2019 MEIJI YASUDA J2 LEAGUE 1st Sec - FC Machida Zelvia vs Tokyo Verdy

Match Report

With a new manager at the helm, Verdy’s season opener was less a continuation and more the start of a new journey. Having begun pre-season training with a new emphasis on attack, the match was seen as a touchstone of how far the new approach had taken hold within the team. Beginning the season on the road, Verdy’s opponents were FC Machida Zelvia, the same side who they faced in the final week of the previous season. Zelvia were led by manager Naoki Soma, beginning his 6^th season in charge, and were riding a wave of confidence after ending the last campaign having risen into the upper reaches of the table.

The Verdy squad for this new chapter consisted of Naoto Kamifukumoto at the base of the defense in goal, along with Naoya Tamura at right back, Lee Yong Jick and Tomohiro Taira at center back, and Yuta Narawa on the left. Ryota Kajikawa and Tatsuya Uchida took places at the center of midfield with Kanya Fujimoto at right wing and Yuhei Sato on the left. Rounding out the formation, Nemanja Kojic was chosen to partner with Leandro as a front two. Lastly, on the substitute’s bench were five new squad members, beginning with Tomoyuki Suzuki.

Although anticipated as a touchstone, the actual match was colored by Verdy’s attempts to deal with Machida’s tactics and rather than thread short passes in attack, the team sought to win the ball and immediately play it behind the defense with simple passes. However, Machida proved the more adept at that style. Through a combination of long balls to the front line and set pieces, they were able to force their way into the Verdy third for long periods. Meanwhile, Verdy found themselves unaccustomed to the flow and struggled to maintain chemistry between the ball holder and those making runs, letting time slip away in the process. The opening minutes of the first half began with Machida finding the net twice, only to have both goals ruled out as offside. Then came an accident in the 20^th minute. Kajikawa challenged for the ball in front of the opposition goal and butt heads with a defender, leaving him unable to continue. Shion Inoue was brought on in his place but the team continued to bypass his area of the pitch through long balls and failed to build a rhythm

With the score still goalless at the break, Machida began to show some tiredness in the second half and allowed Verdy to bring the ball up the pitch. Among other attacks, the players broke down the defense from the right side and set up a free header for Leandro on goal. Overall, they created a higher number of shots from forward positions. Just as the momentum seemed to be shifting their way, however, Verdy failed to stop their opponents from breaking on the counter and found themselves defending in their own final third. As the players rushed to regain their formation, a Machida attacker cut inside from the right wing and placed a shot into the right corner of the net, granting them the lead. Moments later, in the 66^th minute, Hamato played a cross from the left side for Kojic to meet but his shot failed to find the target. From that point, the team continued to keep possession high up the pitch and place pressure on goal, but Machida were content to defend and Verdy were lacking in quality at the finish as the minutes ticked away. They also failed to generate ideas from set pieces and despite showing overall greater potential in attack, the team were unable to score, closing their opening match of the season with a loss.

Though their mission on the day was to start their campaign with a win, the Verdy players failed to impose their own style and found themselves playing Machida’s game. With a new style and a new coaching squad, just how much of the problem was in their approach is difficult to judge after just one match. There is no such thing as perfect football or perfect tactics. For that reason, the players must concentrate on what went well and went wrong in this match, not averting their eyes from either, and use that as a weapon to improve. Although their next match will again take place on the road, the players must do what they can to prepare well and impose their style of play on the pitch.

Manager Gary John WHITE

Your thoughts on the match?
I’d like to congratulate Machida on winning a tough match. Today, we were forced to plan in a way that is different from how our team normally approach the game. I knew that we would need to be strong in the air and I think our players did a good job of that. I also think our players showed a lot of character and proved they could do just that when the moment calls for it.

With all the work being done on building a new style for the team, what are your thoughts on the areas where you fell short today?
First, we have to accept the fact that we lost today. We had wonderful support from the fans and I would have liked to give them a reason to smile in the end. In terms of positives, I think our players performed well. We can’t win in J2 by always trying to play beautiful passing football. Hopefully, we can take the experienced we gained today and play just as well the next time we face opponents who take the kind of approach they did. Regardless, I am glad to have witnessed good performances and character from the players today.

You relied on long balls tactics today, due to the way the opponents play, but did you want the players to thread passes more after giving up the goal? Or did you judge that it was acceptable to continue with the same approach?
I wanted them to play the ball long early and be firm about winning the second ball. I think our issues were mainly with the fact that we couldn’t accomplish that.

You gathered the players in a ring to talk after the match. What did you tell them?
I told them they played well against a strong team and that there are things we can learn from that. We’re not going to maintain possession in every match throughout the season, so there will be days where we have to play in this way. Sometimes, we have to focus on the result first. I told the players to keep their heads up and to their best in the next match.

In terms of winning the second ball, the entire team seemed to be a step behind.
I could go on for hours if I were to explain why that was. It is something that we will have to improve on as a team.

MF 23Naoya Tamura

Your thoughts on the match?
It was a very tough loss. I am sorry that despite all the support we had, we couldn’t answer with a good result. We played in a different style from normal to match up with Machida and in the end, that meant we had less opportunities on goal. The result is hard to take.

