2019 MEIJI YASUDA J2 LEAGUE 42nd Sec - Tokyo Verdy vs FC Gifu

Match Report

The final match of the season has come. Compared to the results in the previous two campaigns, this was a year in which the Verdy supporters were forced to endure a great share of frustration. And with the club’s 50th anniversary, their final match with their current logo, and the retirement of Naoya Tamura all converging on the same day, the players began the day enveloped in a must-win atmosphere.

To honor his final game as a professional, Naoya Tamura was named to the starting lineup, paired with Tomohiro Taira at center back. Two-way player Joeru Chima Fujita also made the team from the opening whistle, his first start with the senior squad, and fellow two-way player Taiga Ishiura made his first appearance on the bench.

The match began at Verdy’s preferred pace. Occupying the role of libero, Fujita showed a fantastic sense of positioning and linked up the attack. He also retrieved the second ball as it was played to the opposition front line and helped the team maintain its shape in high positions. The Verdy players used the full width and depth of the pitch, moving the ball well and forcing the opposition back while they probed for chances. Despite spending nearly, the entire first half in opposition territory, it would take until the 38th minute for the team to feel its first moment of joy. Kajikawa took the ball near the halfway line and split the defense with a diagonal through-pass, finding right wide striker Junki Koike in plenty of space for a prime opportunity. One v. one with the keeper, Koike kept his head and cooly slotted home to give Verdy the lead. Once they had control of the momentum, Verdy did not let go. In the 44th minute, Paraiba initiated the play on the left side and drilled a strong pass into the box. His teammates were unable to meet the ball at the near post, but Koike emerged again at the far side to score with his first touch and give Verdy their second goal. Not letting up there, Paraiba would once again begin a counter-attack in the first minute of additional time, after intercepting an opposition pass, and Leandro found space to receive the ball in the box before tapping it into the net and putting the game beyond reach.

With the second half underway, Verdy maintained their tempo and attacking intent, threatening the Gifu goal repeatedly after the opening whistle. Once Verdy dealt with the opponents’ initial push to re-enter the game, the match unfolded as a one-sided affair with the home team in control. In the 74th minute, Paraiba took on several defenders with a mazy run into the box. His powerful effort from a difficult angle was initially deflected by the keeper, but the loose ball drifted to the far post and was met by Koike to complete the second hat trick of his career. Finally, in the 88th minute, Verdy completed their rout when Paraiba latched on to a pass from Fujita and ran with the ball before hitting a mid-range effort that found the net for the team’s fifth goal. Although Verdy would concede themselves in the 88th minute, they showed the will to make up for it and continued attacking until the final whistle.

All in all, it was a season in which Verdy were unable to achieve consistent results, but one hopes that the joy they shared with the supporters in the final tie will be the first step toward a brighter future. The struggles endured by the players this year were only the run-up to the coming jump. In order that everyone at the club may realize that sentiment at this point in the next season, the team must now form a new squad, train hard, and prepare for the opening of the next campaign.

Manager Hideki Nagai

Your thoughts on the match?
It was difficult for the players to maintain their motivation now that we are in the final week, but I think everyone did their best to achieve the culmination of everything we’ve worked on over the last four months. Today, we had one player take off the shirt for the final time and another mark the start of a new career. We got to see the guard change right there on the pitch and we also proved that we can accomplish our brand of football at a high level, no matter who plays. I was quite happy with that. Partly because we were able to play our last match at home, we were fortunate to have a lot of fans and supporters of the club present at the stadium today. I am very happy to have brought a smile to their faces and think it was a good result. However, I must also note that we are only four months into our current project and we have much work to do in order to play football of higher quality and greater maturity in the next season. That work begins from tomorrow.

How did you rate Joeru Chima Fujita, who started, and Taiga Ishiura, who came on as a substitute?
I’ve been watching Fujita for two and a half, almost three years, so I am well aware of his potential to play at this level. Of all the players I’ve coached at the youth level, I think he has the greatest understanding. The only thing that he has struggled with in the past is the mental aspect, whether he can maintain his poise and play to his full abilities. He has grown in that respect and today, he was able to perform at a level beyond my expectations. I was very happy with him. I felt the same about Taiga Ishiura. I know that he has a feel for the game that is entirely his own and while I’m sure he was nervous, he’s been playing under my system for three years and he took the pitch naturally knowing what he has to do. I think this was only the beginning for him.

