After making a stunning debut in the victory against Yamaguchi, by having a hand in all four goals, Jailton Paraiba was once again named to the starting lineup. Yuhei Sato, having just returned from injury, also made an instant return to the squad at Libero, replacing Koki Morita who had been taken off with a concussion the previous week.

The match began at Verdy’s pace. Sato pulled the strings from the back at libero, while wide strikers Shion Inoue and Paraiba took up high positions, allowing the team to push up the pitch. The players built moves from the wide positions, pulling their markers to the byline before switching the play in other directions, and before long, they had pinned the opposition in their own half. However, the attackers were ultimately too impatient at the end of moves, leading to mistakes, and there were few opportunities for a finish. The first real chance of the match came in the 31^st minute, when Leandro took on a free role and dropped into midfield to receive a pass from Shion Inoue before playing the ball to Paraiba on the right wing. Running at the defense, Paraiba broke into the penalty area and hit a reverse pass. It was Klebinho, now playing in the middle after trading positions with Yamamoto, who made the run into the box and the Brazilian met the ball first time, only to see his effort blocked by the goalkeeper. The subsequent corner kick would fall loose into the penalty area and be met by Inoue with a stylish volley, but this too was cleared off the line by a defender. In the 35^th minute, Paraiba cut inside at a diagonal angle from the right and broke free after a one two with Leandro, but his attempt at a shot was blocked by a lunging challenge from the defense. With the minutes ticking away in the first half, the Verdy players determined that their opponents were not going to emerge from their defense shell and raised the intensity of their attack, leading to a mid-range shot from Klebinho and other efforts that signaled an improved offensive rhythm as they entered the break.

The second half opened with Verdy once again on the attack. The scoreline would then move for the first time in the 51^st minute. After pushing up while building from the back, Naoya Kondo played a tentative ball forward to Leandro and with one touch, the forward flicked the ball into space behind the right side of the defense. The pass found its way to Klebinho, who had made a late run in response to Kondo’s initial pass. The Brazilian built up steam and continued his run into the penalty area where he was tackled from behind, earning the team a penalty kick. It was Leandro who stepped up to the spot. With a clever change in tempo just as he struck the ball, the Verdy man sent his effort beneath the diving goalkeeper and into the back of the net. Following the opener, the opposition finally came forward, looking to equalize, and began to share more of the possession. This led to a highly even contest. Naoya Kondo came close to doubling the Verdy lead with a header from a free kick in the 69^th minute, but the keeper made a good save to bat it away. The Verdy attackers were still struggling to break down the tight defense and by continuing to push forward, the team found themselves vulnerable on the counter more and more as Niigata brought on fresh legs and began to move the ball in the final third. After an open passage of play, Verdy would finally concede from a corner kick in the 77^th minute and the final minutes were spent with the score even. The team began throwing greater numbers forward to try and reclaim their lead and Niigata continued to hit back on the break. Verdy did well to defend with minimal numbers at the back and the attackers showed plenty of aggression, but they were ultimately unable to create another clear chance and the match ended at 1-1.

Due to the high amount of injury substitutions suffered by the team of late, Verdy attempted to provide a fresh dose of energy by granting a debut to Joel Chima Fujita, a youth player who is registered simultaneously with the first team, but a final shot on goal looked far away. The players are thus left to ponder how they could have built on their 1-0 lead and put the result beyond doubt. From the perspective of “game design”, a term often emphasized by the manager, the lack of patience shown in the second half put the team in danger by leading to mistakes and threats on the counter. In the future, the players must learn to read their opponents’ approach and retreat, push back, or speed up in response. It is only then that they can claim the goals they need to shut the match down once and for all. Even as they focus on building ways to win, the players must now prepare to face Omiya next week.

Your thoughts on the match?
First, I would like to acknowledge the many supporters who traveled a great distance to attend today’s away match. We are truly grateful. Our job is to make those supporters happy and from that perspective, today’s result is very frustrating. In terms of the content of the match, I think we largely accomplished our plan during the opening minutes. However, in the second half, I don’t think we did a good enough job of observing our opponents and responding to their approach in an intelligent way. That part is something we have to reflect on. To be honest, I prefer to use my substitutions to help execute a change in game plan, but the players have been making a lot of mistakes and that has made things difficult for me as far as personnel changes. Still, the players are fully committed in each match, indeed in each day of training, to try new things and they are doing an excellent job. I am grateful to them. I believe that there is still a lot more they can do and I will do my best to demand quality from them as we prepare for the next match.

Rihito Yamamoto and Klebinho began switching positions in the first half, but in the second half, Yamamoto moved completely to right side back. Can you tell us your intentions?
It was part of our plan, but I also had the feeling that Klebinho could perform very well at front inside half. Rihito (Yamamoto) is left-footed, so I wanted him to play flicks behind the opposition’s left side back when he took up high positions. I’d say it was only half successful. To be honest, I think Rihito is capable of a better performance than what he showed today and I think he needs to reflect on that.

You often speak about “game design” and while the players have clearly improved in that area, you still gave up the lead today. What do you think the players needed to do differently?
Despite having the lead and pinning the opposition back today, we couldn’t recycle possession or take care of the ball. That suggests a lack of overall understanding of the broader game plan. The fact that we showed so little patience in attack at those times is the point we need to work on and the biggest lesson we need to take away from today’s match. In terms of game design, there was no need at all to rush things at that time. We have to stop moving the ball into the areas the opposition is aiming to trap us in and giving up opportunities on the counter.