Aim for a perfect record in the last 3 matches and build up one by one

　Sec. 32 of the league was played away against JEF United Chiba. In the 4th round of the Emperor's Cup against Sendai on 11/15, we lost 0-3 without showing the Tokyo style. It is true that it was a series of consecutive matches under a tough schedule, but no one is making excuses for it. Each time, we sincerely accept the challenges and reflections that arise, and we will continue to face the remaining league matches with the determination to win them all, both mentally and physically.

　Chiba, who faced them, had their position determined in the previous round, finishing 16th or below. They will move their battlefield to the J2 League next season. In the 4th round of the Emperor's Cup, they suffered a 0-1 defeat against J2 Gifu, and it can be said that the team is still in a difficult situation. However, in away games last season and home games at the National Stadium this season, Chiba was pushed back by their momentum and tenacity, and suffered reverse defeats in both matches. Coach Jofuku emphasized that "no matter what the score is, we must continue to show tenacity until the end and sharpen our desire for goals," and cannot underestimate them.

　Tokyo, Nakano and Tokunaga join the national team activities energetically. However, Nagatomo injured his right foot, and Kajiyama is absent from the game due to accumulated warnings for two matches. Hanyu is placed in the defensive midfield, and Nakamura is placed in the right midfield. Coach Jofuku once again stated, "Instead of a negative attitude of 'someone is absent...,' I want to pursue the aspect of 'there is also this kind of goodness' with a new team formation," and he is considering a battle that maximizes the characteristics of the players on the pitch, as before.

　Hanyu said, "I will fight while discussing with Yone and make use of each other's play. In defense, I will clearly define the roles of challenge and cover. I also want to work hard on both offense and defense, be involved in the build-up, and also make forward runs. I am determined to contribute in a different way from Yohei and win. The game at Fukuda Denshi Arena, which has a strong impression as a difficult place for Tokyo, but we will overcome Chiba's momentum with focused fighting and aim for victory. The match started with Chiba's kickoff at 13:03."

Despite conceding the first goal, Akamine equalizes with a goal from a passwork

　From the start, it became an intense match where both teams showed their desire to win. However, Chiba managed to steal the ball from a tough check in the midfield and launched consecutive attacks from the sides. In the 7th minute, Chiba's midfielder, 米倉, crossed the ball from the right side. Alex, the midfielder, took a shot from the middle, but it went far over the bar. In the 8th minute, Chiba's midfielder, 谷澤, dribbled through the center. He took a difficult shot with a ball that had no spin, but somehow Gonda managed to block it with his body.

　In response to this, Tokyo patiently passes the ball while looking for opportunities and attacks the Chiba goal. In particular, the two forwards actively aim for the space behind the defense line, creating chances inside the penalty area, but they are unable to take shots. The pitch becomes slippery due to the rain, causing both teams to struggle with ball control. There are many situations that lead to fouls, and in the 22nd minute, Chiba forward Makoto Maki is forced to be substituted due to injury.

　25 minutes, Chiba FW Neto Baiano becomes a wedge on the counter, and FW Araki in the center of the area is able to head in Alex's cross from the left, conceding the opening goal. However, Tokyo calmly connects the ball. Then, in the 30th minute, from the left side throw-in, Nakamura passes to Suzuki in the center, who runs into the area and passes to Akamine. Facing the goalkeeper one-on-one, he calmly slots the ball into the goal with his right foot. The score is now tied as we head into the second half.

Despite allowing the opponent to take the lead, they fought back with one player less...

　In the beginning of the second half, Chiba launched a powerful side attack. Then, from Chiba's MF Kudo, the ball was passed to DF Sakamoto who had broken through the right side, and he immediately made an early cross. This was headed by the free FW Neto Baiano in the center, allowing an additional goal to be conceded early on, which should not have happened. Tokyo, who wanted to counterattack, made a change by substituting Kondo for Akamine in the 53rd minute. In the 55th minute, Suzuki entered the left side of the area after a pass exchange with Tokunaga, but his cross was cut off by the opponent's DF.