What sort of reaction do you expect from the loss?
We have to work so that later, we can look back on this day and say that the loss spurred us on to a better position. It’s never a good thing to lose, but I hope we can make something from it anyway.

As the captain on the pitch today, how do you feel about the way the team started the season?
Playing in a season opener against Machida, I’m sure there were all sorts of expectations and it was a difficult environment. Of course, we had to win and I think we also needed to make the adjustments during the match that would enable us to win.

What more could the team have done to break them down?
We weren’t on the same page regarding how to break them down after switching the play to the opposite side, so that’s the first thing we have to work on. I hope we can implement some revisions for next week.

After the tough end to last season, you must be happy with the level of support you received from the fans today.
We strongly feel that we have to match their expectations, so we need to reflect on this result and do what must be done to win next week. I want us to improve our play and get a result before we end this road trip and head home.

DF 17Lee Yong Jick

Your thoughts on the match?
This was a different type of opponent than we faced in pre-season and so in the first half, we had to adjust to their style. There were some dangerous moments, but I think ending the half goalless was a positive. We knew the way they were going to play.

You seemed to struggle to build an effective attack.
In terms of developing the play, we still have work to do in terms of how we set up the end product and we felt difficulty in doing that as the match progressed. It’s true that we played to their style, but we needed to be brave and try to thread some passes together.

Do you feel that you couldn’t fully adjust to their tactics?
We were lacking in the basics of our physical approach when it came to winning the ball. The goal we conceded came about because we couldn’t suppress them on the counter and allowed ourselves to drop too deep. It was the only real opportunity they had in the second half and more than tactics, it was necessary for us to be stronger and win the ball back after we lost it. That’s what led to the result.

FW 27Nemanja Kojic

You made both your J League and Verdy debut, today.
It was difficult for us to play against a team that put in so many long balls. We had to be a bit tougher. Machida are a difficult opponent to play on their home ground, but I also feel that we were too soft. However, we did play together as a team and I think I understand everyone’s character more. We will do what we can to win the next match.

You stood out as the target man on the front line.
I felt like they fouled me a few times, but that’s part of the game and I’m not too upset.

You were involved in two clear chances in the second half.
I regret that we couldn’t finish but I’m happy that I could help create chances. I will work hard to achieve a goal next week. There are times when we will concede and times when we will score, so we just have to make our best preparations for the next match.

You used different tactics from normal playing against Machida today. Tell us how you want to play in the future.
The most important thing is to play as a team. No matter what tactics we use, I think each of has to contribute as a team player.

FW 18Jin Hanato

Your thoughts on the match?
There were a lot of long balls played by both sides and I wish we could have expressed a bit more of our own style by passing the ball. We had been working on passing football since the beginning of training camp, so I think we needed to balance respect for the match tactics with some of our own decision making and try to play our game. Part of that was the fact that we were playing against Machida, but I hope we can shift gears for next week and not lose sight of our identity. I understand the importance of tactics, but it’s still important for us as players on the pitch to make adjustments. Myself included, we made too many easy mistakes today. In that sense, we need to keep practicing so that we can look back on this match and say it was a good experience that taught us where we need to improve.

It did seem like the team were more fluid in attack after you entered the match.
We tried to be more fluid, but I think our spacing was wrong. Mon-chan (Leandro) drifted over to the wide left, but we weren’t on the same page for how to break them down from there.

MF 9Yuhei Sato

How did it feel to endure their pressing?
It wasn’t actually that strong. It was more that we had a conceptual approach today as a team and expected to play that way in the first half. The other side also started to slow down and move the ball wide as the match went on, but it hurt that we gave up a goal through the middle. After that, they raised their concentration levels in defense and things became more difficult.

You continued with much the same style from the first half to the final whistle.
We were prepared to receive instructions from the manager to change our approach, but it was a fairly even match in the first half and there were several times where they threatened our goal. We also talked about not letting them floor us with a single punch. I think it couldn’t be helped in the first half, but we were starting to settle in as the second half went on.

DF 5Tomohiro Taira

Your thoughts on the match?
The opening match of the season is always difficult and I regret that we couldn’t secure a result.

You partnered with Lee Yong Jick at center back, today.
He is a natural defender and I know he has the strength to repel balls into the box, so I just tried to make sure we continued taking to each other.

You played against a highly mobile front two, both of whom have a good first step, today. How did you deal with the threat they present?
We tried to be first to the ball but also keep an eye on players making runs from the second row.

You weren’t able to suppress their counter attacking on the goal you conceded.
I wanted us to stop them by fouling them in midfield but in the final moments, I think the problem was with us in defense.

Other than the goal, you kept things fairly stable in defense in the second half.
They were concentrating on defending and I think that affected their chemistry in attack, so it was fairly easy for us.

What improvements do you think can be made to the attack?
After we hit them with long balls and pushed their line back, we needed to win the second ball and maintain pressure on them for a longer period. We should have switched the play from side to side more or done other things that would make them uncomfortable. With that said, they were focused on defense after they scored, so that made things difficult for us.

We can expect a different kind of match against Ehime FC next week.
As we identify ways to exploit their weak points, I do imagine that we will have a different approach. However, I also want us to express more of what we’ve worked on in practice.

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