Escape from consecutive losses, and will it be revenge...

Since winning the Kyoto match on July 22nd, Tokyo has forgotten the taste of victory. After a draw against Kashima, they have fallen into a disastrous situation of six consecutive defeats in a quagmire.

Today's opponent is Kobe, who narrowly lost in the 1st stage. Kobe has also not won any matches since the 2nd stage resumed and is currently in last place at the end of the 12th round. They are also in danger of relegation to J2, ranking 13th in the overall standings. Their situation is even more difficult than Tokyo's at the moment.

Kobe showed a strong determination to win by not including Mr. Kobe, FW Nagashima, who announced his retirement at the end of this season, on the bench. On the other hand, Tokyo also tried to find a new way forward to escape from the current worst situation by positively trying a new trial, such as starting Asano, a former Japanese representative, for the first time this season.

In a situation where neither team can afford another loss, will Kobe show their determination at home and make a big step forward towards remaining in J1, or will Tokyo show their determination to escape from their losing streak and take revenge against Kobe? At 4:00 PM, the kickoff whistle echoed at the Kobe Univ Stadium, with the sunset shining through.

Naito, unable to fill the hole left by Amaral...

Before the game, Coach Okuma's aim was as follows: "Exploit the space behind Kobe's both sides with Asano's long pass, and have TUTO and Yukihiko Sato make runs into that space. Including Fujiyama and Masamitsu Kobayashi, be proactive in the wings and break through from there."

However, when the game started, it was Kobe who took the lead on the side. Just like in the two games after the restart, Tokyo's engine was slow and they lost the ball with a lack of sharp passing, allowing Kobe to quickly change sides and deliver a cross ball at the right timing. In the 4th minute, Sandro was caught off guard by a cross ball from Kobe's left side and was headed freely in front of the goal, but GK Doi caught it in front. Furthermore, in the 15th minute, a cross from the left side was dropped in front of the goal, and there, Mohara was hit with a powerful middle shot from the center, but it hit the goalpost and was saved.

As a factor that prevents Tokyo from achieving the desired rhythm, it goes without saying that the absence of key players Naito and Amaral has had a significant impact. Up until now, Tokyo has relied on Naito's passes from the right side (i.e., the opponent's left side) as the starting point of their attacks, accurately distributing combination plays and passes to the top (Amaral) on the same side, and if the same side gets crowded, they can quickly switch to the opposite side. However, in the past two matches, Tokyo without Naito has been unable to build attacks from the right side, and even when passes are made from Komine to Yukihiko on the same side, the combination plays have been poor, resulting in the ball being consistently taken away by the opponents. Furthermore, even when the ball is played to Kanno, who has taken on the role of a target player in place of Amaral, he consistently loses the ball due to the opponents' strong charges, and the rhythm of the attack fails to materialize. As a result, they have been unable to push up the entire line and have lost the momentum of Tokyo's characteristic vertical play.

Asano created a rhythm in the midfield

Tokyo, which often lost the ball and struggled to get on the offensive, had Asano fighting hard on both ends. The former Japanese national team's big midfielder, who made his first start of the season late, said before the game, "I'll do it desperately!" and demonstrated his ability as the starting point of the attack. He is skilled at creating rhythm by easily spreading the ball with direct passes and distributing accurate long passes when space is created in the front line. He started to function around 15 minutes into the first half, getting used to the speed of the game. When the opponent's press is strong in the position of the midfielder, he easily spreads the ball with direct passes, and when space is created in front of him, he advances with dribbles and distributes long passes behind the opponent's defense as intended by Coach Okuma.

Gradually getting used to the opponent's speed and intensity, Tokyo found a "new" clue to their attack centered around Asano. In the 21st minute, after stealing the ball on the left side, Naruoka dribbled past two players and charged towards the goal, deeply penetrating the defense before passing to the free TUTO in the center. However, his left-footed shot missed wide to the right. In the following 26th minute, a beautiful pass from Asano found Yukihiko SATO on the right side. Yukihiko launched an attack and sprinted forward, breaking through vertically and delivering an exquisite cross to the waiting Kamiya on the far side. However, Kamiya's volley shot missed the target.

Endure Kobe's fierce attack with one's body

As instructed by Coach Okuma, Tokyo gradually increased the number of chances with Asano at the center. However, as usual, Jang Hyun Soo was unable to create a foundation in the front line, and couldn't bring out the strengths of TUTO, Tokyo's biggest weapon.

