2019 MEIJI YASUDA J2 LEAGUE 6th Sec - Tokyo Verdy vs Kashiwa Reysol

Match Report

Last week, Verdy brought back a hard-won point after Lee Yong Jick’s dramatic 90^th minute equalizer against Tokushima. This week they returned home, hoping to give meaning to that point by earning a victory. Their opponent was Kashiwa Reysol, a team who last week saw their string of four consecutive wins since the beginning of the season come to an end. With a squad full of individual talent unrivalled by any team in J2, Reysol began this match with four foreign born players in the starting lineup.

Meanwhile, Verdy built on their base from the previous week and the only change was the insertion of Masashi Wakasa in place of Naoya Tamura. Kota Watanabe, who came on as a substitute in the previous match, once again made his start from the bench.

A look at the teams’ respective records and squad strength would suggest that Reysol were the favorites coming into today’s match and true to form, the game began at their pace. Both teams kept a compact shape and moved the ball well in tight spaces. Gradually, however, Reysol used their individual ability to take control, initiating the play through Cristiano and Segawa before also involving Olunga on the front line as they pinned Verdy back. In the 8^th minute, a cross over the Verdy defense found Segawa free in the box but his header went wide left of goal. In the 25^th minute, Reysol again penetrated the back line as Olunga chested down the ball at a 45-degree angle to the left of goal. The forward managed a volley as the ball dropped, but Naoto Kamifukumoto timed his dash forward to perfection and stretched his body to block the shot. Having escaped this decisive threat, Verdy would now see the momentum swing their way. As the team built up from shallow areas of the pitch, Ryohei Hayashi and Jin Hanato exploited the space to make runs, several times pulling Verdy forward on the counter attack. Finally, in the 38^th minute, a goal would arrive to break the deadlock. Yuhei Sato thread the ball to Junki Koike, who subsequently passed it into space as Hanato burst forward with spectacular timing and played the ball into the path of goal with his first touch. With his head up, Hanato then drilled a sharp cross into the box where Hayashi was first to the ball, heading it into the left corner of the net to give Verdy the opening goal of the match for the first time this season. Before the players could even adjust to the difficult task of carrying out the remainder of time, the match would immediately take another turn. In the 40^th minute, Lee received a pass from Jin Hanato and just beat the pressure from the defense with a flick into space that sent Koike in on goal, unmarked. The Verdy forward dribbled the ball past the on-rushing keeper and passed it toward the back of the net. The ball would cross the goal line just ahead of the covering defender and Verdy succeeded in expanding their lead.

The second half resumed with Kashiwa once again in control. Verdy rode their luck to avoid conceding, including a 59^th minute mid-range shot that hit the cross bar, but were still forced to endure long periods of constant pressure. In the 69^th minute, Hanato was taken off for Tamura, a clear sign that the rest of the match would be carried out with a defensive approach. In the end, Verdy’s conservative mindset saw them end the half with zero shots on goal but their tight positioning and attention to detail were enough to hold off the opposition’s non-stop attack. At the close of the match, in the 89^th minute, Verdy would give up two clear opportunities in front of goal. In both cases, Kamifukumoto showed astonishing reflexes to keep the shots from reaching the net. By sharing, to a man, the need to protect their lead, Verdy maintained concentration and greeted the final whistle with their first clean sheet and second win of the season.

While they were certainly outgunned in terms of talent on this day, Verdy did not waste their chances and saw out the match with diligent professionalism. The win also gives significant meaning to the determination they showed in coming from behind to secure a point in the previous week. The season has only just begun. In just three days, Verdy must face an in-form Mito HollyHock at home. Now is the time to put together consecutive wins and build momentum for a climb up the table.

Manager Gary John WHITE

Your thoughts on the match?
It was a result that the fans and everyone at the club can be happy with. I, myself, am very happy. I think the players performed very well.

It was a result that the fans and everyone at the club can be happy with. I, myself, am very happy. I think the players performed very well.
I think mentality is extremely important. Most of the attention in the media this week was on Kashiwa, but I tried to inspire our squad to play with a rebel mentality and take energy from that. I emphasized the need to use their heads as they played, maintain compact positioning throughout the formation, and to get forward on the counter whenever they won the ball. I think the players stayed grounded and kept a realistic approach throughout the match.

In the second half, you inserted Naoya Tamura and changed the formation to a back five. Was it your plan to minimize risks and escape with the win by focusing on defense from that point?
I knew they were a very strong team and I instructed the players to carry out that sort of plan. I wanted us to have more numbers at the back and I didn’t feel that we needed another goal at that point, with the score at 2-0. The biggest priority was to avoid conceding a goal.

