2018 MEIJI YASUDA J2 LEAGUE 38th Sec - Tokyo Verdy vs Tokushima Vortis

Match Report

【Match Report】

Last week, Verdy scored a victory on the road against Mito, helping them recover from the shock of their home loss against Kofu. With only five matches left, the season has now entered its climax and Verdy could not afford even a single loss as they returned home this week for a head to head encounter with Tokushima Vortis. Major changes were made to the starting lineup in preparation for the match. After several consecutive weeks of playing as the lone striker, Douglas took a seat on the bench and Leandro made his first start since transferring to Verdy. Meanwhile, Alan was chosen to play on the right wing and Shion Inoue was paired with Yuhei Sato at inside half.

The match did not take long to get started. In the 6^th minute, Verdy lost the ball at the front, on the left wing, but as Sisinio played the ball back to his goalkeeper, it instead met the feet of Leandro, who had remained up top anticipating the back pass. Leandro rounded the charge of the keeper with his first touch and then calmly rolled the ball toward goal, where the covering defender attempted to clear but managed only to hit it into the roof of the net for the opening goal. Leandro would create a chance again in the 12^th minute. Alan got on the end of a looping pass through the middle and headed it down for the former who fired from midrange, sending the ball just high of the bar. From that point, the pendulum would swing to the opposition. Building from their high press, Vortis began to push deep into Verdy territory. In the 30^th minute, Sugimoto broke free in front of goal, but Naoto Kamifukumoto left his line with astounding timing to block the ensuing effort. As the first half drew to a close, Verdy gradually began to recover possession and work the ball patiently into the opposition half, but they were unable to create opportunities for a finish.

Verdy would build on their successful first half by attacking from the opening whistle of the second. In the 53^rd minute, Jin Izumisawa, Sato, and Yuki Kagawa combined on the left side, sending Kagawa streaking into the final third, where he set up a point-blank header from Leandro with his cross. However, the goalkeeper was well positioned to catch the ball. After failing to capitalize on their opportunities, the momentum would shift again to Vortis, just as it had in the first half. Verdy allowed the opposition to break down the left side in the 65^th minute and David Barral would score from the enduring cross. It was the first lapse in concentration shown by the team’s sturdy defense. While few would be surprised if the players suffered from disappointment, they instead showed renewed vigor. In the 69^th minute, Verdy won a free kick deep on the right side, played by Kagawa across the face of goal. Although the goalkeeper failed in his attempts to punch it away, Alan was unable to get his shot on target as the loose ball drifted his way. Just one minute later, Douglas found space on the left and put a cross in between the keeper and the defense. Alan made the run and met the ball with a brilliant volley but the raised leg of a defender was enough to block the shot and send it wide. On the defensive end, pressure from Tokushima substitute Peter Utaka forced Verdy to defend inside the penalty area for a period of time, but a repeat of their earlier mistakes did not materialize and they shut down any possibilities for a second goal. In attack, meanwhile, Verdy placed extra numbers up front but they were unable to find the finish and time continued to drain.

As the scheduled period of additional time counted down to its third minute, the match would move once again, just as it seemed poised to end. An opposition cross drifted long, allowing Naoto Kamifukumoto to catch. With the ball in hand, the keeper made a quick decision to throw the ball for Izumisawa on the left side, rather than boot it long to the front. The Verdy attacker headed the ball in a forward direction and continued his run along the touch line. As he gained in speed, the noise and passion within the stadium grew. Izumisawa beat the nearest defender with a series of feints and played a left-footed cross to the far side, where Lee Yong-jick out-jumped his marker and headed the goal into the left corner of the net, giving Verdy a dramatic victory on the last play of the match.

Before the match, Lee had told the staff at VERDY TV of his motivation for the match, stating “your symbols will give us the power to blow Tokushima away, so hang ‘em high”. True to his words, the fans raised the voltage as Izumisawa ran with the ball and Lee responded in the best possible manner. “Partido a Partido”. Now Verdy will carry the momentum of the three points into next week to face Ehime. They will have one week of training to prepare for that task.

