<Match Review>
Two weeks after their first victory against Avispa Fukuoka, Tokyo is aiming for their first consecutive win of the season as they face Kawasaki Frontale in the Tama River Clasico. The starting eleven remains unchanged from the Fukuoka match. Yuto Nagatomo, who returned from the Japan national team, will play as right back, while U-23 Japan representative Kashif BANGNAGANDE will play as left back, forming a partnership with Ryotaro ARAKI and Kuryu MATSUKI in the front line.
The feeling we grasped in the Fukuoka match was definitely there, and the team atmosphere is good. We want to build momentum with a victory at Todoroki for the first time in 6 seasons, and then the upcoming two consecutive matches at Japan National Stadium against Urawa Reds and Kashima Antlers.
1stHALF—The ball was held but the enemy's territory could not be broken through.
The game progressed in a very tense atmosphere. In the beginning, Kawasaki Frontale took control of the ball, but Tokyo calmly responded and as time passed, they were able to move the ball more. Since Kawasaki did not press high, Tokyo had no trouble building up and advancing from their own half. Players such as Takahiro KO, Kei KOIZUMI, and Matsuki stood out as they touched the ball.
However, the build-up and attack after entering the opponent's half were monotonous, and there were few scenes where the ball entered the wings in a good shape, and no scoring opportunities were created. Although crosses were sent in from both sides several times, they were all cleared.
As a result, Kawasaki gradually takes control of the pace. Even when pressing, there are more scenes where they are broken down in the build-up, and when players like Wakisaka and Ienaga move fluidly and face forward in their own half, they end up conceding the first goal in the 34th minute of the first half.
KIMOTO Yasuki, who responded to MIURA's cross from the left side back position in the area, attempted to clear the ball with a sliding tackle, but it hit the post and fell in front of WAKISAKA. HATANO Go also jumped out and the ball was slid into the unguarded goal.
In addition, in the 44th minute of the first half, they lost the ball in their own half during the build-up and were hit by a decisive shot from player Segoshi, but it missed the goal. On the other hand, in the 45+1 minute of the first half, player Matsuki attempted a volley shot with his left foot from a corner kick, but was unable to shake the goal net, and the game went into halftime with a one-point deficit.
2ndHALF - 2 goals conceded after a player was sent off
The second half, chasing one point, the game structure did not change significantly, and Tokyo also searched for attacking opportunities while connecting the ball. However, although they were able to carry the ball without difficulty until entering the enemy's territory, the quality and ideas of the attacking third were lacking, and scenes where they could not bring the ball to a shot continued.
On the other hand, they were caught behind the high line and faced dangerous situations from counters. In the 14th minute of the second half, Ellison broke through the final line and shook the goal net, but was saved by an offside call.
After that, in order to change the flow, three substitution cards were used in the 19th minute of the second half. Diego OLIVEIRA, Jája Silva, and Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA, who possess strong individual talents, were sent in to break through. However, they were unable to score in a good position, and in the 27th minute of the second half, Hatano, who tried to clear the ball by jumping out of the area, ended up fouling Ellison and was sent off. In the midst of being behind, they were forced to face a situation where they were outnumbered.
Tokyo, who wants to make a comeback, set up a 4-4-1 formation and aims for the goal with Diego Taba as the top player, but in the 38th minute of the second half, they were caught behind the final line again and conceded their second goal, and in additional time when they became more aggressive, they conceded their third goal. It was the end of missing the first consecutive win of the season.
However, we will face two consecutive games at the Japan National Stadium in just three days from here. There is no time to look down, and it will be a week to test Peter Tokyo's rebound mentality.
MATCH DETAILS
＜FC Tokyo＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Go HATANO
DF Yuto NAGATOMO/Masato MORISHIGE/Yasuki KIMOTO (39' Hotaka NAKAMURA)/Kashif BANGNAGANDE
MF Kuryu MATSUKI (19' Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA)/Takahiro KO/Kei KOIZUMI
FW Keita ENDO (19' Jája Silva)/Teruhito NAKAGAWA (30' Teruhito NAKAGAWA)/Ryotaro ARAKI (19' Diego OLIVEIRA)
SUBS
DF Kanta DOI
FW Kota TAWARATSUMIDA
GOAL
－
＜Kawasaki Frontale＞
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Sung Ryong JUNG
DF Yusuke SEGAWA (19th minute: Asahi SASAKI)/Jesiel/Kota TAKAI/Sota MIURA
MF Kento TACHIBANADA/Tatsuki SEKO/Yasuto WAKIZAKA (45th minute + 5 minutes: Yuki YAMAMOTO)
FW Akihiro IENAGA (45th minute + 5 minutes: Yu KOBAYASHI)/Daiya TONO (37th minute: Hinata YAMAUCHI)/Ellison (37th minute: Shin YAMADA)
SUBS
GK Naoto KAMIFUKUMOTO
DF Takuma OMINAMI
GOAL
First Half 34th Minute: Yasuto WAKIZAKA/Second Half 38th Minute: Shin YAMADA/Second Half 45th Minute + 2 Minutes: Kento TACHIBANADA
[Interview with Peter CKLAMOVSKI, Manager]
Q, please look back on today's game.