DF 3Naoya Kondo

Your thoughts on the match?
We knew that we would have a lower amount of possession today and in the midst of that, we tried to remain compact in defense and get out on the short counter, or seek a goal on the counter, whenever we won the ball. That ended up working well and we claimed two goals as a result. In the second half, our opponents were behind by two goals, so we saw them come at us with an all-out attack and we had to focus on staying compact in the back and repelling them. Since we did that for 45 minutes, there were dangerous moments, but we somehow managed to hang on. I think that will give the team confidence.

Was it part of the plan to draw them out and create space?
We had prepared to shut down the middle and force them into the wide areas, after which we would try to repel any crosses. We had numbers in the box. Of course, they had physically strong players, like Olunga, who were a threat but we dealt with it by keeping a body on him at all times.

Still, I doubt that you had expected to go into half time at 2-0.
This season, we’ve conceded the opening goal in several matches, so while it was unexpected to get two goals in the first half, the goals were also the result of our game plan. After that, we felt it would be somewhat difficult to defend for the entire second half and we talked at the break about trying to get another goal. However, that proved to be a tough task with them down by two. We knew we had to stay poised, but a match where see this little of the ball is pretty rare and I’m sure to the viewers, it may have seemed like we didn’t deserve to win, we didn’t play Verdy football, or it was just boring. overall, but to get the win today we had to keep numbers back. We just tried to keep things simple and see if opportunities opened up to get a goal on the counter. We didn’t make things difficult for ourselves and simply minimized risks.

It seemed like the insertion of Tamura into the match confirmed the intention to hold out for the remainder.
Tam(ura) is not an offense-minded player, so when he came on at that point, I think myself and the other central defenders understood the message that we needed to think about how to defend and deal with crosses.

This was your first clean sheet of the season.
It won’t mean anything if we don’t maintain it. Today, we are truly happy and I think it’s okay for us to be happy for one day. With that said, the next match is already upon us, so I hope we can look at what went well today and what didn’t as we prepare.

DF 5Tomohiro Taira

You got your first clean sheet of the season, today. What are your thoughts on the match?
We got two goals in the first half, so as a team, we shifted to a defensive approach and I’m glad that we held them to zero as a result.

Given your opponents’ attacking quality, this turned into a difficult match.
They had a number of highly talented players, but I also think they relied a lot on crosses. As they kept putting balls into the box, I think we gradually grew accustomed to defending them and after a certain point, we no longer felt any real desperation.

Every member of the squad maintained deep concentration in defense, throughout the match.
We had a two-goal lead, but had they gotten a goal, anything could have happened and so we focused on holding them goalless. The manager, as well, had told us that we would be playing with a defensive system, so we adjusted to that with our approach.

As defenders, did you wish the midfield and forward players could have retained the ball for longer periods?
At half-time, we discussed resuming after the break as if the match were still at 0-0 and not being too conservative, but we also realized that 45 minutes is a lot of time and there was a danger of conceding at some point. There was some sense of trying to carry out the game a bit further up the pitch, but as time went on, the desire to hold them goalless became stronger. That focus only grew after the substitutions.

Did the opposition’s reliance on crosses in the closing make it easier to defend?
We had a lot of numbers in the box, so we were able to deal with early crosses, but if they had come up with more ideas in midfield, it might have been more difficult for us.

Today’s victory means a lot for your campaign.
It was the first of three consecutive matches with few days between, so I think we can now go into the remaining matches with a positive atmosphere.

DF 2 Masashi Wakasa

This was your first start this season and the team’s first clean sheet victory.
I’m tired. I gave my all to get the win. I felt a little out of sorts at first, in both defense and attack, but as time went by, I communicated more with Eiko (Junki Koike) and the other players near me. That enabled us to solve the problems.

In the first half, the opponents’ front line seemed to be concentrating on the middle of the pitch and that seemed to make things difficult for you to defend as a side back.
They were continually putting in crosses from my area of the pitch on the left side and I had tall players to deal with, which made marking difficult. I just tried to maintain communication and do what I could to keep them from getting free by closing down the space and making things harder for them.

It was important that you got the second goal shortly after the first.
The second goal was very important and it was even more important that we endured in defense.

In the second half, partly because of the system changes, you seemed to fall back defensively a bit too early.
We had a lot of options prepared in terms of game plan and after Tamu (Tamura) entered the match, we placed our trust in the manager by switching to an all-out defensive plan. We did have opportunities to initiate an attack and not just focus on defense, but we were spending a lot of time on the back foot, so rather than merely clear the ball, we made a conscious choice to be conservative and do things like clear it out of bounds.