Manager Miguel Ángel Lotina

Your thoughts on the match?
I think the early goal determined the direction of the match. We put a good amount of pressure on them and forced a mistake, which Leandro did well to take advantage of. Until halftime, the opposition had more of the ball and we were forced to retreat for long periods. However, we made a good start to the second half. We kept possession of the ball and created chances. I think we played well against a quality opponent. After they scored, it was an open match, with neither side wanting to settle for a draw. In the midst of that, I think both teams had a chance to win, but Jin (Izumisawa) and Yong-jick (Lee) made a wonderful play and took the chance they were offered. We thus managed to secure a victory in a difficult match against a very strong opponent.

What made you decide to give Leandro his first start since joining the team?
Leandro has been improving gradually and this week, he performed very well in training, including from a physical perspective. As I thought about our approach to this match, I made the judgment that starting Leandro would be the best option. Douglas has had a great season and his hard work in last week’s match contributed greatly to the win. However, in the sense of wanting to confirm Leandro’s condition, I thought it would better to give him the start. I felt that the key aspects of his character, his ability to keep the ball and receive it between the lines, would be important today. Even when the opposition presses hard, he can keep hold of the ball and that allowed Jin and Alan to make runs behind.

Why did you decide to give Shion Inoue the start today, despite Kajikawa’s positive performance in the last match?
Like Douglas, Kaji(hara) played very well last week. On top of that, he has played very well throughout the season. It’s just that I choose who plays after analyzing the match at hand, monitoring the condition of my players, and imagining what will occur on the pitch. In doing so, I chose to give Shion (Inoue) the start today. Sometimes my decisions work out and sometimes they don’t, but I will continue to make selections based on analysis of what elements will matter in the next match. Tactical elements, as well as the differences between Kaji and Shion as players, all have an effect. With that said, there are some things I can’t talk about outside of the locker room, so I hope you will understand.

How do you feel the match would have progressed if you had not been able to get the early goal?
It’s difficult to talk about what-ifs but I think their defensive game plan was to stall us. In that sense, I had imagined we would have more of the ball. They are a very well-trained team and have several players of high quality. I don’t know everything that goes on within their side, but it was a very difficult match. In this league, every opponent is difficult, but that was especially true today.

DF 17Lee Yong Jick

Your thoughts on the match?
I knew it would be a difficult one today. It was the same when we played Tokushima last year, so I’m glad we were able to get the win.

Tell us about your goal.
I’m really glad we got one in the end. The entire team maintained concentration for all 90 minutes of the match, so I wanted to help them as much as I could. On top of that, Jin was watching me the whole time, so I put my faith in him and made the run into the box. I’m glad that we were able to get the result. I took up position on the far side and since I thought that there would be a slight drop in tempo before the cross came in, I decided to make my run early. As I was moving in on goal, I could see the flight of the ball clearly, so I remained calm. Once the goal went in, however, I let my excitement get the best of me. Originally, I didn’t plan to celebrate against my old team, but I was really pumped and couldn’t hold back.

The match was a stalemate at the time you came on as a substitute.
I had seen how others had made an impact as subs this year, so I made sure to be fully prepared. On another note, this is always a special opponent for me and I wanted to show the club how I’ve progressed. I think I accomplished that and am happy. I spent two years at Tokushima and the club taught me a lot about what it means to be a pro. I still receive support from their fans and I’m happy that I could make an impression with them again, today. They’re an important club for me and while the circumstances of the goal were a bit painful, I’m glad to have scored against them.

Did you receive any specific instructions when you entered the match?
It was the same as always. The manager wanted me to get into the box and raise our defensive intensity.

When you took the pitch, they were retaining a lot of the possession.
We had a lot of the ball in the first half, but we played a little too much at their pace and things took a turn for the worse. The game developed like many of those we played recently and watching from the sidelines, I felt neither side was generating much momentum in attack. In those circumstances, it’s important to come on strong, so I did my best to be prepared.

Other than the goal, you created many opportunities on Izumisawa’s side of the pitch.
When I entered the match, there was a fundamental difference in height, so I wanted to take advantage of that mismatch and draw some defenders away. Jin was able to beat his man 1 v 1 almost every time, so I wanted to utilize that. At the end, I thought about making a run into space, but I had faith that Jin would win those battles today and decided to move into the box. For the chance that preceded that one, I had made a run away from the defense but when I asked Jin about it, he said I was just a bit too far away. However, I’m glad we got it right on the second opportunity.

