Yoshiyuki SHINODA's Tokyo debut aims for absolute victory!

Sec. 6 of the 2nd stage will be an away match against Albirex Niigata.
In the previous match, we lost to Kawasaki and dropped to 16th place in the 2nd stage, and also fell to 13th place in the overall ranking. In response to these results, we have appointed Shinoda as the new coach to rebuild the team, and this match will be the first game under the new system.

The coach aims for "aggressive soccer in both offense and defense, with a sense of dynamism" and says, "First and foremost, we want to regain confidence as a team." Therefore, in order to return to the fundamentals and essence of soccer, and to instill hard work and a fighting spirit in everyone, we have continued with training this week that is "high in intensity and quantity." Within that, we have been pressing from the front to win back the ball and thoroughly executing quick counterattacks.

At the same time, the team adopted a 4-2-3-1 system "to make the most of each player's inherent abilities and consider the distance between players." Maeda started as the lone striker for the first time since the 10th round of the 1st stage. Higashi was deployed as the attacking midfielder. Muriqui and Kono played on the wings. Takahashi and Hashimoto served as the central midfielders, but Yonemoto had to withdraw from the team due to injury, which is a significant blow for the team.

Niigata, who suffered 4 consecutive losses in the 2nd stage, achieved a come-from-behind victory against Omiya in the previous match, and the team's situation is improving.
In a 4-1-4-1 system, especially from the development of MF Leo SILVA, the play of side MF Rafael SILVA and inside MF Gakuto NOTSUDA directly leads to goals, so caution is necessary.

It is important to continue fighting with passion and show the transformed face of Tokyo. Under the guidance of Coach Shinoda, we hope for a new transformation in Tokyo.

Today in Niigata, where the temperature exceeded 30 degrees during the day. As kick-off approaches, the temperature gradually drops, but the heat still remains at DENKA BIG SWAN STADIUM.
The first match of the Shinoda coaching era against Niigata started at 19:04 with a Tokyo kickoff at DENKA BIG SWAN STADIUM.

Although creating several chances, they go into halftime with a scoreless draw.

1 minute: From the kickoff, Tokunaga feeds the ball to Maeda on the front line. Maeda controls it and East fights to earn a right corner kick. However, the corner kick does not find a teammate. Niigata's defender clears the ball.
5 minutes: Tokyo takes control by quickly stealing the ball and heading towards the goal.
16 minutes: Hashimoto passes the ball to Takahashi in the center. Takahashi aims for the goal with a direct shot, shaking the net, but the goal is disallowed due to an offside decision.

29 minutes: Hashimoto injured his left foot, and the game was temporarily suspended.
31 minutes: Game resumes. PITA, who was receiving treatment off the pitch, shows his ability to walk on his own, but is then substituted by Tanabe.

34 minutes: Tokyo is passing the ball, but they are being pressured by Niigata and pushed back into their own half.
36 minutes: Maruyama fouls at a position approximately 30 meters in front of the goal. Free kick for Niigata.

Hashimoto is substituted due to injury in a situation where the score remains 0-0 at halftime.

First goal at the East goal! Shinoda Tokyo's debut match begins!!

48 minutes: Kono sends a long pass to the front line. Maeda follows up on Muriqui's shot, but the opponent's defender blocks it. However, Higashi quickly follows up and shoots the ball into the goal, scoring the first goal to make it 1-0.

60 minutes: A back-and-forth of interceptions in the midfield. Both teams are unable to create clear chances in front of the goal.

70 minutes: Satoru KAWANO is replaced by Hayu.
76 minutes: As Niigata intensifies their attack, DF Maeno's cross from the left is caught by GK Akimoto.

84 minutes: Tokyo substitutes Muriqui with Yoshimoto. Placing him in the center of the defensive line, they defend the goal with a 5-back formation.
90 minutes: Niigata kicks a long ball into the goal area, but Yoshimoto clears it firmly.
90 minutes + 3: Niigata DF Maeno enters the area. The shot from his right foot missed the goal, but it was a close call.
Tokyo defended their one-point lead with great effort and secured their first victory in four matches.

[Player Comments]
《East》
"Coach Shinoda said, 'We are a strong group,' and he created a team that can fight. We were able to approach today's game with confidence, which is important for the team. Personally, I have been playing in a position closer to the goal as an attacking midfielder. It is an important position where if I lose the ball, the team does not function well, so I was able to fulfill that role today, but I am still far from satisfied and there are still many challenges for the team. We were told to communicate well on the pitch, both in attack and defense. In terms of defense, we were able to hold it firmly to some extent and create blocks depending on the timing. Among them, I think we can further improve the quality. We achieved the goal of earning 3 points in a short period of time, which was good for the team. Without good training, we cannot have good matches, so there are tough practices and second division practices, but I want to prepare well and approach next week's game."

"Yoshimoto"
"I was called by the coach at a time when the opponent was increasing attacking players and was told, 'You haven't done it in practice, but you guys will definitely be fine,' so I felt trust and entered the pitch with confidence to definitely hold them back. My job today was to keep it at zero, so I encouraged everyone, raised the line, and during that time, I was in the freshest state, so I think I was able to communicate well with the back five and lead the team."

[Summary of Coach Yoshiyuki SHINODA's Press Conference]
"This week, the team has been in this situation, and I have been training hard for the past four days since I took over. The goal of today's game was to win 3 points first. I didn't put too much pressure on the players, but I felt that I had to show something different from the start of the game. In the first half, we were able to show our ability to steal the ball and quickly go to the finish. However, after taking the lead, Niigata was able to control the ball for a long time. In the end, we were able to take 3 points back, and the players ran well and fought patiently. I want to take this 3 points positively and prepare for the next game."

[Niigata - Tatsuma YOSHIDA (Manager)]
"This season, we haven't had a winning streak, so we approached this match with the goal of winning 3 points at home, just like we did in the previous match. We went into the game with the support of the stadium, but it turned out to be a match with a lot of "battles" from the first half, and we gave the opponent some space on our right side. We managed to overcome that and made adjustments in the second half. However, the handling of second balls and the overlapping marking led to the opponent's goal. Maeda's skill also played a part, as he took advantage of the loose ball. They scored early in the second half and created an environment where they focused on defense. In the end, I think we couldn't show the speed and power to break them down. The game itself didn't unfold as we have been playing recently, and there were times when the game was stopped by the whistle just as we were starting to build momentum, and we couldn't adapt to that tempo. Also, we lacked the final touch. In the final stage, when the opponent changed their system and focused on defense, they started to make moves into our area. We should have been making those moves from the first half. It's been tough not getting results since entering the second stage, but as long as the players keep looking forward and the fans and supporters, as well as everyone in Niigata, continue to support us, we want to believe in ourselves and move forward."