhei TOKUMOTO
MF Shuto ABE (41st minute of the second half: Keigo HIGASHI) / Kei KOIZUMI / Kusei MATSUKI
FW Ryoma WATANABE (32nd minute of the second half: Kota TAWARATSUMIDA) / Diego OLIVEIRA (41st minute of the second half: Koki TSUKAGAWA) / Teruhito NAKAGAWA (18th minute of the second half: Adailton)
SUBS
GK Taishi Brandon NOZAWA
DF Henrique TREVISAN/Yuto NAGATOMO
GOAL
23 minutes into the second half: Ryoma WATANABE
Cerezo Osaka
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Jin Hyeon KIM
DF Riku MATSUDA/Ryosuke YAMANAKA/Matej JONJIC/Koji TORIUMI
MF Riki HARAKAWA/Seiya MAIKUMA (substituted in the 20th minute of the second half: Teruki NAKAHARA)/Hiroaki OKUNO/CAPIXABA (substituted in the 9th minute of the first half: Jordy CROUX) (substituted in the 31st minute of the second half: Satoki UEJO)
FW Shinji KAGAWA/Leo CEARA
SUBS
GK Keisuke SHIMIZU
DF Ryosuke SHINDO
MF Tokuma SUZUKI
FW Mutsuki KATO
GOAL
14 minutes into the second half: Hiroaki OKUNO / 39 minutes into the second half: Hiroaki OKUNO
[Coach Albert's Press Conference Comments]
Q: please review the game.
A, I don't think there was a big difference in the flow between the first and second halves of today's match. I feel that we were able to improve our build-up from the back and reduce simple ball losses. We were able to control the game well, but we couldn't convert that into a conscious effort to attack the opponent's goal or create chances. Regarding that aspect, I also feel that I need to improve and I want to point the arrow towards myself.
After equalizing the score, we had a decisive chance but couldn't convert it, and then we made a defensive mistake and conceded the second goal. We prepare for every game to win, so of course, today's defeat is frustrating. However, I think we showed significant improvement in aspects such as building up from a low position, reducing the number of easy ball losses, and dominating the game, and the team's growth was evident as we played more matches. However, we need to connect that improvement to a greater awareness of attacking the opponent's goal and create decisive chances.
Q, please tell us the intention behind substituting player Tsukagawa at the end.
A, Diego OLIVEIRA player felt discomfort in his muscles, so we tried to send Tsukagawa player out in the role of a false number 9. It was unfortunate that we conceded a goal while preparing for the substitution.
Q: Why wasn't the center forward included in the substitute members?
A, PEROTTI's condition was bad, and KUMADA is also a rookie, so I put TSUKAGAWA on the bench as a substitute in the midfield.
[Player Interview]
＜Ryoma WATANABE player＞
Q, Nice goal.
A, it would have been good if we won, but I was genuinely happy with the goal.
Q, please look back on the scoring scene.
I was good at receiving diagonal passes from the full-back, just like in that scene, and I was trying to think about it after receiving the ball at my feet first. At first, I saw that the goalkeeper was coming forward, so I was thinking of shooting directly with a ground pass, but when I received that floating pass and controlled the ball in a good position, I chose to shoot.
Q, were you thinking about shooting when you trapped the ball?
A, I knew that the goalkeeper was coming forward, so I took a shot with all my strength.
Q: Have you ever scored a goal like that?
A, there isn't. There will absolutely never be (laughs).
Q, please reflect on the game after it became 1-1.
When going for a goal, I tend to get anxious and end up losing the ball more often or rushing, which in turn leads to more time spent on defense. It would have been good if I could improve on that. I think the way to defend varies depending on the opponent player. I can't defend alone, so I realized from the bench that I need to redo the communication aspect from scratch.
Q, I think you have improved your play and build-up until the tie in the last few games.
I think we need to increase the number of shots and take positions deep in the penalty area to create more decisive scenes. There may be scenes that contradict what was just mentioned, but including myself, we were too careful with the ball in the first half, which resulted in a decrease in the number of shots. So, I thought it would be good to be more bold and careful in our actions.