You were even more fired up than usual today, playing against your old team.
I was more determined for this match than any other we’ve played this season. In the first half of the year, I missed out on traveling with the team for what would have been my first game at Pocari Sweat Stadium (Naruto Otsuka Sports Park) since transferring and I wanted to show everyone the progress I’ve made as a player. These are simply my own personal feelings, but I put more into this one than any other match this year.

Please give us a message for the supporters and tell them what you hope to accomplish next.
The supporters always give us the best atmosphere possible and we want to do them proud. I also don’t want our season to end just yet and I play with the intention of rallying everyone around the cause. I’m sure the atmosphere will continue to be fantastic and ask for everyone’s continued support. Every match is important and we feel like it’s a tournament final every time we take the pitch, so if we always give 120 percent, I hope the fans can give us 150.

DF 4Yuki Kagawa

Your thoughts on the match?
We had several chances and managed to get a goal in the first half. I wanted us to keep a clean sheet, but I got beat in a 2 v 1 and that led to a goal for them, so I have to work to address that. I felt like there was a chance to win the ball if we pressed with two men, but the second ball fell on the opposite side from me and Yuhei was already on his way to get it, so I think I should have dropped back to cover.

You seemed to play a lot of simple crosses into the box today.
Leandro and Alan were in the middle, so I thought that would be a strength for us today. Leandro is not that tall, but he is clever at getting on the end of crosses and I tried to keep things simple to exploit that. After Douglas came on, we had a clear height advantage, so again I decided to keep things simple and use that.

Your crosses connected a lot with players in the middle. Is that something you were conscious of?
During training, I’ve gained a sense of how my teammates in the middle play and where they like to make their runs, so I lift the ball and try to connect with them. However, I also change the types and timing of the crosses I play based on who is on the pitch. Many of our players are good at getting loose from their markers with their runs, so that also makes it easier for me to find them.

It seemed like the team’s quality in attack today was an improvement on recent matches.
Our opponents were late in tracking back, so we were able to exploit that. I think it was good that we were able to get numbers forward on the counter or in attack.

You closed the gap on the teams above you with today’s win.
We’re still in a relatively lower position, so we can’t afford to let even a single match slip away. However, I think we need to play with more of a challenger’s attitude or at least feel positive about putting pressure on the teams above us. I think today’s win was a big positive.

In terms of the team addressing problems one by one, today was the first time you’ve scored multiple goals in recent matches.
As the season draws to a close and we have tense matches like we did today, each player has made the commitment to address their problems or stretch their abilities to new heights. It’s been a slow process, but I do think we are getting better.

MF 20Shion Inoue

Your thoughts on the match?
We played according to our game plan somewhat in the first half but in the second, we struggled to do what we wanted. We had luck with our goals and I think overall, it was a match we were lucky to win.

What role was asked of you, individually?
I wanted to receive the ball from Iba(yashi) or Narawa and play more forward passes, but I wasn’t really able to do that. I remained conscious of trying to play from the front, but most of my passes were to the back or side to side. Even so, I think I was more conscious of trying to move us forward than I have been in the past.

You showed a lot of fight in defense, while challenging for the second ball, in the first half.
In defense, the manager wanted my area to be where we flipped the switch and put pressure on them. It worked well most of the time but in the second half, my stamina dropped a bit and there were fewer chances for me to win or challenge for the ball. I think stamina is an area where I need to improve.

Was the fact that your opponents had more of the ball in the second half due to changes in their passing game or was it that your energy levels dropped?
I think our stamina levels were a big part of it. Myself, Alan, and Yuhei were unable to sustain our pressure on the right side. When that happens, the players at the back don’t know where they themselves should challenge and because of that, it creates trouble for the team. In the second half, we had to decide who would conduct the first defense in those situations and I think we needed to close down the ball holder more.

GK 21Naoto Kamifukumoto

Tell us about your throw that led to the opening goal.
I didn’t foresee it ending that way, but I wanted to spur the team on and so I found Jin and threw it to him in that spot. There was no time left and I thought about just booting it forward to the front, but Jin was calling for it and I sent it his way. In the end, attacking from the side gave us a better angle to move up the field and made it more difficult for our opponents to respond, so I think it went well.

Were you thinking about the fact that Jin had created a lot of chances from the side, as well?
Yes. Those chances hadn’t been finished off, but they had been carried to the end and the opportunities were there. The fact that it bore fruit at the end is a result of our patience. I’m grateful to Yong-jick, as well, for putting his body on the line to get us that goal in the end.

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