After the announcement of the new system, the team started their training camp in Okinawa and Kunigami. On January 23, the schedule for the 2024 Meiji Yasuda J League was also announced. What kind of soccer will the team show in the new season? The coach's aggressive style, the integration of the potential of new players and existing players, and the intense competition for all positions. It was filled with the charm and potential that made the opening eagerly awaited. This time, as a mid-term report for the 2024 season opening, we will deliver the team's current situation and efforts so far.
The annual schedule has finally been announced, and fans and supporters are eagerly awaiting the start of the season. The 2024 Meiji Yasuda J1 League will kick off on February 24 with an away match against Cerezo Osaka, followed by a home match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima at Ajinomoto Stadium on March 2. In April, there will also be a "National 2-match series" against Urawa Reds and Kashima Antlers. With three clubs based in Tokyo for the first time in the J1 League, all eyes will be on the battle for dominance in the capital.
Among them, FC Tokyo is showing steady progress towards becoming a "dream team". They have reinforced their team with new players such as Takahiro KO, Keita ENDO, Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA, and Ryotaro ARAKI for the new season. In addition, the coaching staff has also been expanded, and they are tackling challenges by dividing their perspectives.
The team has started building a new team in earnest at the 13th Okinawa/Kunigami Camp, aiming to make a comeback from last season's 11th place finish. Head coach Peter CKLAMOVSKI, who took over in the middle of last season, emphasizes the continued growth path, saying, "We have a good foundation built with the players who have remained since last season. We want to continue to improve and grow."
In this training camp, we are organizing our tasks and working on solving problems in a systematic manner. First, we focus on how to push the opponent into their own territory and play based on the high line high press. In terms of changes, the number of one-touch passes after winning the ball is noticeable. While adjusting the distance and angle between players, we are also practicing fluid movements to avoid pressing situations. The coach also mentioned, "We are playing good football and creating good goal-scoring opportunities," expressing his satisfaction.
In the first training match of the season on January 23rd against FC Ryukyu, a 45-minute x 3 training match, they scored a massive 8 goals. However, there were also a large number of chances, and it was a game where they could have scored even more. If we were to mention a name, Teruhito NAKAGAWA of this season could become an interesting presence. The addition of Endo, who knows him well from his time at Yokohama F.Marinos, is significant, and the number of times he appears in front of the goal has clearly increased. The two's position changes were smooth, and this combination created the rhythm of the attack.
And it will be Kuryu MATSUKI who will enter his third professional season. In this match, he wore an armband on his left arm and demonstrated his natural leadership skills by leading the team. As the coach says, he is one of the players who embodies the idea of "each of the 11 players on the pitch is a captain". With his intense play and hard work, he switched on the defense and also became the starting point of the attack by freely moving around the pitch. Matsuki himself also speaks of his responsibility and awareness.
"I think I can do it with confidence this season. In fact, I was given the opportunity to be the captain (in a practice match), so I feel even more strongly that I have to lead the team to victory this season. My confidence has also increased, and I am able to play quite freely, so I hope to maintain this while improving the quality even more."
There are still many exciting players to look forward to. Kota TAWARATSUMIDA, who has clearly gained strength, has added power to his sharp dribbling and there is a sense of further breakthrough. Hotaka NAKAMURA, who has recovered from a serious injury, is also expected to return soon. The newly joined players with outstanding skills will also join in, and the competition for regular positions with existing players will be fierce in all positions. No player is promised a position.
Furthermore, at this training camp, we are aiming to increase our goals from set pieces, which was a challenge last season, and are spending a lot of time practicing. We are checking our positioning and set plays in detail. We have also thoroughly reviewed our short corner patterns from scratch. These efforts have shown results in our practice matches, with Masato MORISHIGE scoring a header from a corner kick and Soma ANZAI scoring the final goal. From here, we will continue to build on these small successes.
Improving teamwork and rebuilding defense based on high press are essential as we approach the opening. Beyond each step, there is the figure of the team that Coach Peter CKLAMOVSKI has dreamed of. The sweat shed in the southern land and the troubled mind will create "Tomorrow's Tokyo". I would like to end this article with the passionate words of the commanding officer.
"We want to create a team that fans and supporters can be proud of, with high entertainment value. And we want to achieve many victories. We promise that."
Text by Kyohei Baba (Freelance Writer)
Photo by Kenichi Arai
