2018 MEIJI YASUDA J2 LEAGUE 1st Sec - Tokyo Verdy vs JEF United Chiba

Match Report

It’s time to recover what was forgotten last season---.

It’s been three months since the players shed tears on the pitch at Kumamoto, a brief interval that felt much longer. To shake the ghosts of their defeat in the promotional playoff, the team held training camp in Okinawa and on February 25, the new look Tokyo Verdy finally returned to Ajinomoto Stadium.

As recent practices had been closed to the public and media, this was our first look at how the team will line up for the new season. Goalkeeper for the debut was new signing Naoto Kamifukumoto. Forming the back line were left back Yuta Narawa (another new signing), right back Naoya Tamura, and the center back combination of Akira Ibayashi and Shinnosuke Hatanaka. Tatsuya Uchida returned to the midfield anchor position, along with Kouta Watanabe and Ryota Kajikawa at inside half, also reprising their roles from last year. Lastly, the front line featured Douglas as target man, Alan on the left, and rookie Kanya Fujimoto on the right, the last enjoying his first match since being promoted from the youth squad.

The first team to press forward after the whistle was Verdy. With the defense playing a high line, the players maintained a compact shape and kept possession in the opposition half. When the opposition began to push back by raising their own line, Verdy then began to exploit the space behind the defense and create chances. In the seventh minute, Douglas burst through the offside trap to receive the ball one on one with the keeper. While this initial attempt was cleared by the goalkeeper’s well-timed charge, another big chance would arrive soon after, in the ninth minute. Receiving the ball in his own half, Fujimoto showed quick wits to play a through pass behind the defense. Douglas was first to react and with a burst of pace, he was past the nearest defender. Now bearing down on goal, Douglas was brought down from behind by the defense for a freekick in a favorable position. Not only that, the defender was promptly sent off with an early red card. Though the resulting free kick was repelled by the opposition wall, Verdy continued to use their numerical advantage to maintain possession and mount attacks. In the 19th minute, Verdy received another free kick wide right and Tamura took a quick restart, playing a long ball into space on the opposite side. Yuta Narawa latched onto the pass and carried the ball into a deep position before providing a reverse cross into the area. Kajikawa met the ball first-time. After a well-timed run, but failed to get his shot on target. At this point, momentum shifted to the 10-man Chiba. After a passage of play in wide areas, Chiba played a ball into space on the right side, leading to an unmarked shot on goal which was kept out by a fine save from Kamifukumoto. The opposition continued to throw caution to the wind and push forward with a high press, leading to mistakes in Verdy’s buildup play. Unable to create a rhythm in attack, the team conceded possession repeatedly, forcing them to run back several times on the counter.

After ending the first half unable to exploit their numerical advantage, the coaches in the Verdy locker room stressed calm as they issued tactical changes. The main emphasis was to get on the ball facing forward and, when space was lacking, to pass the ball from the back with patience.

After minor reorganization in attack and defense, the team’s revised approach would yield results at the start of the second half. In the 48th minute, Alan received a pass from Uchida and floated in an early cross in front of goal. Douglas got his head to the ball at the peak of its flight and while the shot cannoned off the post, it deflected off the goal keeper and into the back of the net. Having failed to score despite their advantage in the first half, Verdy now found themselves ahead after a lucky goal and continued to pose a threat in the opposition area. In the 54th minute, the team found opportunities on the counter attack. Yuta Narawa and Fujimoto both fired shots past the keeper but each was cleared off the line. Similar action continued until the 75th minute, when the opposition found space for a dangerous chance. Kamifukumoto left his line and then scrambled backward as a shot was chipped over his head. However, Watanabe covered the line and managed to stop the effort with an incredible leaping clearance. As the match drew to a close, Chiba finally began to show signs of fatigue from the first half and Verdy created a series of back to back chances. In the 83rd minute, Narawa found space on the left and feinted toward the channel before cutting inside to fire a fierce right footed effort that flew past the left of goal. In the 84th minute, Alan received the ball on the left and dribbled past the defense before aiming at goal from the diagonal left. The shot had plenty of power but flashed wide of the right post. As they say, shadow follows light. After missing out on a plethora of chances, the next clear opportunity would fall to Chiba. In the 86th minute, wide play led to an opposition cross from the left side that Larrivey was able to head into goal. Having just failed to score, Verdy had now conceded their lead.
While the match looked to be all but over at that point, the strength the home team showed in set kicks last year would once again come to their rescue. In the 90th minute, just before entering additional time, Alan battled with defenders in the area after a Narawa cross, earning a corner kick from the left side. Substitute Shion Inoue drilled a cross in front of goal and, after hesitation by the opposition keeper, Hatanaka connected with the ball and sent it into the left corner of the goal for the win. After the goal, Ri Yong-jik entered the match to defend against the opposition power play. With his help, the team protected the lead and ended the match with a win in their home debut for the first time since the 2016 season.

