2019 MEIJI YASUDA J2 LEAGUE 29th Sec - Mito Hollyhock vs Tokyo Verdy

Match Report

Last week, Verdy were held to a 0-0 draw despite dominating possession for the entire match. This week, they hoped to build on their ability to control the match by finishing their efforts with a goal and worked hard over their three days of official training to raise the level of their attack. The biggest change to the starting lineup was the addition of Klebinho. Despite his having just registered with the J-league and only training with the team for a week, the manager decided to throw his new recruit straight into the fray. The other change was the absence of Yuhei Sato, who failed to make the squad after leaving the pitch the previous week. He was replaced on the bench by another new signing, Mizuki Arai. Meanwhile, Junki Koike lined up against his old club on the left as a wide striker.

From the opening whistle, Verdy once again kept possession by moving the ball with quick touches and pushed Mito into their own half. Though their teamwork occasionally broke down, leading to danger on the counter-attack, the players were quick to track back and block any attempts on goal. Building on their early momentum, Verdy broke down the right side of the defense in the second minute, allowing Kajikawa to put in a cross. Leandro and Koike each made attempts to get on the end of the ball, but it would drift just out of their reach. From that point, as well, Verdy refused to concede possession and with their precise passing, the players not only pinned the opposition deep but also finished their moves with shots on goal. This approach would bear fruit in the 19^th minute, when Koike received a pass from Rihito Yamamoto and laid the ball off to Morita. The Verdy midfielder made a quick turn and dribbled into space before unleashing his right foot for a swerving effort that shot into the back of the net and gave his team the lead. After the opener, the Verdy attack did not let up and the players moved to put the game out of reach. Moments later, in the 20^th minute, Yamamoto, Kajikawa, and Kawano combined with one-touch passing on the wide right to set up Klebinho in a high position. The Verdy right back played a through pass to the supporting Leandro, who then turned and hit the ball into the box for the running Morita. Having made the initial pass, Klebinho too continued his run in support of Morita and after receiving the ball from a flick, he hit a looping cross to the far post with his first touch. It was Koike who is in position to respond to the pass and the Verdy forward raised his leg high for a stylish volley that pierced the net of his former team and extended the lead to two goals. With their advantage in place, Verdy would make several more forays into the Mito area. However, they were unable to find the third goal and soon found the momentum slipping away to their opponents. In the 33^rd minute, Mito players found themselves in on goal unmarked after developing the play in the wide areas, but Naoto Kamifukumoto timed his charge well and was able to suppress the shot. In the 37^th minute, a similar move that began from wide would end with a header that hit the post. However, neither attack ended in a goal and the half ended with the score unchanged.

The first half had been the team’s best performance since Nagai was appointed manager, but the second half would be a different affair, as the players were unable to maintain possession of the ball. Mito threw everything forward in attack as they tried to make up for the gap in score-line and their relentless crosses into the box from wide forced the Verdy back line to retreat. The further Verdy dropped back, the less they were able to retrieve the second ball and soon, the team found themselves enduring constant pressure on their goal. The opposition’s faith in their plan to attack from wide would pay dividends in the 53^rd minute when they cut the lead to one with a goal. The noise from the home stands was now overwhelming as the crowd pushed for Mito to equalize. In order not to be swallowed by the momentum, the Verdy players responded by trying to resume their press, keep hold of the ball, and sap some of the opposition’s energy, but their passing moves began too deep in their own territory and they could not move forward into the opposing half. Finally, the manager made substitutions and switched the formation to a back three, in order to put the brakes on the opposition crosses. The loss of numbers in midfield, however, meant that Verdy would struggle to retain the ball on the front line and the players were forced to endure for a longer period. After patiently repelling ball after ball into the box, substitute Hanato finally gave the team an outlet by breaking behind the opposition line and building numerical advantages in attack. However, the final ball was lacking in quality and there were no opportunities for a finish. The lead would thus remain a single goal throughout the final minutes. In the end, Verdy survived with their advantage intact and gained their first victory in five matches, as well as their third under new management.

Verdy’s flawless first half performance is without a doubt the ideal style sought by the manager. It is also a difficult task and one that won’t be achieved in a single day or night. Regardless of those facts, Verdy have no choice but to keep winning at this point in the season. With the understanding that they still need time to develop, they must take recognize the issues that emerge with each match and address them in training. It may have been for only 30 minutes, today. Next time, it may be for 40. And the next time, for 50. With each step in the right direction, they must also earn the full three points.

Manager Hideki Nagai

Your thoughts on the match?
For the most part, I think we achieved the kind of football we want to play, in the first half. I definitely feel like the plan we prepared over the past week worked well. The problem was the second half, when we were successful at about half or even less. I will speak to the players about what went wrong and we will prepare to play well again next time. This is true every week, but I want to once again thank all the fans who traveled to an away ground to cheer us on and made their voices heard until the final whistle. They really gave us a boost, today. Something else we talked about before the match was our captain, Kanya Fujimoto, who just emerged from surgery and was watching today from his hospital bed. I think our desire to show him a good performance and bring the team together as one had a big impact. I have a feeling we succeeded in cheering him up a bit.

