In the final match of the league, play with a calm mind and fight with determination

　Finally, as the league season comes to a close, the final match will be against JEF United Chiba. Despite struggling under the pressure from Niigata in the previous match, we were able to end our last home game with a victory, moving up to 5th place in the standings. Although it relies on external factors, there is still a possibility of rising to 3rd place depending on the result of this match. We will not give up until the very end and give our all to seize the victory. However, Ishikawa has suffered an injury to his right foot and will be forced to miss the game. Additionally, Kajiyama will be suspended following the previous match. As a result, Suzuki will make his first start as the right midfielder after transferring. In midfield, Imakawa and Asari will play as the double pivot, while Cabore and Akamine will form the attacking duo up front.

　Chiba, who is currently in 17th place, needs to secure 3 points in order to avoid automatic relegation to J2, even with a draw in this match. It is expected that they will come out with an aggressive playstyle, but for Tokyo to win, it is essential to not be on the defensive mentally. In terms of defense, one key point is to contain FW Makoto, who is Chiba's source of goals, including set plays. It is important to not only mark him tightly, but also be cautious of accurate crosses from MF Michel, Tanizawa, and Fukai coming in from the sides.

　Furthermore, Chiba's quick transition between offense and defense means that we need to compete with them in terms of energy. In terms of attack, it will depend on how well we can calmly evade Chiba's intense press and carry the ball forward to switch the play. We want to disrupt Chiba's solid defense, which is well-organized by their fullbacks, with the speedy movements of Cabore, Hanyu, Suzuki, and others. Chiba will be without their defender Bosnar due to suspension, so they have chosen to start Hayakawa in central defense. They have also made some changes to the lineup since the previous match, with Kushi as the goalkeeper making his first league start, Toda and Kudo as the central midfielders, and Fukai as the left midfielder.

　Although it was sunny, a cold strong wind blew at the Fukuda Denshi Arena. The stands were filled with tension even before the game, and Coach Shirofuku said, "It's a special game for both teams. We came to the stadium with that determination. We understand that Chiba's players have a motivation that we can't imagine, but it is only by winning 3 points in this situation that we can move forward. This game will test whether we can step up." With determination, the big match started at 14:34 in Tokyo.

Chiba dodges the press and seizes the flow, Cabore scores the opening goal!

　Intense attacks and defenses continued from the beginning. Chiba applied a powerful press from the front line, while Tokyo countered with their energy and momentum, launching speedy attacks with quick transitions between offense and defense. Shortly after the start, Suzuki received a pass from the center and carried it to the right area, taking a sharp shot. The goalkeeper made a save, resulting in a right corner kick, but Tokunaga's kick was cleared and led to a counterattack. However, Tokyo also defended with their defensive line and quickly switched back to the offensive. In the 5th minute, Hayashi received a return pass from Kabore and advanced while shooting. The timing was good, but the distance was too far and he couldn't find the target.

　19 minutes, from the midfield battle, Imano sends a lob pass to the front line. Cabore breaks free, but the ball is a little too long and caught by the opponent's goalkeeper. Chiba also shows fighting spirit, and in the 21st minute, from a right early cross, FW Maki hits a header over Saura's head, but Shioda easily catches it. After that, taking advantage of Hayashi and Suzuki's bold movements, they create chances. There were also moments where Chiba struggled with their intensity, but in the 27th minute, Chiba's FW Reynaud and Nagatomo had a 1-on-1 battle, which Nagatomo defended successfully. In the 29th minute, Cabore skillfully dealt with the ball, and Akamine tenaciously connected it to Asari, who had moved up freely in the midfield. Asari timely took a shot, but it went to the left...

　38 minutes, Nagatomo's cross flew to the far side, and Suzuki, who ran freely here, took a direct shot but was blocked by the goalkeeper's save... However, in the 39th minute, Tokunaga kicked the corner kick obtained from this, and Cabore in the center scored a header with a movement that evaded the opponent's mark, taking the lead!

　In the 40th minute, Chiba's fast cross resulted in consecutive headers by FW Makoto. In the 44th minute, Reynaldo, the right-side MF, sprinted to exploit Tokyo's defense. He sent a cross parallel to the goal from the area, and MF Fukai jumped in to meet it, but Tokunaga made a sliding tackle to cut it off. They defended without losing focus and managed to take the lead into the second half, although it was not an easy development.

Expanding the lead with Nagatomo's goal, but conceding multiple goals in the final stages and losing in a comeback

　In the second half, Chiba's intense press loosened slightly, and Tokyo took control of the ball, found their rhythm, and started attacking. In the 47th minute, Inamoto intercepted a pass in midfield and dribbled fiercely. He then passed to Akanemine on the left, who got into a shooting position but was blocked. However, Suzuki picked up the loose ball and passed it to Hayashi, who had moved up freely. It was a decisive moment, but Hayashi's powerful shot hit the post... Suzuki then picked up the rebound and took a shot from the right side, but it went far above the crossbar. In the 53rd minute, they launched a counterattack, with Inamoto passing to Nagatomo, who calmly cut inside the opponent's defense near the area and took a shot. It was sucked into the goal, giving them a two-goal lead!!

　Tokyo, who completely grasped the flow, did not give Chiba a chance, and Cabore and Suzuki attacked the Chiba goal one after another with a good tempo of passing. However, they were unable to score any decisive goals and time passed without being able to take the third goal to finish off Chiba.