Matches against tough opposition will continue for Verdy in the early part of the season. Next week, they will face Ventforet Kofu, recently relegated from J1. To aintain a good start, it is essential to carry out proper preparation and continue the early winning streak.

Manager Miguel Ángel Lotina

Your thoughts on the match?
We managed to get a win in a difficult match against a very strong opponent. Of course, the red card impacted the match or, at the very least, the match result. But in the first half, we were not able to express our numerical advantage. We couldn’t keep possession. In the second half, we got off to a lucky start from Douglas’s goal and were able to play better than we did in the first. Looking at the match as a whole, I thought we defended well. We weren’t allowing them any clear chances. I was very satisfied with the way we played. We not only had long periods of possession, but also had a good defensive shape when they had the ball. We then created a number of chances but, somehow, couldn’t get the second goal. As a result, in the last five minutes, they equalized. Then, after the restart, Hata (Shinnosuke Hatanaka) got us a lucky goal off a corner kick and we earned three points a dangerous opponent.

Kanya Fujimoto is a rookie straight out of high school, but you gave him the chance to start today. What was your intent and how did you rate his play?
I played Kanya in that position during scrimmages and really grew to like his game. I like the fluidity he adds to the team. He combines well with others and can also produce a great final ball. His presence enables us to be smoother in possession. His passes and crosses are very precise and overall, I started him because I felt that he fit well with our game plan. Today, we happened to be against a very strong opponent and he was called on to do a lot in defense. I saw that he was getting tired and that’s why I subbed him at that point in time.

Was the reason the team struggled to maintain possession in the first half because they showed you something different from expected, tactically?
There was nothing especially surprising about the way they played. We knew that they had a number of quality players. More than that, though, I thought that we were too direct in attack and this increasingly led us to concede possession rather cheaply. It was bad play that forced ourselves to run more. Despite the fact that we knew they have quality players, we simply gave away the ball too much. We gave them the opportunity to dominate possession.

Kanya Fujimoto is only 18. What do you think he needs to play well at this point or to eventually go abroad?
Of course, Tokyo Verdy is a club with many talented young players and Kanya is one of them. Obviously, I think the more chances he has to play, the faster he will grow. However, as manager, I don’t look at age or ID cards when selecting who I want to play. Rather, I select the team that is going to help us win. As long as I think he offers us the best chance to do that, he will continue to play. We have to remember, though, that with young players, there will be ups and downs throughout the season. For him to become a better player, I think that it is important to learn about those peaks and valleys, as well as how to deal with them.

Do you think that Chiba has an especially strong squad or is it that Esnáider’s tactics give them an advantage?
I think it’s both. They have fantastic players and a great team concept. I won’t lie to you. They’re very good and, in terms of their budget and squad, there is no doubt that they will be a contender for promotion. They’re the kind of team that, if they don’t finish in the upper reaches of the table, the season will be looked at as a failure. It’s difficult for me to cite one element that makes them good. It is the totality of what they have. I think of them as an excellent team who have everything - a large budget, excellent players, and a manager who does fantastic work.

