Preventing consecutive losses with a calm game play!

　Sec. 24 of the J1 League is an away match against Kashima Antlers. Tokyo, who has suffered four consecutive losses and is not in the best condition, has been preparing for the match by repeating many challenges in practice matches and intra-squad matches that are close to actual games. They have tried various tactics such as using a 3-5-2 formation against Kashima, placing Kajiyama as an attacking midfielder, and positioning Baba as a forward. However, it is not about the system or who plays, but about the team coming together as one and playing with passion.

Kashima, who is currently in 5th place, defeated Shimizu, who was in good form, in the previous league match. On the 20th (Wed), they played against Yokohama FM in the Nabisco Cup and although they were defeated, they secured a spot in the finals. Fatigue is a concern, but their motivation should be high. Even though FW Alex Mineiro was absent, Manager Kuramata pays attention to Kashima's FWs Yanagisawa and Fukai, saying "they have skill and speed, so we need to be careful of their movements without the ball." In addition, he strengthens his vigilance, saying "the sides will aggressively move up the field, starting from MF Fernando's passes."

　Tokyo, who has been in good form this week, placed Akamine as the lone striker and Kajiyama as the attacking midfielder. Lucas, who was doubtful due to a knee injury, is on the bench. Asari is in the defensive midfield, forming a partnership with Imano, and it will be important to see how they can contain Kashima MF Fernando and Nozawa. Kashima is known for their tactical prowess, so Tokyo will need to play a composed game and fight tenaciously, ensuring they convert their chances, instead of conceding an early goal as they have done in the past.

　In the first half of the league, the home game (Matsumoto) was a match where we were overwhelmed by the momentum, but we sank in front of Kashima's finishing ability. Also, at this away game = Kashima Soccer Stadium, we have only won once in the cup matches so far, and in terms of past records, it can be said that the odds are against us. However, in order to achieve revenge, we want to create chances from fast attacks typical of Tokyo, and take away the points. The match started at 3:04 pm with Kashima's kickoff in the slightly chilly wind.

To allow the opponent to take advantage of a momentary gap and score first

　Tokyo aggressively goes forward to steal the ball and seize opportunities. In the 3rd minute, the ball flowed to Akamine on the right and crossed to Ishikawa in the middle, who aimed for a mid-range shot but the goalkeeper caught it. In the 8th minute, Imamura advanced on the left side and won a corner kick. The left corner kick by Ishikawa was directly caught by the goalkeeper. In the 12th minute, Imamura stole the ball in the midfield and passed it to Ishikawa. He dribbled through the right side and won a corner kick. Jean headed the ball, but couldn't find the target. Kashima also attacks from the space created by forward Yanagisawa. In the 15th minute, midfielder Masuda received a pass on the right side and made an early cross. Yanagisawa headed the ball, but it didn't go towards the goal. In the 16th minute, Yanagisawa broke through with a quick attack and took a daring shot from mid-range. It was saved by Doi and resulted in a corner kick.

　18 minutes, a through pass from Tokunaga on the right front line after Inoue's cut, dribbles and cuts inside to take a shot, but it goes over the bar. In the 19th minute, a big side change from Akamine to Ishikawa on the right. A daring mid-range shot from the dribble, but it goes outside the frame. In the 24th minute, Inoue breaks free from Jan's long pass and heads the ball in from the right area, but it doesn't hit the target. The game was starting to tilt in our favor, but we allowed the opposition to take advantage of a momentary lapse. In the 28th minute, a direct pass connects on the left side, and midfielder Fernando, who was in the center, receives the ball freely and takes a mid-range shot. The ball is pushed by the wind and finds the bottom left corner of the goal.

　Tokyo wanted to counterattack, but Kashima, without forcing an attack, passed the ball between the defenders and midfielders. Tokyo couldn't find a rhythm as Kashima took advantage of their forward movement and took the ball to the shot. In the 39th minute, Akamine kept the ball on the right side. He passed a lofted pass to Kawaguchi, who had run into the space on the opposite side, but the cross for a shot didn't connect. In the 43rd minute, Jean headed a shot from Ishikawa's right corner kick, but it went over. The first half ended without any decisive chances. Tokyo is one goal behind going into the second half.

Kajiyama and Imano's goals lead to a counterattack, but fall just short

　Tokyo replaced Kawaguchi with Lucas and formed a two-top with Akamine. We wanted to build momentum and launch a counterattack from the start of the second half, but in the 47th minute, MF Fernando scored a header from MF Nozawa's left corner kick, allowing an additional goal and thwarting our plans. It became a difficult situation with a score of 0-2, but we continue to attack without giving up. In the 53rd minute, Imakawa picked up the ball in the midfield and passed it to Akamine on the right side. It was passed to Ishikawa, who had run up from behind, and entered the penalty area. He took a shot but was blocked by the defender and resulted in a right corner kick. In the second corner kick, Kajiyama perfectly headed Ishikawa's kick, but it narrowly missed the crossbar.