Normally, Yuhei Sato is a regular when he’s available. Was the decision to start Fujita, today, due to Sato’s condition or was there something specific you had in mind?
It was both. Naturally, Yuhei’s injury was a consideration but I think he, Kajikawa, and Joeru (Fujita) are all capable of playing at that position. Specifically, in defense, I wanted him to be the first to press the opposition and I think he did a good job of that. No matter who takes the pitch, all the players have strong points they need to show. Sometimes I look at the opposition, but more than that, I try to choose the players who best fit the plan we’re trying to execute, while also thinking about where we need to be next season.

You changed the sides on which the wide strikers, Jailton Paraiba and Junki Koike, played over the last two matches.
We have many strategies to choose from and for today’s plan, I had Junki (Koike) on the right and Paraiba on the left. In addition, as I say every match, there are times when we have to adjust to the opposition, but in terms of where the players stand on the pitch, my thought process is always focused on finding the best way for us to accomplish our plan. Today’s formation was composed with that in mind. Specifically, I can say that the decision to play Kajikawa at right front central midfield was made because he combines positively with Junki Koike. In addition, since our plan was to attack the zone around the near post, I felt it would be more effective to have Paraiba on the left and Koike on the right.

You took over in mid-season and completed your first campaign. Are you a bit relieved to end things in this way?
I don’t feel one bit relieved. Personally, my mind has already switched to the next battle and our preparations for the next season. I do think the players did well today, but in terms of what we really hope to achieve, I’d say we’ve accomplished just over half. I believe there is more we can do and there is a lot that we have to do. So, there is no time at all to be relieved.

MF 23Naoya Tamura

You showed your ability to win the physical battle for the ball, today.
With the pitch as wet as it was, I knew that they would be playing quick touches and other things. My experience helped me cover for that. On days like today, when we are that successful in attack, I felt like there were only ten sequences where I needed to be careful. My task was to handle those situations. I think the goal we conceded was a reminder that we needed to buckle down and concentrate. Today, the squad will dissolve until next season and then there will be the busy time of training camp and new players arriving. I expect the team to acquire players who have high individual skill to build on the foundation that we’ve developed.

How did it feel over the 90 minutes, today?
To be honest, I wanted it to be over quickly. I wanted to get the win. There was no reluctance to see the game out on my part and I just wanted to end my career with a victory. In terms of the content of today’s match, everyone was expecting us to perform better and I think we accomplished what we set out to do. Having Joeru (Fujita) on the pitch helped, as he is brilliant at managing risks, and I think his presence allowed Kaji to play higher up the pitch. That, in turn, allowed us to get the most out of Paraiba, Junki (Koike), and Mon (Leandro).

You were given the captain’s armband at the end.
That was a gesture from my teammates. For me, personally, there was no need, as I had actually served as captain at one time. In terms of the team’s future, it was unfortunate that Kanya (Fujimoto) picked up an injury after being named captain this year. I know that he has the passion to do the job. With that said, I don’t know who will be named captain from here out, but rather than worry about whether it’s someone who rose through the youth team, I think we can let one of the new players try and that might lead to a bit more competition within the squad.

You said that you wanted to keep trying new things until the end.
I realized again how we can break them down through our combination play, but I also tried changing angles before playing a ball forward. I’d worked on things like that in training, but it was a learning experience to do it during match play. In terms of making last minute decisions, that’s something you can only experience on the pitch. I want to work on that in the future, as a coach or even as a player, as I won’t be quitting football altogether even though I’m retiring as a pro. I want to continue to seek perfection.

MF 24Yuta Narawa

Your thoughts on the match?
Regardless of how our oponents played, I think we did what we set out to accomplish in attack and defense.

In attack, everyone did a good job of executing the plan and taking action off the ball.
The goal of our football style is to keep possession for long periods and always have a lot of options around us in attack, no matter where we are on the pitch. You saw that with the goals we scored and every time someone had the option of a shot, the other players would adjust their positioning so that the ball holder had other options as well.

In defense, as well, you were often the first to pressure the ball holder and responded well to the second ball.
I think the role of first defender is very important and in terms of today’s match, it was always clear whose job it was at different times. When that aspect is clear, it makes it easier for the players at the back to work together in defense. I think that was the best thing we accomplished, today.

This was the team’s last match wearing your current club emblem, meaning that there was even more feeling on the pitch for your last match as a pro.
Those elements provided us with good motivation, but I try not to think about having special motivations for certain matches. J2 is a very competitive league and no one can afford to lose points from even a single game. In those terms, if you were to ask us whether we stayed properly motivated throughout the season, I don’t think we can say yes. Individually and as a team, I want us to prepare hard for next season.

In terms of results, this was a more difficult season than the previous two campaigns.
Since we failed at our chance for promotion last year, we knew that this season would be a difficult one and that proved to be the case. There are some things that I wish we had done differently, but for me personally, I felt that I tried to make the best decision that I could in those moments. In that sense, I don’t have many regrets and I think that will give us more encouragement for next year.