The team was excellent for the first thirty minutes of the first half, but after that point, they were on the back foot until the break. What do you think is the reason for that?
As I always tell the players, the core of our philosophy is to attack the areas of the pitch that are left open. Especially in situations like the second half, that means recognizing where the where the opponents are placing their numbers and where they are trying to win the ball. If I were to sum up our problems, Iu2019d say we still are not reading the game. Of course, there are many specific adjustments we have to make, but the most important thing is to read what our opponents are trying to do. I think we have to work just a bit more on moving the ball to the areas of the pitch that are open and attacking from there.

Klebinho made his debut today. What do you think he added to the team?
I observed him for a full week when I visited Flamengo and I had no doubts about his ability or his personality. I expected that he would be able to contribute in the way he did today. With regard to his potential, as well, I expect him to grow a lot, which makes him an exciting player to manage. Lastly, the Verdy staff have done a lot to support him. This is his first time to play abroad, so the entire staff and the players, including Leandro, have done their best to make him feel at home. Iu2019m happy about their efforts.

DF 31Klebinho

How did it feel to make your Verdy debut?
First, I would like to thank God. I think we made a good start to the match as a team and I think individually, I had a good game. In the first half, we got a goal according to plan and then a second that abled us to control the play. In the second half, however, Mito became more aggressive and we were forced to drop back into our own half, which was tough. Thatu2019s football, though, and overall, I think it was a good result and a good performance.

What were you aiming for with your assist on the second goal?
I traded passes with Koki (Morita) and then was able to play a pass to Leandro. Koki then made a run and I got the ball back after filling the space he left behind. When I looked up, I saw that someone was free and I am happy I could play a good ball that led to a good goal.

Finally, do you have a message for the supporters?
I hope the fans will continue to come to the games in good numbers and cheer us on. We will come together as a team and take each match as it comes. We are grateful for your support.

MF 16Koki Morita

Tell us about your goal.
To be honest, I donu2019t remember much of it. I just let instinct take over and swung at the ball. Iu2019ve been working on that kind of strike, so Iu2019m glad I pulled it off. I canu2019t say I had that in mind from the beginning, but Iu2019m glad that it contributed to the result in the end.

That was your first pro goal.
At the press conference before the season began, I promised I would score at least one goal, so Iu2019m a bit relieved to have that done with and I also have the desire to get more. Iu2019ve always felt like I could score and Iu2019ve had chances to do so. I have confidence from mid-range, and I felt like I could do it, today.

Did you expect your first goal to be that kind of effort from midrange?
My fantasy was to hit one that had a bit more beauty to it. I imagined a curving ball where the keeper didnu2019t even move. But a goal is a goal, no matter how itu2019s scored, so I was definitely happy with my effort today. When I made contact, I wasnu2019t looking at the ball or at the goal. Personally, all I can remember is looking at the scenery around me.

Overall, it seemed like you all were enjoying your football in the first half.
Of course there are adjustments to make, but more than things to correct, itu2019s finding things that we can do even better. Itu2019s a positive exchange of opinion.

Individually, today, you were not only u201ccleveru201d but u201cdangerousu201d as well.
In my own mind, I had been kicking myself for not taking more shots, lately. Even with a focus on taking shots, I was choosing to pass more often than not, so Iu2019m glad I had two shots on goal today, but also feel like I could have taken even more.

You did well at getting into the pockets and half-spaces around their back four, today.
In the first half, Junki (Koike) took up wide positions, so when their side back went to close him down, I was able to use that space and that worked well. In the first half, I think we did what we wanted to do for the most part.

In the second half, you had opportunities to slow the match down but werenu2019t able to fully recover from there.
As far as the second half goes, I think we could have kept the ball more. As a result of not doing so, everyone seemed to grow tired and we began losing our spacing. We were then pinned back for periods of time. At the close of the match, I think we were all more determined to protect the one-goal lead we had than try to get another goal.

MF 20Rihito Yamamoto

That was an excellent performance for the first 30 minutes of the first half.
The first thirty minutes really were our ideal vision and I think it was the best match weu2019ve had since Coach Nagai took over as manager. When we went into the locker room at half time, everyone said they had fun in the first half.

Did you expect them to play as they did with a high press?
It is something we expected. We thought they would either pressure us from up front or completely retreat. We prepared for a retreat as well, but once they started pressing us, we communicated well and made sure there were no problems. It was actually easier for us when they pressed high in the first half, when we still had the energy to respond. We got behind them a number of times and there was space behind them in the wide areas, as well, so it was easier for us with them playing from the front than it would have been if they retreated.

At the end of the first half, you couldnu2019t slow down the oppositionu2019s momentum and that continued in the second half, as well. What do you think was the reason?
We had room to breathe at 2-0 and everyone fell into a defensive posture. We were also quite tired. We had played hard from the opening whistle today, so we no longer had the stamina to get into the correct positions and our decision-making slowed down, allowing them to control the ball more. As that continued, it turned into the game you saw. Thatu2019s something we have to reflect on.

