In terms of promotional playoff contention, the team cannot afford even one more loss. However, they also cannot allow themselves to doubt their approach and must continue to refine the style they have worked so hard to develop. In training, they have committed to the belief that a deeper understanding of that team approach will lead to the wins they need as they took the pitch, this week, to face FC Ryukyu. Despite a high number of cancelled flights due to the recent typhoon, Verdy supporters still filled the visitor stands in numbers that rivalled the home crowd. The Verdy players then took the pitch buoyed by those cheering voices.

 

The biggest change, this week, was the loss of Rihito Yamamoto at the libero position. Ryota Kajikawa dropped deeper in midfield to fill that role, while Shion Inoue returned from injury to combine with Klebinho at front central midfield. Rounding out the squad were Naoto Sawai at right side back and Koki Morita, who replaced Lee Yong Jick at free man while the latter was away with the Korean National Team.

 

In a battle between two teams who aim to keep possession and stay on the attack, the match quickly developed into an end to end affair. However, it was Verdy who gradually took control of the pace. The back line pushed up the pitch, allowing the forward players to press the opposition. Multiple times, the team won the ball in high positions and wasted no time in launching the counter-attack, repeatedly threatening the opposition goal. In the second minute, Junki Koike created a chance after breaking free on the left side, but his cross was inches away from being met by a teammate. In the 19^th minute, Klebinho took advantage of Ryukyu’s reluctance to close him down by launching a mid-range effort that went just over the bar. As the opposition turned more and more to long balls to bypass the high press, Verdy were able to retrieve the second ball and build from the back. The players observed Ryukyu’s defensive formation and repeatedly switched the play from side to side as they stretched their opposition and created avenues for attack. Those efforts paid off in the 25^th minute, when Sawai found space on the right and received a pass from the opposite side of the pitch. Although he couldn’t make room to run at the defense, Sawai still found time to play a reverse pass to a teammate. It was Kajikawa who received the ball and his first-time cross sailed across the face of goal while Koike caught the defense cheating at the near post and made a run behind. The forward then met the pass with a first-time volley that found the net and gave Verdy the lead in style. The match would shift dramatically at the end of the half. In the 40^th minute, Tomidokoro received the ball unmarked and the threatened the goal, but his shot went slightly over the bar and let Verdy off the hook. Moments later, Klebinho received the ball in Verdy territory near the halfway line and put his head up to see if he would be closed down. He then spotted Koike making a run on the opposite side and played a looping through pass that put the Verdy forward free of the defense. Koike then stung the hands of the goalkeeper with a powerful effort that propelled the ball into the left corner of the net. Four minutes later, Klebinho would once again initiate the play. It was the 44^th minute and Masashi Wakasa hit a clever forward ball to the Brazilian, who turned quickly and split the defense with a through pass to the running Morita. With the defense closing down from behind, Morita placed a low shot from the diagonal right of the goal, sending the ball just inside the left post to expand the Verdy lead in the blink of an eye. Just before the break, Ryukyu were able to resist the pressure from multiple Verdy defenders and create a dangerous shot on goal, but Naoto Kamifukumoto stayed focused and showed his reflexes to bat the ball away.

 

“Be patient and maintain possession, but don’t grow overconfident!” Those were the words of the manager as he fired up the team before they emerged for the second half. The players did not disappoint and continued to attack with relentless energy. Although Verdy were initially pushed back while their opponents sought to close the gap, they were able to bypass the increased pressure when they won the ball and quickly carry the ball into the unmanned area around the front line. In the 54^th minute, the team would concede a goal from a thunderous midrange piledriver, but the setback only served to reinvigorate their attack. In the 58^th minute Kajikawa retrieved the second ball off a long throw and sent it to the front line, where Paraiba claimed the pass and started the counter. With numbers to choose from, Paraiba’s lateral pass initially caught the leg of Klebinho, but the former was able to retrieve and play a second pass to the right side. The ball found its way to Morita, who cut inside for the finish and extended Verdy’s lead. In the 69^th minute, a goal that captures the essence of Manager Nagai’s style was born. As Koike received a pass on the wide left, Morita made a diagonal run and the ball was played toward him, after which Koike continued his run off the ball, entering into the penalty area. Morita played a reverse pass with his first touch, finding Narawa who also hit the ball first time, sending an accurate cross that was almost a direct pass into the box. Inoue was there to play the ball down for Koike, now at the end of his run, and the latter volleyed home into the right corner of the net. From the time Koike began the move, to his finish to end it, every player made only a single touch. It was an amazing goal that provided a perfect climax to the match.

