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MATCH
Match Report
After three consecutive draws, Verdy last week secured a win away against Tokushima Vortis. This week, they returned home to Ajinomoto stadium looking for their first winning streak of the season. Their opponents on this occasion were FC Gifu and the squad that took the pitch retained the base from the previous fixture with one change, as Alan was given a rest and Carlos brought into the starting lineup.
As the match began, the Verdy players spent much of their time evading the Gifu high press and passing the ball at the back. Though they tried to play balls in behind the Gifu defense, their passing routes were cut off and the team found themselves unable to shift gears in attack. Before long, Gifu would claim the momentum. In the 14th minute, the Verdy defense were stretched down the left side, leading to an early cross that drifted into space in front of goal. An opposition player made a dangerous run, unmarked, but was unable to get a touch on the ball. Though they continued to struggle in attack, Verdy would eventually receive their biggest chance of the match in the 37th minute. Naoya Tamura nutmegged his marker to put in a cross from the right side, reminiscent of the third goal last week against Tokushima. It was Carlos who made the run into the box, but he was tackled just before getting a touch. Shion Inoue then pounced on the loose ball, but his shot flew over the crossbar. Other than that opportunity, it was Gifu who held possession for nearly the entire half, as Verdy remained patient and kept their shape in defense, holding the score to 0-0 at half time.
The Verdy bench would make their first move just after the opening whistle of the second half. In the 50th minute, Ryota Kajikawa was brought on for Shogo Hayashi and not long after, Verdy would grab hold of the pace. As Kajikawa made himself the center of the passing play, the team were finally able to carry the ball up the pitch. The midfielder also worked hard in defense, alternating with Kota Watanabe to press the opposition back line and quickly win the ball after losing possession. In the 53rd minute, Verdy built numbers on the left side and Douglas was able to float a cross to the far post. Carlos slid in to get a touch on the ball but he was unable to keep it from crossing the touchline. Verdy would continue to move the ball in tight areas, pushing the Gifu defense into their own area, but they lacked precision in their final ball and were unable to set up the finish. On the contrary, as the match wore on, it was Gifu who would create opportunities by playing the ball behind the Verdy line. In the 62nd minute and 81st minute, respectively, Verdy would try to bolster their attack by bringing in Ryohei Hayashi and Kazuma Takai, the latter making his first appearance since joining the squad in the off season. They would continue to hold much of the possession but, once again, the final pass or cross was off-target and time continued to pass. The final chance of the match would come during additional time, in the 93rd minute. Carlos broke down the left and had a chance on the counter. His shallow cross reached the far post, where the running Ryohei Hayashi headed it toward the net. However, while the shot was on target, it was cleared off the line by the defense.
As the dust settled, Verdy finished the match with their third straight draw at home. While many of the players seemed frustrated to being spurning points week after week, it is worth noting that the team has gone eight matches without a loss since the start of the season, a true positive. The players also know what’s needed to win in the future – namely, improving the precision of their finishing and building the team cohesion necessary to claim victory in difficult matches like today. Next week, Verdy hit the road again to face Roasso Kumamoto. To bring three points back with them to Tokyo, the team must build on the foundation brought by their defensive stability and improve their quality in attack.
Post-match comments
Manager Miguel Ángel Lotina
Your thoughts on the match?
It was a game of two halves. In the first half, they dominated possession and brought a lot of numbers forward around whoever had the ball at the time, making it very difficult for us to defend. When we went forward in attack, we weren’t choosing the best options at our disposal. But I think we continued to defend well and that enabled us to keep a clean sheet. In the second half, we were better able to play our usual game. More than defending well, it was about us having more time on the ball, having more options in attack, and spending less time having to drop back in defense. We created chances, but Gifu created an equal amount. I think a draw was a fair result today.
What role did you assign to Ryota Kajikawa when he was inserted into the match?
I wanted us to maintain greater possession of the ball. He began as a wing and I told him to play from the outside. After that, I moved him to inside half and instructed him to support Uchida by staying closer to him.