Tell us about the play that led to the opening goal.
I played the ball into that area and was prepared to get a return pass from Junki (Koike) if they closed him down, after which we would have tried it again. However, I also knew Koki (Morita) was in the middle and if I saw that he was unmarked, I thought we could break them down with one-touch or two-touch passing. It played out like I imagined and the pattern of breaking them down from wide areas is something we had been working on in training. The work seemed to pay off at that moment.

You did well at getting into pockets and half-spaces around their back four, today.
Attacking those areas is a fundamental part of our strategy. We stretch them wide and then the central midfielders, like Koki (Morita) or Kaji(kawa), exploit those little gaps. Itu2019s a rule and thatu2019s their role. I think we did a good job of that in the first half.

In the first half, you made some strong attacks from both sides of the pitch.
Both Klebinho and Narawa like to get forward as much as possible. Last week, it was myself and Narawa doing that, so I think we were able to do the same thing today.

In the second half, you had opportunities to slow the match down but werenu2019t able to fully recover from there.
Everyone was tired in the second half and it felt like we were choosing to drop back further and further. We werenu2019t able to get into the right positions, anymore. Iu2019d have to see the film before I comment more, but I have a feeling the wide players dropped back a bit too much.

MF 28Tatsuya Uchida

The first 30 minutes of the first half were your best performance of the season, so far.
We played the way we want to play in the first half. We werenu2019t just passively reacting to the opposition but actively reading the game and sharing ideas for how to attack. We did all the things we had managed to do well in the past and also connected them to a goal, two in fact, so I really think it was ideal.

Did you have a plan for how to deal with their high press?
We did expect that they would press us to a degree and we were told that they would try to keep their grass dry, so we were ready for that, too. However, our forward players were able to make fluid use of the space in the first half. They located the open areas and made good runs, so I think that fluidity was more important than anything we did at the back.

You struggled after the opposition changed their formation.
When the opponent makes adjustments, we have to build the ability to read the new positions theyu2019re taking. To be honest, I have to see the film before I can say anything further, but during the match, at the end of the first half and during the second, I did feel like a different approach would have worked better. Things didnu2019t feel right during the course of our play and that continued until the final whistle. Itu2019s good that we were able to hang on for the win, but we have to locate areas for improvement in our build up. The most important thing is to make those improvements during the match, without relying on game film, but we couldnu2019t do that today. Thatu2019s something I have to work on.

The intensity with which you played the first half contributed to fatigue in the second, which overlapped with the oppositionu2019s determination to attack.
I do believe fatigue played a role, but the bigger problem was that at 0-2, they have no choice but to try and attack us and we didnu2019t execute a good plan in response. Thatu2019s not something that will be fixed simply by raising our stamina. Even though we were tired, if we can find appropriate positions and read what the opposition are doing, I think we can manage. The problem was that we didnu2019t recognize the adjustments the opposition made to their approach, formation, and pressure.

Even if it was only for a short period, the fact that you were able to show Verdyu2019s ideal brand of football and gain a win in the process must be a major boost.
We want to play football in that way and gain wins by doing it.

DF 2Masashi Wakasa

You made your first appearance in a while and during a difficult period of the match, too.
Coming on during those situations, my role is clear, so I just did the work I was assigned to do. That happens often as a defender and Iu2019m not a new recruit. I have the experience to relax and focus.

What instructions did you receive from the manager when you came on?
I was told to close the gap between the midfield and the back line. They did get one pass past me, but other than that, I was able to manage things. There was also a lot of fatigue among the squad, so I made sure to stifle the opposition in my areas of the pitch. (Kon)Do was tired too, so I made sure to communicate with the forward players and provide leadership from the back.

After conceding the first goal, you were able to protect your lead and that led them to try a more basic attacking approach in the final minutes.
Thatu2019s what made it easier for us to defend. However, I was worried about them winning the ball in dangerous positions.

Thinking about the teamu2019s ideal game plan, I imagine you wanted to have more possession after gaining the lead.
That is our ideal, but the opposition was always going to pressure us in the second half, so I think matches like this are inevitable sometimes. How well you can defend in those situations is what defines the truly strong teams. But of course, we still want to keep the ball when we can, be patient and defend when they have the ball, cut off their angles for a shot, challenge and cover, and everything else. But with that said, yes, we ideally want to keep the ball more in those situations.

Did the teamu2019s intensity in the first half have an impact later?
I do think everyone was tired at the end. However, we won, so I think we did well.

Without a doubt, the first thirty minutes were the teamu2019s best performance of the season.
Yes, I think thatu2019s right. Even from the bench, I could see everyone was impressed with our play. In the future, I think we need to do that for longer periods.

Still, even if it was only for a short period, it must be a big boost to gain a win by playing your ideal brand of football.
Yes, but itu2019s only one match. We have another one next week and another after that. We have to take each match at a time and pile up wins.

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