Since you appeared in nearly every match, I’m sure it must have been difficult for you to adjust physically at the end of the season.
As I said, I tried to do my best throughout the year. There were some points when my conditioning dropped and I had to have my training load lightened, but I personally wanted to get in not only as much time as possible, but also improve my quality in training as much as I could. I feel a bit frustrated in that respect. I will do my best to rest physically, so I can start the season well and prepare to play a full year without injury. I also want to improve my quality over the next year.

In today’s match, you demonstrated the style the team want to play with, but what do you think needs to be done to take the next step forward?
I think it all comes down to quantity and quality of training.

MF 19Junki Koike

You got your second hat trick of the season. How did it feel?
For the first goal, we won the ball in a good position and there was space in the middle, so I made the run there and Kaji(kawa) found me with a through-ball. It was fairly tight, but he did a good job of timing the pass to my movement. I think the relationship we have built in daily training showed there. For the second goal, it was a good team move that allowed me to get into the right zone around the post, so I think credit for that one goes to the team. For the third goal, I knew that if we got the ball into that space, Paraiba would be able to beat his man. I had other chances throughout the day, too, so I’m glad I scored there.

You finished the campaign with 16 goals, well more than your previous career high.
I never thought that I would score this many goals at age 32. I didn’t feel in the best condition during training camp and didn’t expect to get a lot of match time, but I somehow managed to figure things out over the course of the year. I think I proved to myself, and to everyone else, that it’s possible to continue growing, no matter what your age.

What do you think was the secret to your success, this season?
I’m sorry to say that, honestly, I didn’t really do anything differently. I began my career with Urawa Reds, then played for Thespa, Mito, Verdy, Yokohama FC, Chiba, Ehime, and finally Verdy again. I’ve been with a lot of clubs and had a lot of people cheer for me. There were good times and bad times, as well as times when I barely saw the pitch at all. I wouldn’t say that I’m proud of continuing without change, but I think that attitude expressed itself well this season.

You played at several different positions this year, including side back and wingback, so to get 16 goals is quite an accomplishment.
I think the experience of playing in so many different positions proved useful. I began my professional career as a forward and later played at side-half and side back. The fact that I achieved my career high at 32 is because the range I gained allowed me to do things I couldn’t do when I was younger.

Is there anything that changed for you, individually, after Nagai took over as manager?
I’ve worked with a lot of managers in the past and basically, I have a good knowledge of what my strengths are as a player, so I just focus on how I can use those strengths within the manager’s system. To some degree, I’m also scoring because that’s what’s demanded of the wide striker position.

In attack, everyone did a good job of executing the plan and taking action off the ball.
Our goal is to get at least 18 shots on goal in every match and we didn’t accomplish that today. We do receive information on the opposition, but we try focus less on what they want to do and more on what we want to do. We try to keep our eyes focused on ourselves and play better football in each and every match.

MF 38Ryota Kajikawa

Tell us about your assist for the first goal.
We made eye contact, the opposition lost concentration for a moment, and Junki (Koike) did a good job of fulfilling the manager’s instructions to observe our opponents by making a good run into the right spot. I was then able to hit him with a good pass.

Today, it felt like the two central midfielders did a good job of providing options to your teammates.
In particular, for us in central midfield, when the ball is moved to our wide players, we know that the opposition will try to move into the pockets to stop them and that opens up space for us. If we can take the right positions, that will give the ball holder more options and even if we don’t receive the ball at those times, we need to keep moving. For example, when Narawa had the ball wide today, the central midfielder on the opposite side would make a run behind. It’s difficult to always play passes to feet and without that kind of movement, we won’t be able to pin the opposition back. It’s something the manager has always told us to do and today, we accomplished that.

In attack, everyone did a good job of executing the plan and taking action off the ball.
We didn’t achieve our target of 18 shots on goal, so we have to do even more to create opportunities. With that said, we had a lot more variation in our approach today and if I, too, can learn to finish better, we’ll be able to dominate our opponents more.

Did you give Fujita any advice about making his first start at the libero position?
In that position, it’s important to make yourself available at all times and I told him to issue instructions to the forward players about when he wants the ball and in defense. However, Joeru has always been good about making himself heard, so I don’t think there was any stress for him. He did a good job. Most of our youth players are pretty quiet, but he’s the exception.