For your final substitution, you inserted Kazuma Takai for his first appearance this season. How do you rate his play today? Considering that you also had Yuhei Sato on the bench, what was your reason for choosing Sakai?
Kazuma (Takai) has more of the qualities of a natural forward than Yuhei (Sato). He is a player who can challenge defenders one-v-one in the penalty area. Yuhei, on the other hand, is a player that you count on to make the final pass. In terms of this game, we needed a forward and so I selected Kazuma.
You mentioned that Ryota Kajikawa entered the match as a wing and later shifted to inside half. Can you tell us your reasons for that?
Kaji(kawa) likes to play in the middle and likes to support his teammates by taking positions near them. However, I didn’t want us to lose our numbers out wide and so I told him not to move inside too much and to start from the outside. He played very well and I think he was a big help to the team.
GK 21Naoto Kamifukumoto
Your thoughts on the match?
They had a lot of the ball in buildup and attack, and there were periods that were difficult for us in defense. However, we were strong in front of goal, as I think we’ve been in every match this year. I think we deserve credit for that. In order to get the full three points, I think we just have to take our chances, create more of them, and improve our own build up. As we saw last week, however, we will get chances to win regardless and if we can remain patient and defend well, I think that will lead to the three points. So, we need to improve where we can while still maintaining what we’ve been doing well. Either way, I don’t think we need to be down ourselves after our performance today.
There was a strong wind throughout, today. You were upwind in the first half and downwind in the second. Did that have an effect at all?
I didn’t really notice the wind when the ball was on the ground, but it did make it difficult to judge the flight of the ball when it was in the air. It’s possible that did affect our kicks today. With that said, I think everyone was concentrating well. That can be difficult, sometimes, when the wind is high, but today it wasn’t that big of a problem.
It seemed like the team’s build up was restricted by the opposition press in the first half.
Like us, they’re a team that places a big emphasis on build-up, so I think they have a good sense of what we were trying to do. In that sense, we did feel some pressure, but there were a few occasions where we were able to shed their markers and get in quickly on goal. If we’re going to seek perfection, I think we have to increase the amount of time we have on the ball, but it wasn’t like we failed to create any chances at all. I think it’s important to keep doing what we’re doing.
MF 26Kazuma Takai
You switched sides a lot with Carlos Martinez, today. What were you aiming for?
Actually, it was by chance that we ended up on opposite sides at certain points and we decided just to continue that way. Once the play was stopped, we would switch back to our normal positions.
You did a lot of dribbling at the defense.
It was my first appearance in a competitive match for five months. It was very different from a friendly match, and that goes for the atmosphere as well. There were aspects, both physically and in terms of feel for the game, where I was not fully adjusted. I feel like I didn’t do enough to compensate for that in the short 15 minutes that I was on the pitch.
The team was attack minded in the first half, but seemed to struggle with the congestion on the pitch. Was that your impression?
We wanted to get a shot in, but we couldn’t build good opportunities and a lot of moves ended before they reached their completion. For me, personally, it feels like a wasted opportunity.
After watching from the bench, did you have any ideas in mind when you finally took the pitch?
Personally, I feel like we don’t have many dribblers on this team, so I wanted to add an extra accent to the attack in that sense.
Was your inability to carry the ball to the finish your biggest regret, today?
When you enter a 0-0 match with fifteen minutes left, you’re actually kind of lucky. It’s your chance to be a hero and the fact that I couldn’t take advantage shows what I’m lacking as a player at the moment.
You were struggling with your condition early on, so your Verdy debut came eight matches into the season. Was it different from how you pictured things going at first?
I’ve been on the bench a few times since the opener, but I went three matches without making an appearance. I thought I would have a chance during the period of three games with no break, but I ended up getting sick. It really was a waste that I couldn’t take care of my body better at that point. It’s another area where I am lacking.
MF 38Ryota Kajikawa
Is the reason for the struggles in attack that the team is concentrating too much on defense?