DF 4Shinnosuke Hatanaka

Congratulations on winning the opening match.
Since today marks the beginning of the 2018 season, we trained hard to have a positive start and I’m glad that was reflected in the final result.

Tell us about the winning goal.
To be honest, I couldn’t really see the ball, but I made contact and it went it nicely. On a personal level, I was very happy.

Your thoughts on the match?
There were large patches of the match where we were not in control and we also gave up a goal. In the end, however, we were able to protect the lead so that should help us going forward.

What are your personal goals for the coming year?
For me individually, and for us as a team, the goal is promotion to J1. We will all pull together to achieve that goal.

Do you have any message for the supporters?
We have another match next week and 41 more after that, so we hope to have your support.

DF 3Akira Ibayashi

We have another match next week and 41 more after that, so we hope to have your support.
Honestly, he really helped us out today. For a moment, I thought it was (Tatsuya) Uchida who scored, since he was behind me. But when I saw it was Hata, I was surprised. To tell the truth, though, he didn’t actually see the ball. He just got lucky. So don’t expect any compliments from me (laugh). Had he been aiming, I would compliment him. With that said, it’s important that he was in that position. Since last year, he has continued to get himself in good positions in front of goal and I think his ability to get on the end of crosses from there is one of his strong points.

You start the season with a win.
“I’m happy, but next week, we have Kofu and that’s sure to be a difficult match.

You have many early matches against your rivals for promotion.
The level of every team this year is high enough that there’s not really much difference, no matter who we’re playing. So, it’s not a matter of worrying about the strong opponents we face first. We have to approach every match as if it’s important. For the match against Kofu, we just have to do everything we can.

GK 21Naoto Kamifukumoto

Your thoughts on the match?
They went down to ten men early on, but it didn’t really change the way we played. Actually, it made things harder on us. Once they got down to ten men, none of them could afford to slack off and as you saw, they all had a lot of stamina and put a lot of pressure on us for great parts of the match. Still, early on in the first half, we played to our game plan. Later, we got pushed back and gave up a goal, but we still showed some resilience in our defending. In terms of the goal we gave up, and especially our ability to defend crosses, we have some work to do. It was a tough match, but it’s important that we fought to the end and I hope we can continue to do that.

There’s a lot of competition for goalkeeper in the squad right now. When did you hear that you would be starting?
It was unclear until the last minute, but I was always ready. I received word that I would be starting the day before, but I didn’t know until then. Since joining Verdy, I’ve been working hard to prepare, so I was happy that the manager rewarded me with the start. I’m also genuinely happy that I could begin my Verdy career with a win. I will continue to do my best in each and every match, so now I just need to forget about today and concentrate on preparations for the Kofu match. I don’t know who will start the next match, but I hope that each day will be a plus for me, including the competition for positions.

You’re known for your ability to take part in the buildup. How satisfied were you with your performance today?
Well, the pitch condition and tactics of the other side play a role in that. I just tried to keep an eye out for players who were unmarked and, rather than do anything risky, just focused on getting the ball forward into opposition territory. It may have looked like I was playing things safe, but there was never a point where I questioned my judgment in that regard.

Opening matches always have a special atmosphere unto themselves, but otherwise, how did it feel to be playing in Ajinomoto Stadium for the first time?
Our opponents were among our arrivals for promotion and they have a lot of supporters, so it was an especially unique atmosphere. It does make you nervous, but it’s important to concentrate on your own play and not get caught up in the moment. In that sense, I feel that today was a good experience. If we can continue to win, the atmosphere will get even better and that will provide us with more encouragement and motivation. So, I hope that the support we receive will exceed even the atmosphere we had today. We are grateful to all the fans and our goal is to treat each match with the utmost importance.

