Recently, Tokyo Verdy have experienced their first three-match losing streak since the appointment of Lotina as manager. Just as they hoped to turn the tide in this difficult period, they faced a red hot Renofa Yamaguchi FC on the road. The match squad saw several changes, in both system and personnel, as the coaching staff strived to help the team shift gears after the difficult run of losses during the Golden Week period. LEE Yong-Jick was brought into the starting lineup for the first time since joining the team and paired with Kouta Watanbe at inside half. Kanya Fujimoto slotted in at right wing, while Carlos also occupied the same position on the left.

The match began with a scary moment from Verdy, not long after the opening whistle. In the 8th minute, a mistake handed the opposition the ball and an early cross flew into the far post. The pass floated over the head Yuta Narawa and was met with an unmarked header that cannoned dangerously of the post. Four minutes later, however, it was Verdy who would set the match in motion. Yuta Narawa changed sides, playing a ball to Fujimoto on the right wing. Fujimoto spotted Kouta Watanabe making a charging run into the space and found him with a pass, allowing Watanabe to enter into the penalty area with time to assess the defense and hit a reverse cross into the box. The pass just missed Douglas in front of the center of goal but continued rolling to the far side, where LEE tapped it into the back of the net first time, proving his worth as a key player who can bring an end to the Verdy losing streak. From that point, Verdy continued to build rhythm in attack in the wide areas, while remaining wary of the opposition counter. In the 32nd minute, Watanabe and Fujimoto combined to push through the vital area. Fujimoto played a through ball to the edge of the box on the right, finding the running Watanabe whose cross into the box was met unmarked by the head of Douglas for a quick second goal. As the half drew to a close, Verdy were content to grant Yamaguchi more of the possession but they defended their lead until the brea.

With their eye on ending their bad run of form once and for all, Verdy began the second half aiming to continue with a simple plan of moving the ball and carrying the game at their pace, but it would not be long before Yamaguchi would push back with force. Even when Verdy won the ball, they would be forced into mistakes and lose it right away, allowing the opposition opportunities on the counter. As the pattern continued, Verdy would gradually lose their rhythm, finding themselves glued to their own penalty area. The defense held for the moment, thanks to some good saves from Kamifukumoto, but that would all change in the 71st minute. After giving up a goal from an attack out wide, Verdy would concede the equalizer in the 82nd minute, after a missed clearance in front of goal. The lead was gone in a matter of moments. The team now found themselves completely unable to hold off the opposition momentum and in the 84th minute, another attack from out wide would give Yamaguchi the lead. At this point, Verdy would finally wake up and begin to fight back. In the 86th minute, Douglas initiated the counter by breaking free on the right side and playing a cross to the far side of the goal, where Shogo Hayashi had made the run. Hayashi only needed a touch to find the net, but his run came just short. In the 89th minute, Douglas got a header on target from a corner kick on the right, but the keeper showed good reflexes to bat it away. In the 91st minute, a through pass made it through the back line and the running Douglas found himself one v one with the keeper, but the opponent was once again equal to the task. After failing to capitalize on this series of chances in the final minutes, the momentum would shift once again. With the team pushing forward, space would open up at the back and Ado Onaiwu would take advantage for the fourth goal. Verdy would take one goal back in the final minute, thanks to a blistering mid-range shot from Narawa, but their desperation showed in the final seconds and they were unable to attack with precision, ending the match a goal behind.

On this day, Tokyo Verdy were truly a team of two halves. The four match losing streak they find themselves in is a reality and the result they earned may have been hard to swallow, but for a team that had been losing confidence recently, it can’t be denied that they showed a side of themselves that had gone unseen over the last three matches. It is up to the players to take confidence and continue that play for the full 90 minutes. Now is the time to return to the base they demonstrated in the first ten matches, as they depart for a series of away games beginning in Okayama.

Manager Miguel Ángel Lotina