On the other hand, Kobe passed the ball around in the midfield, with former South Korean representative Ha and Hasebe at the center, and crossed from the left side of Kobe (which is Tokyo's right side) where space was available. In the 28th, 40th, and 41st minutes, consecutive crosses from that left side caused danger, but GK Doi, with Sandro and Yamao putting in a brave play, did not allow any goals.

On the contrary, in the 43rd minute, Asano dribbled up the center and passed a through ball to TUTO, who took advantage of the opponent's defense. Unfortunately, it was cut off by the opponent's defense.

Why, how... once again, a heartbreaking goal conceded 5 minutes before the end of the match

In the first half, Tokyo only had one shot, but they showed good form in the attack with Asano's distribution, Kobayashi Seigo, and Fujiyama's dribbling breakthroughs, although they were few. On the other hand, they did not allow any goals by putting their bodies on the line in front of the goal in defense, but the positioning of Komine on the right side and Yukihiko was poor, and they were concerned about being broken down from there.

The game became more intense as the second half began.

2 minutes into the game, Seigo Kobayashi broke through the left side and crossed the ball in front of the goal. The opponent's defender cleared it, but Asano, who picked up the ball on the left side, immediately sent a long pass to TUTO on the opposite side. TUTO controlled the difficult ball over his head with his right foot and aimed for the goal, unleashing a powerful right-footed shot, but the ball went over the crossbar.

On the contrary, in the 4th minute, a counterattack from Kobe led to a pass to Fabinho on the left side, who was left unmarked. He took a decisive shot from close range, but the ball also went over the bar.

In the midst of a tense back-and-forth battle, it was Tokyo who made the first move. In the 8th minute of the second half, they substituted Yukihiko Sato, who couldn't create another chance on the right side, with Masuda. Just moments later, in the 9th minute, Masuda created an opportunity with a superb looping pass to Kamiya, who had made a run from the right side to the front, showcasing a different presence compared to Sato.

Afterwards, Tokyo substituted Kina in the 23rd minute of the second half, as Asano's performance had declined. With this proactive substitution, Tokyo created a new rhythm. Kina contributed to both offense and defense, stealing the ball from an ambitious defense and pushing up the midfield line with his abundant stamina. In the 32nd minute, he stole the ball on the right side and quickly advanced to the front line with a fast rhythm, passing the ball to TUTO with a superb through pass that slipped through the opponent's defenders, but unfortunately it was offside. The team's attacking power increased with the introduction of these two players who have strong ball retention skills.

On the other hand, Kobe also made a move. In the 15th minute of the second half, they substituted Kurosaki, who had often been isolated on the front line, with the tall player. Kurosaki became the focal point of the front line with his deep post play, and the frequency of crosses targeting his height also increased. In the 35th minute, a cross was sent from the right side of Kobe, and Kurosaki was able to head it, but the shot went straight to goalkeeper Doi.

Engaging in a back-and-forth battle, both teams displayed an equal offense and defense. As the second half reached the 40th minute with the possibility of going into extra time, a chaotic scramble occurred in front of Tokyo's goal. Despite their persistent resistance, they were ultimately penetrated by a superb pass to Kurosaki, who calmly pushed the ball in, resulting in a devastating opening goal.

Once again... There are no words other than "nightmare" to describe it. In the Júbilo match after the 2nd restart, we conceded goals in the last 5 minutes of the second half and in injury time. The same thing happened in the V Kawasaki match, and also in the Kobe match... The players from Tokyo should have been told since their childhood about the golden rule of soccer: "Pay attention to the first 5 minutes and the last 5 minutes of the match." Even if they understand it, they still fall victim to it. Is this the level of J1 where we have to accept it? However, even comparing the number of shots in the last 3 matches, Tokyo's performance is too disappointing. It is clear that the quality of soccer is extremely different when Amaral and Naito are on the field compared to when they are not. The 2 goals scored by TUTO in the V Kawasaki match were after Amaral came on in the second half. It is natural for the team's strength to decline without the ace, but if we don't do something about it, we won't be able to compete in J1.

In the next match, we must win without fail, for the sake of the fans who gather at the National Stadium, for the sake of entrusting our dreams to our future home, Tokyo Stadium, next year. It is important for all players, staff, and the front office to approach this with a shared understanding and give it their all.

[Coach Okuma's Comment]

"We were able to execute the planned attacks from the side, but we struggled because we didn't have a focal point in the front line. Additionally, without Naito, there were no clear opportunities to break through, especially from the right side, that could lead to goals."

In the last three matches, it is clear that the challenge is not being able to consistently perform well when Amaral, Sandro, and Yamato NAITO are absent, as well as when the key players are absent. We want to change our mindset and fight carefully in the remaining two matches."