MF 35Kanya Fujimoto

How did it feel to start in the opening match of the season?
I picked up an injury during camp, so I ended up separated from everyone for two weeks and didn’t join with the team in training until after camp had ended. Of course, it was my goal to play but I wasn’t thinking about starting. I just hoped that I could enter the match at some point. After some of the scrimmages, it became clear where I might play so I buckled down and tried to prepare to play in the position I had today. I wasn’t told that I would be starting until yesterday’s practice, but I simply focused on keeping my composure.

How did it feel to make your J.League debut?
It was my first J.League match today and though I wasn’t especially nervous, the feel of the match was completely different. I wish that I had been able to play better amongst that atmosphere.

It did seem like we got a look at some of your qualities, though.
My personal goal is to play well for the whole 90 minutes. I want to stand out with good play for the entire time I am on the pitch. So, in that regard, I’m not satisfied with my performance today. I don’t want to simply have good moments. I want to play well throughout the match. The through pass I made that led to their red card was a nice moment, but other than that, I didn’t play well enough.

What sort of play do you want to show the supporters?
I want to be involved in creating goals whenever I play.

Now that you’ve made your professional debut, what are your goals for the future?
This year, there will be world cup qualifiers for the youth national teams and I hope that we can proceed as champions of Asia. The Tokyo Olympics are also drawing near and appearing then is a major goal. In addition, I hope that I can play well enough to be selected for the senior national team.

What about your goals for this season?
Our main goal is to achieve promotion to J1. To do that, we will work hard in daily training and prepare for each match, one at a time.

MF 24Yuta Narawa

Your thoughts on the match?
I think if you look at how the match proceeded after they went down to 10 men, it’s clear that we felt pressure to exploit our advantage and our game plan grew a little rigid. It was a difficult match until the very end.

You combined well with Alan Pinheiro in front of you today and managed to get behind the defense several times.
Their side back kept being drawn into the middle to mark Alan, so I tried to exploit the space that opened up.

You had a number of good attempts from the byline.
As a side back, I’m a defender, but I still try to use my athleticism to get on the ball in forward positions. I think one of my strengths is the ability to contribute from those positions. With that said, I have to improve my numbers in terms of finishing and assists.

How did you cope defensively?
I think my biggest strength as a player is that I don’t lose out, one on one, or allow the opponent to control the wide positions. I think I did manage to play for 90 minutes without conceding any gaps on my side of the pitch.

You seemed concerned with the balance between attack and defense.
Alan is an incredibly talented attacker, so I concentrated on maintaining balance on defense to lessen his workload and allow him to focus on offense without worry.

Last season, the team struggled to adjust in real time when their game plan wasn’t working effectively. How was that aspect today?
In terms of our preparation for today and for the season, we’ve set some basic rules for attack and defense. It’s always going to be difficult when our plan doesn’t work, but we showed today that we have the ability to maintain composure and recover quickly.

MF 20Shion Inoue

Tell us about your winning assist. Did it go as you planned?
I had the general idea of putting the ball into that area but I’m happy that it led to a goal and contributed to the win. We have a lot of tall players, so I think that advantage is what enabled us to score.

How did it feel to start the season with a win?
As this was our first match, we were all a bit rigid today but more than anything, I’m glad we won.

What were your thoughts on the match watching from the bench?
There were periods where they had more possession, even though they were a man down, and it seemed that even when we did have the ball, their pressing gave us a lot of problems. We couldn’t dominate them or, at the least, exploit our numerical advantage. I hoped that when I came in, we could do a better job of exploiting the situation.

What instructions did the manager give as he sent you onto the pitch?
He told me to maintain my position in defense. We had a 1-0 lead when I entered, so more than attack, the team needed me to focus on defending and reacting to loose balls.

Your understudy Kanya Fujimoto made his debut today.
I have a couple years on him in age, so it was bittersweet for me to see him starting. I would also like to be a starter, but for now, I need to remain humble, learn from my teammates, and focus on catching the manager’s attention in practice.

You did achieve a clear result with your assist, though.
Yes, but other than that, I really didn’t contribute much today. With that said, it’s always nice to produce clear numbers.

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