It’s important not to lose, but if we kept getting draws, our point total is going to look like we were losing anyway, so whether or not we can connect our experience in these games to wins in the future is what will determine whether we achieve promotion. It’s true that the coaches stress being solid in defense, but we can use that to build our confidence. Sometimes, we’re going to have win on individual skill. We had chances attacking from wide, today, and I hope we can increase the number of those chances later.
You also tried some mid-range shots, today.
To be honest, they weren’t great shots (laugh). I believe it’s the type of players that can succeed at those kind of shots that will make it in J1. I am always aware of that and I know it’s something that I haven’t perfected yet. On an individual level, I have to raise my precision to the next level.
In the second half, you combined with Shion Inoue and others in some direct play, tried mid-range shots, and seemed to have more ideas.
Yeah. If I played direct balls forward to Shion, I would usually get a good return pass and so I focused on making it easier for him to receive the ball. I tried to get into the spaces around him and, more than make things happen myself, I concentrated on using the other players around me. Of course, when I have space in front of me, I need to make runs at the defense, but I think today, we showed a variety of ideas. I hope that we can do that more in the future and turn our attack into one that is truly threatening for the opposition.
What were your thoughts on using Kazuma Takai and his dribbling ability?
I knew that was his strength and so I tried to follow-up and prepare to win the ball back right away if he lost it. I hope that he will continue doing that. However, in terms of today, I told him that he went too far. I was partly joking – because having someone like that in our attack is sure to annoy defenders – but it’s important to do it in the right areas. If he does it in areas that are too deep, it can lead to trouble. But I think he understands that and I want him to continue to be aggressive.
As a midfielder, this year, you have a lot of different players with different skill sets that you can exploit. Do you have an image for how to use each one?
We have players like Narawa and others, out wide, that are good at making runs behind the defense. If we can use them better, I think that will lead to more precise crosses. With the non-Japanese players, I know that they want to receive the ball quickly, so I concentrate on allowing them to play their game without undue stress. With Kota (Watanabe), it’s business as usual. He’s great at finding pockets of space, so I just keep things simple.
How was the atmosphere in the locker room afterward?
There was no big change in atmosphere. We all realized that the draw was earned after giving everything we had. The manager always stresses that beyond winning or losing, it’s important for us to play well, in the way we planned, and if all 11 of us do that, I don’t think we will lose. I’m sure that a 0-0 result is frustrating for the viewer, but we just have to continue as we have been.
MF 20Shion Inoue
Your thoughts on the match?
I think both teams had chances to win and I think both teams will be disappointed that they couldn’t finish when it counted.
It seemed like the team struggled in their build up, due to the opposition press.
Personally, I didn’t think we struggled that much in the first half. However, it’s true that the game plan we discussed, as a team, was to shed their markers and be aggressive.
Individually, you had a chance to score in the first half.
I needed to finish there. If we can score in those situations, it will make a big difference in the results of matches like today. I hope that I can become a player who is capable of that. I wanted to keep the shot down, but it ended up flying.
In the second half, after Ryota Kajikawa entered the match, you seemed to have better rhythm in attack.
Once Kaji(kawa) came in, we tightened up our spacing and had more time on the ball. With that said, it didn’t lead to a goal, and that’s where we need to improve.
So, scoring in the periods when the team has built good rhythm is the key to getting three points?
We didn’t concede and as such, we didn’t lose. But the reason we’ve had so many draws is that we’re not scoring. That’s something the whole team needs to work on.
You seemed to be concentrating well in defense.
We knew that they would have a lot of the ball for certain periods, so when that happened, I think all of us were able to concentrate. At the end, especially, I think we did well to keep them in check. I’m happy that our concentration in those moments contributed to a clean sheet today.
You didn’t seem to panic, even when they were moving the ball deep in your own territory.
It was the same in the Tokushima match. Even when the opposition have the ball, we don’t feel like we’re going to concede. In terms of defense, I think we’re playing with great confidence.