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MATCH
Match Report
Last match, Verdy suffered their first defeat of the season in a 2-0 loss away against Omiya Ardija. With the team entering a series of consecutive matches over the Golden Week holiday, they now hoped to change the momentum by earning a derby victory against FC Machida Zelvia. Continuing with the changes in wide positions from the last match, Yuta Narawa entered the squad on the right and Ryota Kajikawa slotted in on the left. The reshaped team then took the pitch, looking for a win.
A strong wind was blowing through the Tokyo area on this day and it was Verdy who attacked with the wind at their backs in the first half. Though the players struggled with their control amidst the conditions, they eventually created chances by sticking with passes to ground. In the 14th minute, Shinnosuke Hatanaka received the ball deep in Verdy territory, while enduring pressure from the opposition, and faked a pass out wide before playing a direct ball to Kota Watanabe in the center of the opposition half. Watanabe evaded his marker and rolled a pass to Ryohei Hayashi inside the vital area. Hayashi then spun away from the defense with his first touch and fired a left-footed shot into the back of the net. Despite taking the lead, however, Verdy’s joy was short-lived, as the opposition through numbers forward to break down the defense. After allowing Zelvia into the vital area on the counter, the Verdy back line failed to clear, despite having enough numbers in the box, and the loose ball fell to the opposition for the equalizer with little time passed. After conceding, Verdy were able to carry the ball deep into the opposition half, but their attacking play from wide positions failed to find a target in front of goal and the first half ended with the team unable to reclaim the lead.
Verdy began the second half with revisions to the attack but would stumble soon after the restart. In the 48th minute, the players lost the ball in their own penalty area and Zelvia were able to probe the gaps between defenders and score. By the 58th minute, Verdy had used all three substitutions in an effort to bolster the attack, but with too many men forward, the opposition took advantage of the space behind the defenders to create a simple tap-in goal. With their lead secured, Machida would then tighten up in defense and Verdy were lacking in their ability to attack through the center. While they did find space out wide, their efforts to stretch the defense were lacking in pace and enabled the opposition to reorganize their shape. Verdy would continue to maintain possession without creating a chance until the 88th minute, when the players began to take bigger risks and would once again find themselves undone as their opponents exploited the gap behind the back line. Despite appearances by attacking players like Naoto Sawai, Kazuma Takai, and Yuhei Sato, the team could not find the key to unlock the defense. They were successful in getting numbers forward, but their efforts to score went unrealized until the final whistle.
Verdy have now began their run of holiday matches suffering consecutive losses, with more difficult opponents to come. Their next challenge is to compete in two matches with only two days rest in-between. The players must now think long and hard on what is necessary for them to recover their form, as well as the areas of their play they will improve. It is up to Manager Lotina to make the most of their limited time and return smiles to the faces of the supporters at Ajinomoto Stadium on May 6th.
Post-match comments
Manager Miguel Ángel Lotina
Your thoughts on the match?
I thought we started well in the first half. Then, just as we took the lead and were having our best period of the match, we gave up a goal on the counter. After that, they were the better team until half time. In the second half, we had few to no chances after conceding the second goal. I thought I could change the situation with some substitutions, but they were more effective in creating chances today. They played better than us in the second half and I would like to congratulate them on the win.
Your second half substitutions didn’t seem to work the way you wanted. Can you discuss why that may have happened?
It’s not the fault of the substitutes. Machida have a very clear playing style and it was a difficult match for us. I’m sure it was difficult for them to enter the game at that point. When the team loses, it is the responsibility of everyone involved and we should not try to point fingers. I think it was a particularly difficult match for the substitutes.
Considering that there is not that great a gap in quality between the teams, what do you think is the reason for the way you lost today?
I don’t think there is a big difference between the teams. We started the match very well, but I think the opposition gained in confidence as the match went on. In contrast, I felt that we seemed to lose confidence. Again, I don’t think there is a big gap between us and them, but we have to accept that they played better than us today.