Q: How do you think about the continued streak of losing games?
A, I still haven't been able to figure out why we lost, so I want to review the game and find areas for improvement. Within the team, we have had good discussions before yesterday's and today's matches, so I want to do what we need to do to earn points without being pessimistic about everything.
Q, I think we were able to move the ball forward compared to the Shonan Bellmare match.
A, if everyone takes a good position and passes the ball, even if the ball is stolen, it will be easier to defend, so I want to keep doing it based on today's game.
Q, if that part becomes blurry, will it become worse?
I think it's meaningless to just pass the ball around, and it's not good to kick long balls. I believe there is value in accumulating points by playing the style of soccer that we are trying to play. I feel like we are improving, so it would be even better if we can win.
Q: Did you change the number of midfielders? Is there any difference?
A, as for the arrangement, I think the defense has a big influence. I think there are parts where defense is easy or difficult. The three midfielders move fluidly during the attack, so I think the difference is whether Diego OLIVEIRA or the wing player goes to press the opponent's center back during defense.
Q, there was a close scene in the first half.
I wanted to receive the ball in front of the opponent, not between the opponent's defender and goalkeeper, but Shuto ABE was making a move, so I changed the target position. At first, I thought the goalkeeper would catch it, but he didn't come out, so I passed it to Diego TABA, who was originally visible.
Q: Tokyo seems to have fewer scenes like today's goal. Could it be that they are too fixated on their style?
A, it is ideal not to have such goals. I myself did not want to score such goals. It would be ideal if the team could score by what they have been doing, but I think that teams that are in the top somehow end up scoring goals, or there are situations where it becomes a scramble from a set play and it ends up being an own goal or accidentally goes in. I think that such goals are also necessary, but I don't think it is necessary to be fixated on such goals. It is not because of that that we are not winning, and because of that, I think we can reach the top, but I don't think the opposite is possible.
＜Player Hotaka NAKAMURA＞
Q: please review the game.
I am filled with apologies to all the fans and supporters. That's all I can say.
Q, we also saw plays that responded to the situation, including assists.
A, because it was a good tempo, I wanted to play more plays that the opponent would dislike, especially in the first half, and there were scenes where I should have scored goals. The fact that we couldn't finish them off made it a difficult game, and that is a point of reflection for the team.
Q: Was there any difference between the previous match and this match?
On the defensive side, Yuto NAGATOMO and Masato MORISHIGE took the lead in communicating with coach Albert PUIG ORTONEDA about how to respond to opposing players. In the first half, there were some good scenes and overall it was not a bad performance individually. There were also things that we gained from being able to play with a good sense. We want to further improve.
Q, it seemed that passing and positioning had improved.
A, today's match was able to move the ball well at a good tempo from the first half, but we couldn't score. As time went on, there was fatigue and we couldn't go fresh for all plays, which created gaps in the team and individually, and I think it decided the game. There were things that needed improvement, but there were also positive aspects. I want to elevate the team for the next Levain Cup.
Masato MORISHIGE
Q: please review the game.
A, it was not a bad performance, but I could see the challenges when trying to express this style of football. It was a match where I wanted to create more power, ideas, and scenes that end with a shot in front of the goal.
Q, I think the system has changed and the content has also improved.
Regarding the defensive aspect, we have had thorough discussions among the players. In terms of the offensive aspect, we are able to share individual ideas and freedom regarding distance and positioning. Although the results have not been coming, it tends to become negative, but there are naturally good aspects as well. It is important to connect the good aspects to victory. We are choosing the way and means to win. I think that if we don't continue to accumulate wins from here, we will have fewer things to gain.
Q, the second goal was a waste of time. Please reflect on it.
A, we ourselves disrupted the defensive balance and gave the opponent space. We want to correct the team tactics and individual defensive responses, and build on them.
Q, as the matches go on, I feel that the support from the fans is getting louder. Is there anything you feel when you're on the pitch?
It is a feeling that I want to meet the expectations. I think that the fans and supporters are also expecting it, and we want to respond to that. We want to move forward in a positive direction together.