　Chiba did not give up, and in the 56th minute, FW Arata replaced MF Misheu, and in the 63rd minute, MF Fukai was replaced by MF Yuzawa. Tokyo also made a substitution in the 63rd minute, replacing Hayu with Otake, and both teams showed an attacking posture. In the 74th minute, Chiba quickly passed a long ball behind the Tokyo DF after losing the ball in the midfield. FW Arata broke free to receive the pass. The shot released from the one-touch was deflected by the outstretched hand of Shibata and went into the goal. After conceding a goal due to a mistake, in the following 77th minute, Chiba FW Maki won the ball in the front line and MF Yuzawa ran freely to score a spectacular shot...

　In an instant, they were caught up to the same score, but still went for the goal in pursuit of victory. However, they became flustered in the face of Chiba's determination and lost their balance. In the 80th minute, they were unable to clear the ball that Chiba FW Maki contested, and Inomoto fouled Chiba MF Ronaldo, who had stolen the ball in the penalty area, giving away a penalty kick. Chiba MF Ronaldo himself took the penalty kick and scored it perfectly, allowing Chiba to take the lead.

　After that, in the 81st minute, Kondo was substituted for Suzuki, and in the 86th minute, Hirayama was substituted for Asari, trying to recover one point. However, in the 85th minute, MF Tanizawa, who broke through Chiba's vertical pass, dribbled and scored the fourth goal to seal the deal. Despite taking a 2-point lead, we couldn't stop Chiba's determination and momentum, and we continued to concede goals in the remaining 15 minutes, resulting in a comeback loss... As a result, we dropped one place in the rankings and finished the league in 6th place.

　【Player Comments】《Hanyu》"To my Tokyo teammates, supporters, and all those involved, I feel sorry for not being able to give my all. I expected the game to be a tough battle, and I tried to be the starting point for the attack and create opportunities within that. We knew the momentum was on our side and we had chances to score even after getting two goals. It's disappointing that we couldn't finish it off. When we were tied, I regret not being able to stay on the pitch. Of course, I didn't plan on giving my all for the full 90 minutes... If there is a side to be blamed for that, I need to focus on staying on the pitch for the full 90 minutes. As a soccer player, I want to think about how to improve. From the Chiba game, we need to believe in our own soccer and learn that anything can happen. We want to connect each game to the Emperor's Cup."《Suzuki》"It was an important game for both teams. We wanted to play aggressively and keep attacking, not just defending against Chiba's passion. There were parts where we were able to do that, but we felt our lack of strength when it came to finishing the game. It was difficult to make decisions when Chiba was desperately coming at us. We went for the goal, but we need to make sure we made the right decisions along the way... There are many areas that need to be fixed. I really wanted to get results in my first start... We were able to control the game well until the middle, so I'm filled with regret right now."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "In the final match of the league, we absolutely couldn't afford to lose to Chiba, and we absolutely had to win. It was a game with a different atmosphere than usual. The players took to the pitch with that determination, but the fear of the 2-0 situation, the inability to stop the collapse when it started, or the scenes where we conceded goals, all revealed our challenges this season. Including that, I felt that the current situation is evident in the league matches, and our strength cannot be hidden. In the end, our weaknesses were exposed. We couldn't hold on after the 2-2 equalizer, which is our current challenge. We want to firmly accept that. At the same time, we must learn from Chiba's spirit today. We want to carry that into the Emperor's Cup. (What caused the change from a 2-goal lead to conceding 4 goals?) The scenes of conceding goals were all different, so I can't say it was just one thing. It was about not mistaking where we should make an effort, whether to stop the line or drop back, and various other aspects were exposed. And the air of always being able to score a third goal was also very scary. We should have learned how scary a 2-0 scoreline is. (What was the intention behind substituting player Hayashi?) He played at a high pace from the first half, and his physicality and quality were very good. However, his legs cramped just before the substitution, and his physicality also decreased. I don't know if the timing was good, but I wanted to secure the ball in the space created by his physicality. (After finishing the league) We will accept our position firmly. There were good matches and bad matches due to luck, but it's a fair ranking. The result of various situations is 6th place, and we recognize that this is our current strength. However, this doesn't mean it's over. We will learn from each and every match, build upon it, and today is one of those repeated matches. The Emperor's Cup is still ahead, so we want to reflect on this and approach it."

　[Summary of Chiba Alex Miller's press conference] "From the start, we were able to play a very good game, including counterattacks after winning the ball. However, the final moments were not good. The team did not function well in those situations. We tried to make adjustments at halftime. The first goal we conceded was due to not marking properly from a corner kick, resulting in a bad goal. In the second half, we were slow in passing the ball from our short corners, and the opponents took advantage of that to score on the counterattack. On the other hand, we were able to score in a very good period of time. When we equalized to 2-2, I thought we could definitely win. I think our players were good in terms of fitness until the end. There was a possibility of relegation in today's match, but the players fought with everything they had. Since I took over, the team situation has gradually improved, and we have been able to earn around 1.65 points per game. I think we have done well to recover from last place. However, we can't be happy about today's result tomorrow. I still believe that winning in next season's league matches is the key to success, both for me and the players. I made many important decisions today. That's what being a coach is about. I made changes to the captain, goalkeeper, and midfielder Tanizawa. After conceding a goal, I sent in players who could do the right job. I gave them the right guidance, and they understood that it was good to break through the number 9 of Tokyo and also understood the opponent's tactics, so they knew how to approach the game. (What are the differences between Japan and the Premier League?) There are many, but Japanese players have technique and a great attitude towards training. If they are told to do something they can do on the right side, they can do it on the left side as well. As for our team, we need to make some adjustments to our defense. We have conceded a lot of goals in the past few matches. It is also important to find the opponent's weaknesses and exploit them, as well as to dominate the game in the final stages. We need to learn these things. (What about next season?) First, it is important to raise the team's standards. We need to take responsibility and do the tasks given to us in order to move forward. And even with fewer players, I want to create a team where everyone can play and fight in the matches. I hope the players have ambitions and work towards them."