It seemed like the team was content to play to the opposition’s style in attack today.
We tried to play our game for the full 90 minutes. In the periods when we executed, we created advantages in the wide areas but were unable to exploit them and we were also unable to run at them in one v one situations.
Can you give us your thoughts on why the team has conceded so many goals in the last two matches?
First, I would like the chance to review the footage of the goals we conceded. However, I can say that the second goal resulted from a mistake in our build up. That’s something that may happen from time to time, due to our play style. So, the first goal, for example, is something that we can correct, but the second one is connected with the way we build up and we accept that potential.
FW 11Ryohei Hayashi
You finally scored your first goal since returning to the club.
The game was going well at that point and I was happy to get a goal at Aji no Moto Stadium for the first time since my debut year as a pro. With that said, football is a team sport and if the team loses, I can’t help but feel disappointed.
Tell us about what led to the goal.
I haven’t had a chance to check the film yet, but I made a diagonal run and the ball was played in to my feet for me to volley.
You earned a lot of attention for your goal celebration. Was that a copy of something you had seen?
I got it from Jean-Kevin Augustin, a right back for Leipzig in the Bundesliga. He’s a good player and moved there from Paris SG.
It had been a while since you last scored. How did it feel?
Being back for the first time in nine years, I really wanted to get a goal and I’m glad it happened here at Aji no Moto Stadium. But as I said, this is a team sport and if we don’t win, it’s meaningless. A victory for the team has to come before all else.
Your opponents controlled the pace of the match once it reached 1-1.
There was just too little time between our getting the first goal and them getting the equalizer. After scoring, we needed to do a better job of carrying the game. Ending the first half 1-0 is a lot different from conceding and ending it 1-1. We calmed ourselves in preparation for the second half, but then we made a mistake and conceded once again and I think that gave them a shot in the arm. In reality, we weren’t able to carry out our game plan throughout the second half. We had some positive moments in the first half, but in the second half, we were hindered by the wind and other factors.
The team used all their substitutes fairly quickly, in an attempt to change the momentum, but it failed to produce the desired result.
The players who appear as substitutes have to do everything they can and all of us need to share our awareness of what’s necessary as a team.
The team conceding an equalizer so quickly after taking the lead is something we haven’t seen before, this year. What do you think was the problem?
I haven’t seen the film yet, so I can’t comment in detail, but it was less that they had too many men forward and more that we didn’t have enough back on defense. It was that kind of goal. There are many reasons that could have happened.
This was your first full 90 minutes of the season.
My condition will rise, the more I play, and that is true for all the players. In that sense, getting game time is the best medicine and I hope that I can continue to improve my conditioning and get more goals.
MF 38Ryota Kajikawa
How do you feel about the team’s ability to stretch their defense?
The way their defense sets up was unchanged from last year, so the plan was to peel off their markers. In that sense, changing sides worked well when we had numbers and we were able to make some good attacks, but there were also times where even if we had space to put the ball into, they were ready with numbers in defense and we couldn’t penetrate any further. In fact, there were many times when Narawa was completely isolated. When that happens, I think the other players need to offer more support.
Your opponents seemed to have the momentum for long periods after the score went to 1-1.
They are always looking to play balls behind the defense and as they continued to push forward quickly, they got a goal and I think that strengthened their intentions. Last match, against Omiya, our opponents took their time coming forward, which gave us time to organize the defense, but today, especially in the wide areas, I could tell that we were slow to react and they took advantage of that.
The plan to play you at left wingback seemed to work well today.
In terms of running at the defense and putting in crosses, Kota (Watanabe) provided good support on my side and it wasn’t that difficult. We combined well, too, and now we just have to connect that to goals.
In terms of passing, their pressing seemed to grow more effective as the game went along.
They pressed a lot in the center of midfield, but it wasn’t that intense from the sides. We needed to pass at a higher tempo. Especially after they started letting us pass it on the back line, we needed to move the ball faster.