 

As the match wound to a close, Verdy would continue to find space behind the desperately pressing Ryukyu and the players continued to create chances, such as a shot by Paraiba in the final minutes that rocked the post. Although they were one step away from the finish, Verdy still ended the match with five goals in a true offensive explosion that provided a decisive victory.

 

After tasting bitter defeat over the past three matches, the team found themselves under very difficult circumstances. The players at times seemed almost too determined to remain positive and continued their normal routine at the club house, but on the pitch, once could sense the frustration they felt at being unable to achieve the kind of football they believe in. In all that time, what never changed was the players’ dedication in training, each pursuing their own unique practice menu and showing a sincere desire to play with quality on the pitch. All that suffering has now found returns with today’s result. The five goals the team earned are no fluke. To prove that, they will next face upper-table opponents Ventforet Kofu at Nishigaoka.

Your thoughts on the match?
First off, we were grateful to see so many supporters from Tokyo travel with the team despite the typhoon. I always say that our main objective is to put on a show for those fans and on those terms, I think we did well today. The players showed full belief in the style of football I want them to achieve and there were many elements where we saw the results of their hard work in training. I’d like to express my gratitude to them once again. The life of a professional footballer is affected by many small wins and losses on a daily or weekly basis. I always see a horizontal axis, which is our results in competition. But equally important for me is the vertical axis. If we look only at the horizontal, everything seems flat, but the way we play and the ways we improve our quality will lead to a rising vertical axis in the future. I am focused on that. In the midst of that, I’m glad that we achieved good progress on both axes today.

In training, you emphasize that playing the ball behind the defense should always be the first option and we saw the benefits of that, today. What do you think is the reason for the success?
I think it comes down to what we always try to do – observe our opponents as we play. When our opponents press forward, there is space at the back. When they drop deep, we have to recycle possession and find ways to draw them out. Today, the players made the right decisions in those areas.

Do you think they’ve grown up a bit?
They’re all adults, after all (laugh). But today, I think the things we always emphasize in training, about observing our opponents, really shone through.

You’ve had a lot of injuries to forward players, lately. Despite that, Koike scored a hat trick today. How do you go about creating your team with so few options at forward?
It’s not just at forward. We’ve had many players who have had to separate from the team. This may sound like a platitude, but one of the themes we emphasize is that we should always maintain the same level of football, no matter who is on the pitch. In that sense, the substitutes have done their job and focused hard in training, so I think we saw the results of that, today.

How do you rate the play of Koike and Morita?
First off, Koike has scored the most goals of any player on the team and I think he has a good striker’s instinct. That was particularly on display, today. But while I think he had an excellent match, I was even more impressed with the way the players showed a shared understanding and achieved our objectives for moving the ball and breaking down the opposition - all those things we’ve worked on in training. As far as Morita is concerned, there are some who would debate the wisdom of playing a traditional midfielder in a central forward role. However, I entrusted him with that position when I coached him at the youth level and he managed to score as many as ten goals over the course of a year, so what he did today is largely what I expect of him. To be honest, I think he can do even more.

Paraiba has already made himself an important presence on this team.
He’s a major weapon for us and, without a doubt, one of the strong points of the team. As the manager, I have to think of ways to bring out his abilities and I continue to do so. My hope is that we can help him express his qualities while also focusing on the entire team.

You played for Ryukyu in the past. What were your impressions, today?
To be honest, it was a moving experience. They once played at the JFL level, while Fujiyoshi and I were involved when they participated in the Kyushu League. Looking back on those years, I see that they’ve now progressed to J2 and thanks to this wonderful stadium, I think they ‘ve captured the hearts of the people of Okinawa. For me to return to Okinawa, which I consider my second hometown, as manager of Verdy and play a match against Ryukyu, who I have invested a lot of emotion in over the years, is a happy moment in the life of this individual footballer.