There were several changes to the squad on this day. After returning from injury and taking the pitch in the second half last week, Yuhei Sato was chosen to start today in the libero position, while Leandro slotted in at the front as the free man.

 

Except for a series of mistakes in the opening minutes that saw their opponents put pressure on goal, the match progressed largely as predicted by the scouting reports, with Verdy moving the ball patiently and Avispa Fukuoka retreating into a defensive block, conceding Verdy the initiative. Knowing that a win would put them in good position to avoid relegation, Fukuoka had chosen to play it safe. On the other hand, Verdy had plenty of the ball but could not build moves in the tight spaces left at their disposal, enduring opportunities on the counter after losing the ball. In the 9th minute, the opposition forced a fine save from Kamifukumoto with a midrange shot near the penalty area and the goalkeeper would be called into action again in the 20th, as he bailed the team out of a dangerous counter attack by snuffing out a point-blank shot on goal. Once Verdy had adjusted enough to stifle the counter, they then looked to demonstrate their skill by breaking down their opponents, but cold water would be thrown on those efforts after an opposition set piece. It was the 25th minute and a corner kick from the right side was met at the far post and dispatched into the left corner. Verdy responded in the 42nd minute when play in the wide areas enabled a cross from Ryota Kajikawa that was met by Leandro, but the latter’s effort went wide of the post. The first half thus ended with Verdy down a goal.

 

Hoping to push back, the players would generate a good change early in the second half. After Klebinho had a shot on goal obstructed, he switched his stance and played a cross into the box, where Junki Koike darted forward and connected with a volley. However, his shot floated over the crossbar. With Verdy now throwing every man forward, they would lose focus once again. In the 56th minute, the players allowed Fukuoka to break forward down the right and Matsuda turned in a point-blank cross to extended the opposition lead. Now down two goals, Verdy would again raise their attack another gear and though they created more efforts on goal than the first half, they were still unable to produce effective chances that would enable them to score. In the 73rd minute, substitute Hiroyuki Kawano fired a powerful shot after a one-two with Klebinho and in the 75th minute, a one-two between Leandro and Kajikawa led to an unmarked shot at the near post, right in front of the goal keeper. Neither shot would find the net, however. In the 80th minute, Klebinho showed skill in a tight space as he tried to create room for multiple shots, but in each instance, his efforts were blocked by the determined Fukuoka defense.

 

From that point, the team retained possession, but were unable to further stretch their opponents and the final whistle soon came. In the end, Verdy were unable to overcome their opponents’ pragmatic style and went down to defeat.

 

Such a frustrating result cannot go overlooked. The job of the Verdy players is to impose their style and open paths to goal, no matter how their opponents choose to defend. To build that strength, they have no choice but to continue training hard and build on the time that remains over the final three matches.

Your thoughts on the match?
Avispa played exactly as our scouting report described. They defended with a 5-4 block, as we expected, but we were unable to draw them out with intelligent play, or do the other things we wanted for the full 90 minutes and that was the primary reason for the loss. In terms of their opportunities from counter attacks or set pieces, we prepared with due caution, but it seems we still have work to do in those areas. However, I believe the fact that we were able to push them back, retain possession, and control the flow of the play is a sign of progress. Still, the objective of football is to score goals and I’m afraid the reality is that right now, we struggle to find the final ball or continue doing all the things we have to do while observing our opponents. We have three matches left and I will work with the players to continue making improvements and build on the foundation we’ve instilled. To all the supporters who traveled to Fukuoka, I wish we had given you a more entertaining, exciting match to see and I am very sorry that did not happen. In terms of “observing the opponent”, the players did not appear able to accomplish the task. What extra elements do you think are necessary? It means thinking about which areas of the opposition’s formation we need to draw out. Once we pull them forward, we then have to aim for the right spot and put numbers there. Both individually and throughout the team, I do not think we are achieving that right now.