The wind seemed to make it difficult for the center backs to play diagonal passes forward.
Any time we put the ball in the air, it would be blown back and fall for them to pick up. We did complete some of those passes in the first half, but after that, I think we were lacking.
Is it a bit of a shock for the team to suffer your first losing streak of the season?
Our team concept is to be strong in defense, so in that sense, conceding two goals and then four goals is a negative. However, we’ve still just finished our 12th match of the season. Last year, we struggled early and then went on a run of wins in mid-season, so I think we still have the power to do that this year. Our coaches do a great job of analyzing each match, so it’s up to the players to utilize the hints they give us in our play. Considering how badly we’ve been beaten in the last two matches, you could actually say it’s a good chance for us to reset. Of course that doesn’t mean we’ve taken this likely, but I hope that it inspires us to adjust our mindset in a way that we will be glad to have had such big defeats later on.
DF 5Tomohiro Taira
Your thoughts on the match?
I can’t help but thinking that we played right into their game plan.
You did seem to execute your game plan in the first half, however.
In the first half, we had the wind at our backs, so we were able to execute. However, we lost out in the individual battles and that made it difficult for us to score.
The team conceding an equalizer so quickly after taking the lead is something we haven’t seen before, this year. What do you think was the problem?
If you play the way we did in the most dangerous part of the pitch, it will lead to conceding. In the future, I hope we can improve on that as a team.
The opposition pressed with a lot of intensity in the second half.
Unlike in the first half, the wind was blowing against us in the second, so we couldn’t change sides like we planned. I wanted us to pass the ball more in midfield, but after we conceded, I think we rushed things too much.
The team changed members and formation in the second half, to take a different approach, but it didn’t seem successful.
We did change systems, but I think that the substitutes weren’t quite on the same page as the starters. I hope we can improve on that.
You didn’t seem to have many options in attack in the second half.
We were trying to control the pace by passing on the back line, but because of their pressure, we didn’t have as much time on the ball as we normally do. I think the players failed to recognize the situation and that allowed their press to stifle our momentum.
MF 16Yuhei Sato
What was on your mind as you entered the match?
I didn’t receive any special instructions. My job was to change the momentum, carry us forward to get a goal, and not concede any further.
You did a good job of creating space to make passes.
We were playing too many long balls today. Douglas was working hard, but he was often surrounded by two or three players. He was still able to retain the ball a lot of times, but there were others where he couldn’t and out attack had grown too one dimensional, so the plan was for me to drop deeper and play the ball to the opposite side. With that said, they were ready to deal with us when we did make that move and they were also quick in getting back on defense. I think their work rate was a big part of the result today.
What was your attacking plan after entering the match?
Play the ball in to Douglas, get the return pass, and then either I or Kazuma Takai would try to get on the ball. That led to a goal for them, in the end, but considering that we couldn’t break them down through the middle, I still think we could have created some shots if we had been able to complete our passes in those areas. If we don’t do that, and we don’t put together combinations, then we start to rely on individual skill. Whether you succeed doing that depends on the condition of each player on that particular day, and if you want to play by moving the ball, you also have to be conscious of positioning. If we allow them to have two defenders for each of our players in attack, it’s going to make things difficult. They were very fast on the counter, today, and it was different from other opponents, but I also think we didn’t defend well as a team.
Over the last two matches, it seems like there has been a gap in understanding between the starters and the substitutes.
Lately, it’s been new players or Kajikawa who come in as substitutes and it hasn’t been clear whether we should keep things simple or change our style. In football, teams have to combine, but for us, the ability of Douglas or Alan to score on their own has formed the basis of our play. There’s only so far you can get with that kind of style, however, and that’s why those of us who are new signings have joined the team. It’s difficult to make these decisions in the moment, but in addition to positional football and hard work, we also have to add fluidity and the ability to take risks. We haven’t lost many matches this year and we still have a strong base as a team, so I hope I can continue to fit in with that plan and also add a bit of my own color.