In terms of results, this was a more difficult season than the previous two campaigns.
It was a year of opposites between the first and second half of the season. Our tactics and approach changed completely. Up until July, the players had a lot of freedom on the pitch and we needed to make our own decisions. After July, our tactical approach became very clear. At first, we work trying to hard to fit the manager’s style and lost our initiative. Even so, as time went on and we learned what we needed to do or remembered what we had been told in training, the manager told us to trust our instincts more and we gradually did that and achieved better results. With that said, we didn’t achieve our target for the season and if we don’t build on what we’ve developed over these months next year, it will all be meaningless. Our season is over, but we still have to prepare well for the next campaign.

How did you, personally, feel about the season?
There were periods where I wasn’t on the pitch and periods when I was being selected frequently. In all that time, nothing really changed. When I wasn’t playing, I had time to think about how I could improve and spent a lot of extra time after practice. In particular, I was on the bench for a long time in the first half of the season, so I had to keep working in training. On the other hand, when I did get playing time in the second half of the season, I had a whole new feel for the game and was able to absorb what Coach Nagai and the other staff were telling me.

MF 39Taiga Ishiura

How did it feel to make your debut with the senior squad?
I wasn’t that nervous and was able to have fun. To be honest, I had been more nervous in training.

When you came on, you took the captain’s armband from Leandro and handed it to Tamura. Was that something the bench told you to do?
The instruction from the bench was actually to hand it to Taira, but on the pitch, everyone pointed at Tamura, so I did as I was told.

What other instructions did you receive when you came on?
I had played for Coach Nagai on the youth team for three years, so he told me to just do what I normally do. I can’t say it was automatic, but I focused on playing my natural game by getting on the ball and creating chances. Still, I wasn’t actually able to get on the ball much. It was a little frustrating.

You started the move that led to the fifth goal, though.
After I made the interception, I imagined playing the ball to Paraiba, getting it back and aiming for goal myself. However, the opposition’s side back cut off the middle and tried to force me to run at the defense, so I made a straight run with the ball to pull away markers and Paraiba moved into the middle.

Do you think the experience gave you greater confidence?
I proved to myself that if I take up the right positions, the opposition won’t be able to push me off the ball and if I think ahead, I can win the ball for myself. I still have to work on my physique, but I also want to compete by using my brain.

Did the other youth graduates say anything to you after the match?
They told me I ran too slow (laugh). It’s true that I don’t have a lot of pace, so I will do my best to improve that and try to compete in other areas in the meantime.

Your former youth teammates like Yamamoto and Fujita made the senior squad before yourself.
It was a bitter taste for me, but I also realized that Joeru (Fujita) had been performing better in training, so I told myself I was still lacking in something. I will work hard from here, so that I can begin the season with the squad next year.

MF 40Joel Chima Fujita

Tell us about making your first start with the senior squad.
When I found out I was starting, I felt a bit nervous, but I just told myself to get adjusted to the game and then play with confidence. As such, I was able to keep mistakes to a minimum. I came to the realization that I would be starting during set piece training yesterday.

Last week, you spoke about needing to adjust to the physical side of the game and you seemed to do well in that area many times, today.
Whenever we lose the ball in attack, if I can win it back after the first pass from the opposition, that helps us play in their half with a good rhythm for long periods. As long as we’re building numerical advantages in attack, the opposition won’t have many angles to make a pass when they win the ball, so I have to spot those avenues. When I did that, I was able to win it back.

You played 90 minutes at this level for the first time. How did your body hold up?
I felt a cramp coming on at the end, but I tried to continue doing everything I could for the team.

You were able to evade their pressure with clever turns on the ball several times.
I knew when the opposition were applying pressure from the calls of my teammates or could feel them myself, so I maintained my poise and kept the ball moving. At the end of the match, I was a bit less physical, but I think I won most of my battles over the match as a whole.

How about making your voice heard?
I grew tired and lost my voice a bit at the end, but I think that, overall, I was able to communicate my instructions. With that said, I think everyone was moving well today, without my help.

Your teammate from the youth squad, Ishiura, came on at the end.
He tends to get a bit nervous, but I had my hands full and couldn’t really help him. We talked about both of us giving it everything we had on our own.

What do you think was positive about your performance today and what do you think you still need to work on?
In attack, other than my missed pass to Junki (Koike) at the end, I don’t think I made too many mistakes that resulted in us losing the ball, so I was happy about that. What I need to improve on is defense, where I was beat by my man too easily or allowed them to make an easy pass to the forwards. In terms of the individual skill of the opposition and the speed of the passing game, I could feel the difference from the youth level.

Earning a spot as a starter in the opening match, next season, should be a target for you now.
Personally, I want to be a starter in every match, but I know that things won’t be that simple. I’ll use the off period to work on what I’m lacking and try to prepare for preseason.

Share The Match!

SCHEDULE