　In the 55th minute, Doi caught the ball from Kashima's corner kick. He launched a counterattack, and in the end Lucas took a shot from outside the box, but missed the target by a wide margin. Despite successfully stealing the ball from a less energetic Kashima, their disjointed attacks often resulted in losing possession and being countered. As if that wasn't enough, in the 67th minute, Kashima's left corner kick was headed by DF Aoki and MF Fernandez jumped in with a header goal. They conceded a third goal.

　Tokyo, who wants to counterattack, made substitutions in the 68th minute, with Asari and Akamine being replaced by Miyazawa and Baba. Then, in the 72nd minute, a free kick from just outside the left area. Miyazawa aimed directly but the goalkeeper caught it. In the 75th minute, Miyazawa switched sides to Ishikawa from a quick restart. Miyazawa dribbled and sent a long pass into the middle, and it reached Miyazawa again. He took a shot from the middle, but the ball went straight to the opponent's goalkeeper. The pressure from Kashima's midfield gradually decreased, and Tokyo started to create good opportunities by quickly getting the ball into the side.

　83 minutes, from Inoha's throw-in to Miyazawa -> Kajiyama. He brought it into the middle and took a daring shot from outside the area, bouncing off the opponent's goalkeeper's hands and piercing the goal net, scoring one point. Completely regaining momentum, in the 89th minute, a cross came in from Inoha on the left side, Miyazawa, who was on the opposite side, kept the ball and dropped it to Imano, who was rushing up, and he took a direct shot. This also bounced off the opponent's goalkeeper's hands but went into the goal. Finally, the score was reduced to one point. In stoppage time, Ishikawa timely crossed the ball and Lucas jumped in, but couldn't connect. In the end, the game ended like this. In the final stages, they tried to counterattack without giving up, but fell short and suffered a defeat.

　【Player Comments】《Konno》"It's just frustrating. We scored too late. If we had worked together as a team and attacked more, we could have scored earlier. Our aim wasn't clear. For example, if our midfielder had gone to the side, our front line could have moved and picked up the second ball... We've been conceding a lot of goals from set pieces lately, so we were careful, but we still gave up the second and third goals from a corner, which was painful. In the first half, we were focused on not letting Kashima score. We conceded the first goal and our plan fell apart. In the second half, we were able to keep possession, but even when we passed the ball around in our defense, the opponent wasn't scared. We need to play in a way that makes them uncomfortable. The goal was set up by Miya, who was going to pass it to me. I thought about passing it inside, but there wasn't enough time, so I decided to shoot. It wasn't a powerful shot, but it deflected off the opponent and went in. I realized that something can happen when you take a shot. We've lost five games in a row and it's mentally tough. We're trying to play with our hearts, but there's still some anxiety. But I believe we have the ability to turn this around and compete for the championship. I see this as a challenge that we need to overcome."《Miyazawa》"(The pass to Kajiyama) There was no one in the middle, and Yohei was free, so I thought he could do something if he turned forward. (The pass to Konno) I could have taken the shot myself, but there was a defender close by, so I passed it. Personally, I think it was good that I was able to penetrate into the box. I haven't been able to make those kinds of plays before, but today, with Kondo behind me, I wanted to keep pushing forward. I tried to chase after the ball. I only played for about 10 minutes, but I want to keep practicing and preparing so I can start in the next game."

　[Summary of Manager Kuramata's Press Conference] "It was a game with a score of 2-3, but we conceded 2 goals from set plays again today. First half, we were conscious of not leaving Kashima MF Fernando free, but Ishikawa ended up sticking too close to left back Arai's advance, leaving Fernando unmarked. Originally, we had instructed someone to mark MF Fernando, who is known for his long shots, but it was unclear who should mark him, and we ended up conceding a goal in the first half. After regaining possession, we wanted to attack more from the sides, but we couldn't quite do it. In the second half, we started attacking from the sides, but conceded 2 goals from set plays. We managed to pull back 2 goals towards the end, but that was as far as we could go."

　[Summary of Kashima - Paulo Autuori's press conference] "MF Fernandez recovered from his injury and gradually adapted through consecutive matches, resulting in 3 goals. Today, Fernandez may have stood out, but I didn't say anything special to him and didn't give him any specific role. What I emphasized today was to show the spirit of 'For the Team', and the game materialized that. It was a tough condition with only 3 days between the Nabisco Cup matches, both physically and mentally, but it was good to be able to play such a game. We were able to recover well in a difficult situation and play the aggressive soccer that we aim for from the start. Another thing to mention is that the conditioning is excellent, and the physical strengthening can be appreciated. The downside, which can be said for Japanese soccer as a whole, is the challenge of not being able to connect the ball well while leading by 3 points and conceding a goal in the end. We want to fix that. Finally, although I usually refrain from personal comments, DF Aoki has been very good in the past few matches. I want to show respect for his understanding of tactics and his execution. I would like to express my gratitude not only to the players but also to the supporters who always support us. Also, I want to congratulate MF Fernandez. It is rare for a player in the back of the midfield to score 3 goals."