A, everyone is feeling pain because the result did not come out. When looking at the performance, I think that nothing much happened from the beginning to 60 or 70 minutes. In a close game, the opponent decided on one scene. We continued to play our football, believing that the flow would come back and we would be rewarded, and we continued to fight. In that situation, we were one player short and the game became difficult. The players fought aggressively to equalize, but we were scored on repeatedly and the game was decided. Everyone is feeling pain, so we want to become stronger.
Q, three substitution cards were cut at once in the second half. Was it a planned substitution?
We used substitutions to bring fresh players. We had the idea of putting energy into the attack, and Ryotaro ARAKI, Kuryu MATSUKI, and Keita ENDO were doing very well, but we tried to add energy to the attack by bringing in Diego OLIVEIRA, Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA, and Jája Silva. I don't think there were any decisive moments in the game until then, but after that, we immediately became 10 players, so the mountain we had to climb became higher. The players fought desperately to equalize even with 10 players and gave everything they had, but we couldn't get the points here. We are sorry that we couldn't bring a smile to our fans and supporters.
[Player Interview]
＜Ryotaro ARAKI＞
Q, please review the game.
A, We were doing well until we conceded a goal, but I think we couldn't recover after conceding. I thought that if we scored the first goal before the game, we could control the game, so if we had scored our chances, the game would have been different. However, personally, I couldn't perform well, so I should have been more of a playmaker, and I couldn't figure out what to do when the opponent came up with a countermeasure. It's difficult to make changes during the game, but I want to communicate more and try to change the game against the opponent.
Q, I had the impression that it was difficult to mark player Araki. What were you conscious of while playing?
A, I used to think that my job was to run and go into the goal as usual. I didn't have the impression that man-marking was so strict, but today the ball didn't settle down at my feet, or rather, my ball touch condition wasn't very good. I still want to win every game, but I was also emotionally invested in the Kawasaki game, and today there were many disappointing plays that I need to reflect on. However, we can't have a good game every time, and I think there will be games like this, so I want to use this as a material and move on to the next one.
Q, How do you plan to rebuild the team from here?
A, we definitely want to increase our goal scoring ability. We want to be a team that can score 2 or 3 goals even if we concede, and I believe that if we switch and play our own football, we can get results. It's a series of games, so we will all recover quickly and prepare for the next match.
<Takahiro KO>
Q: How do you feel about the continued struggle to bring out the best performance? Please review the game.
A, it was a very disappointing result. The opponent took advantage of their chances and finished them off. We didn't have many shots, so we need to create more chances. We need to increase the number and quality of our attacks in front of the goal. Of course, we also need the ability to convert our chances, and we can't win if we keep conceding goals, so we want to focus on keeping a clean sheet.
Q, there were also scenes where we struggled against the opponent's press.
A, however, I thought it would be easier to peel off if they came to press me like that, so at halftime I also conveyed the message "I want you to look at me a little more". In the second half, we had to go for goals, so there were more vertical plays, but I also want to improve the quality of those aspects and the speed of positioning and decision-making against opponents who come to press. I think it is necessary to demand more from the team as a whole.
Q: How is the collaboration with Ryotaro ARAKI?
A, I wanted to give a good vertical pass, but after talking after the game, it seems like there are some areas where I want to focus more on the front, so we need to adjust whether our midfielders take a higher position or drop it to them.
Q, What part would you say you could have done better if you had the chance?
A, yes. We should have played forward with quality, not backwards. It was painful for the team to concede and get a red card, but we need to increase the number of times we enter the goal area and also have better game control while playing more offensively. I think we need to improve in those areas. I still don't think we are good enough, so I hope we can work together as a team to get better.
<Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA>
Q, how do you look back on the game?
After Diego OLIVEIRA and Jája Silva joined in at 0-1, we couldn't change the game in a good direction, which I think is a point of reflection. There were chances for me to score, and I think the coach sent me out on the pitch with the intention of equalizing, so if we miss those chances, I think this is the result we end up with.
Q, What kind of play did you want to make?
A, Today, Ryotaro ARAKI and Kuryu MATSUKI were on the front line, but they are not originally front line players, so we were asked to threaten the opponent's goal and show our fear when the front line players entered. I think that can only be shown in the form of a goal, but it's frustrating that we couldn't show it in the end.
Q, How do you think about the improvement points in the future based on the game development?
A, Since we became 10 people at an early stage, the opponent had a longer time to hold the ball, and I think there were few scenes where midfielder Takahiro KO could hold the ball freely. However, even in that situation, there were openings, so I think we lacked the technical ability to exploit them. We were able to hold the ball in the first half, but we lacked the ability to take shots. We can't win without scoring points, so I hope we can continue to pursue and bring out more fear.
