Grown in the blue and red since his academy days, last season he was selected for the Japan national team along with Kashif BANGNAGANDE and Taishi Brandon NOZAWA, who both have a strong sense of confidence and awareness.
This year, the two who will turn 23 and 22 say in unison, "We are no longer young. We have to lead the way."
In the second part, we will talk about the results of the team that has been strengthened by the experience of playing for the Japan national team. This season, the men who should be the face of Tokyo are determined to lead the way and pull towards winning the league and titles.
──Season Goal, Please Tell Us What Kind of Season You Want Personally.
Yoshifu Of course it is the J1 League championship. In order to achieve that, I strongly feel that young players need to step up and I have a strong desire to lead the team. From coach Peter CKLAMOVSKI, he also said, "I want each and every player on the pitch to play with the mindset of a captain." I believe that a team that wins the championship is a team where each player takes responsibility and is strong without any weaknesses. I also think that I should not play in the game unless I become that kind of player, so I have to think of myself as a core player, not just a young player, and play accordingly.
Daisuke Until now, I was not good at taking the lead and showing leadership to defend the goal, and I was just focused on playing my own game. But from now on, I have to not only play my own game, but also become a player who can influence those around me, and that is my ideal. It's a battle with myself. If I can remove my limits, I believe I can become a bold, big goalkeeper who can lead the team to victory. I have high expectations for myself in that aspect. I want to challenge myself, grow, and even if I fail at times, I want to do it for the sake of winning.
──What is needed to win the J1 League championship and acquire titles?
Yoshifu It is important for a team to continue looking in the same direction. During a game, it's not always going to go smoothly, so it's important to be able to communicate and make adjustments on the pitch. And also, to be able to call out to each other from the outside. I think it's really important for the whole team to address challenges, not just the 11 players on the field.
Daisuke It's important to come together. Can everyone come together for the sake of victory in a way that's not like licking each other's wounds? Even if it's not beautiful soccer, even if things don't go well, we want to fight together and win. Of course, while following the team's rules, we want to show soccer that excites the fans and supporters. We don't want to be told "We lost, but it was a good game," so we want to play with the goal of winning in mind.
The two who have clearly set their goal for this season as "J1 League Champions" understand that they must take the lead in order to achieve it. Age and career are irrelevant on the pitch. What matters is what they can do to win the next game. It seems that two young and promising leaders will emerge in Tokyo this season.
──What kind of behavior do you want to show for that purpose?
Taishi I think I have to change myself on the pitch. I think there is a figure that the team is looking for, and I know that myself, so I have to get closer to it. This season, I want to aim for a high place as myself.
Yoshifumi FC Tokyo U-18, I was entrusted with the captaincy in my third year of high school, but I don't think it suited my personality. I was supported by everyone around me. However, recently I have been consciously trying to change my character. As a side back, it is the position where I can see the whole pitch the most, so I started to think that I want to connect the team from good defense to good attack, and naturally my voice started to come out. I want to continue doing that this season and do more and more.
──Now that the two of you are together, please tell us what you expect from each other this season.
Taishi Half joking, half serious, Taishifuku-kun says "I won't get injured" (laughs). If I get injured, a lot of plans will fall apart.
Yoshifu That's right. I've never finished a season without getting injured, and that's what a lot of people tell me. It's what I believe the most, and if I can do that, I have confidence that I can achieve better results, so I want to focus on that and keep going.
Taishi Come on, I want you to attack and defend like crazy.
Yoshifu This season, we're going to do it! I want to focus on numbers, so please look forward to it. So, I want Daishi to focus on keeping a clean sheet. I'm a defender, so I want to do it together, but last season Daishi saved me a lot, so I'll do my best to avoid any dangerous situations, but if it's really necessary, I'll be like "Daishi, please" (laughs).
Taishi I will do my best to become a goalkeeper who can stop such scenes.
──Please share your thoughts on this season.
Ambition Our goal is always to win the title. We haven't been able to win the title recently, so I don't think we have the qualities of a champion, but I want people to see our behavior as we go for the win in each game. I want our fans and supporters to say, "I'm glad I came to watch," "It was entertaining." We want to continue playing those kinds of games and make this season one where we can grab the championship in the end.
Yoshifu I want to win every game in front of me, no matter what the content is. We have to focus on the results and show the fans and supporters that we are aiming for the championship through our play. As Daishi also said, I want the fans to come and enjoy watching exciting games and plays.
First part is here
Text by Daisuke Suga (El Golasso)