Did the opposition’s reliance on crosses in the closing minutes make it easier to defend?
No, that’s not the case. They were very aggressive. They also had players that were large in size, so we had to be thorough about not letting them get shots in unmarked. I felt that we needed to get a clean sheet today and I’m glad we accomplished that.

FW 11 Ryohei Hayashi

Tell us about your goal.
I haven’t watched the video yet, but I think the key moment came before the ball from Hanato arrived. I feinted as if I were going to drop back and then made a dash. I think the fact that I was able to get into space in front of their back line was important. In addition, I think my striker’s instinct came out, as I had a sense the ball was going to be played into that space. As far as the header goes, I was aiming to direct it at the far post. Once we were in the box, I knew that their defenders would follow my movements, so that brief feint enabled me to get forward with good timing.

As a forward player, you had to consume a lot of time, today.
From the very beginning, our plan was to stay in a compact shape and defend near the halfway line, but as we were pushed back, we were a bit stretched when we did win the ball and it was hard to make an attack. However, I was able to finish from the one chance I had and we also got a second goal, so I think we showed our ability to manage the match intelligently.

In the second half, your pressing from the front line helped the team.
Once we switched to a back five in the second half, our desire to protect our 2-goal lead and win was strong, so we started to pull back. Once that happened, I was isolated up top and I just tried to help the team by keeping the ball as long as possible and creating time. In that system, I was the only one up top and it was important for me to give my teammates time to get forward. I’m tired as a result but more than that, I’m happy that we won.

You got the winning goal in a match against your old team.
You could say that I always play well against my old teams or that I have what it takes to score in those situations. Either way, I’m confident that I can score. More than anything, I’m happy that I got the winning goal today.

Is your stock of goal celebrations okay?
My stock is getting low, so I do have to gather some more sources. Today, I paid homage to Ben Yedder, a French player who plays for Sevilla. He’s terrific.

You’re in the midst of three matches with very little rest.
For me, personally, the other two matches are also against my old teams, Mito and Yamagata. I’m looking forward to it and more than tiredness, I think my motivation wins out. I will prepare as best I can to get a goal in those matches. In terms of showing what Verdy can do against a strong opponent like Kashiwa Reysol, I think this was a very important three points for us. Mito are also a strong team and in form, but I feel that if we play to our strengths, we can win. We will train to do just that.

MF 19Junki Koike

Your thoughts on the match?
We had trouble attacking in the first half or, at least, we had trouble creating chances. Still, we converted the chances we did get into goals and closed things up from there. We hadn’t been able to get the opening goal in any of our other matches this season, so that was one positive aspect. However, we suffered for long periods today and I think that’s something we need to work on.

On your goal, you did a brilliant job of breaking down the middle and getting free.
In terms of working passes between us or laying the ball off to a teammate before making another run, that’s something we had done well in previous matches, so if we can continue to build on and maintain that, while also aiding our defense by keeping the ball more, I think we can change the flow of the game and create better chances.

For your goal, was the finish what you imagined?
Rather than dribble straight at goal, I wanted to drift wide and round the keeper, so that went as I imagined. I did panic a little when the keeper got a hand on the ball, but other than that, it was as I imagined.

Including your system changes, you shifted into a defensive plan rather quickly.
We shifted to a defensive 5-4-1 formation rather quickly, but in doing that, I wanted us to take care of the ball a little better when we won it and do what we could to increase our time in possession. Instead, we took a pretty conservative approach and that reflected the fact that we hadn’t been winning lately. That’s one area where we still have to improve, but I think the fact that we kept a clean sheet today will give us confidence.

Did the fact that you lost the ball a lot when you were trying to build up in the second half have an effect?
Yes, it did. We only had a single striker up top and it took a long time for the other players to get forward. During that time, we would lose the ball or our passes didn’t connect. Because of that, our play became more clearly conservative as time passed.

At the close of the match, you had to concentrate on fending off opposition crosses. What can you tell us about that?
Olunga, who is very strong physically, was in the middle, so we had to slide from to side or at least, we had to avoid having any of our five defenders pulled out of shape. From my perspective in a forward position, I tried to chase them and slow down their attack. In the beginning, I cared for the players in the middle while also remaining poised to chase any balls that drifted to the far side.

What do you think is the reason that you were able to keep a clean sheet today, against an opponent with more attacking strength than any other you’ve faced this season?
I think our defenders did a good job of attacking balls that came into the box, so as a team, I think it was important that we did that without any holes opening up. Usually, we spend a lot of time chasing, but after getting the first goal, we immediately got the second and I think that helped us calm down.

It seems like the next task for the team is to keep the opposition goalless and also flip the switch on your attack.
It’s important that we enter the match from a defensive stance, but I hope we can also improve our buildup so that we can play a more Verdy brand of football by holding on to the ball and trying to get goals.

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