　In the 58th minute, Hayashi made a quick restart and passed to Kondo. In the 63rd minute, Tokunaga passed to Nakamura from Kondo's through ball, but both were offside. They hurried too much forward and were well defended by the opponent's DF. Moreover, in the 63rd minute, Hirayama received his second yellow card today and was forced to play with 10 men for the remaining time. In the 69th minute, Hiramatsu was substituted for Nakamura, with Hiramatsu joining the backline and Imano moving to the midfield. They tried to increase the attacking pressure and catch up, but Chiba chased the ball from the front and their compact defense prevented them from scoring.

　Substitute Otake for Hanyu in the 77th minute. Change the final line to a 3-back with Kondo and Suzuki as the top two. Yonehara and Bruno QUADROS cut off the opponent's ball multiple times and carry it to the front line, but Tokyo cannot finish their chances. In injury time, Imano throws a clear to the opponent with his whole body, picks up the rebound, and crosses low from the right. Suzuki jumps in the center but cannot connect. However, the opponent's goalkeeper cannot catch it completely, and Suzuki desperately tries to push the loose ball into the goal, but unfortunately, the ball goes outside the frame. The match ends like this, resulting in a painful defeat.

　【Player Comments】《Hanyu》"It was a situation where we had to win. There was also motivation for the players to leave a result even if some players were replaced. The forward players probably had the thought of scoring themselves. In order for the result to follow, everyone needs to come together for the team's victory. I think everyone is doing their best. However, in order to turn that into a greater force, we need to do it with the mindset of dedicating everything to the team. I want to reaffirm that and unify our will."《Tokunaga》"There is a possibility of finishing in 4th place, which was motivating for us, but there were quite a few mistakes. In our style of soccer, it is tough when there are many mistakes. Of course, the opponent's pressure was strong on the midfield, but even though we have been practicing to evade it, we couldn't do it. We need to be able to evade this level of pressure in order to reach a higher level of soccer, and I think we can only build it up. Our attack lacks the final power, so I want to work on it together with everyone. In the remaining 2 matches, we want to solidify the soccer we have been playing this year. We just want to win firmly with our own soccer."

　[Summary of Coach Jofuku's Press Conference] "We could have secured 4th place if we won today, so the players were all determined to focus on the result and took to the pitch. I think the players did well. I believe that the reason we couldn't produce results is entirely my own inadequacy. We need to improve our game management in the first 30 minutes or so of the first half and we were only able to do that for about 15 minutes. Even with the current squad, we should be able to maintain that style of play for a longer period of time. I think it's my own problem that I couldn't make that happen. Until Sota Hirayama's red card, the fact that we received yellow cards and the opponents didn't, made the players think it was my problem. It's because I lack power. (What went wrong?) In a situation where we had to change the squad, it's not about something being lacking because of the changes, but rather the team needing to show the strengths that come with those changes. I absolutely don't want to blame injuries or suspensions, and the players fought with that mindset. However, when we look at whether the new squad was able to achieve something that the previous squad couldn't, it was able to do so, but only for a very short period of time. Of course, each player has their own strengths that's why they are on the pitch, but I am not all-knowing, so there are certainly challenges. I think that even with the current squad, we could have complemented each other and brought out more distinctive features. But we couldn't do that."

　[Summary of Chiba Ejiri's press conference] "Last week, we experienced a historic relegation to the second division as a club, and we also had a disgraceful loss to Gifu in the Emperor's Cup. Until this week's Tokyo match, we emphasized the mental aspect of 'being able to do a little more'. Specifically, it was evident in today's game, but there were also moments where I felt pressured by players like Hirayama and Akamine, and we lost the ball. However, in the form of 'don't fear mistakes, let's challenge', we built up from the back, including the goalkeeper, and created opportunities on the side by gathering the opponents with midfielders Kudo and Nakago receiving the ball. I think we were able to score the first goal by executing the plan we had been working on. Today, what we have been doing resulted in the outcome, and since we were relegated to the second division on November 8th in the match against Frontale, I think the players expressed their determination to win at home with pride. Although it may be unrelated to the game, there was also a greeting from the president at the beginning, and the players' thoughts were present in today's game, including that aspect. With that, we were able to fight until the end, run more than the opponent, and not give up, and I think we were able to earn 3 points."