If you were going to have to bet on ONE team to win a game on any given day from the following list: Gamba, Antlers, Cerezo, and FCTokyo, who would you choose?Exactly.
So what a huge suprise that the outcome of Round 29's Sunday pair of games between Gamba/FCT and Antlers/Cerezo... went to the team least likely to win.
As could be expected, Gamba created the greater portion of chances, but FCT clung on. FCT 2-1 Gamba
I chose to chew my nails through the Antlers 0-0 Cerezo game. If you really cared about either of these teams, it was one of those game that you were almost tempted to take up smoking if you don't already.
Fearless and physical defensive pressure from Cerezo, and the Antlers looked uncomfortable for the first ten or so minutes. Soon they got the rhythm, but were unable to make their opportunities bear fruit. Particularly lacking in finish this day was Kashima's Motoyama...
And the lack of goals in the first half really came back to haunt Kashima when in the second half left sideback Araiba was shown a red for going after Morishima. There were yellow cards flying all over, but given the tension in the air and the stakes, the players were controlling themselves.
Despite being one man down, Kashima kept up the pressure, and though they were threatened by a dynamic Cerezo attack, they did not pull back and defend only. I was actually surprised at how high they kept their defense line, despite the risk and the fact that a loss would be absolutely unacceptable. Cerezo went down a man too, later on, and it was interesting watching a 10 on 10 game... lots more space.
In the very last minute of the game during injury time, Osaka got hold of a cleared ball (off an Antlers corner) and went for the last second counter via Fabinho. When Sogahata came out of the box to slow him down, but Fabinho got the ball past, and in my mind, as I was losing consciousness, the last thought I had was..
...Oh my god. We're dead....
And then when I came to, I realized that the unlucky man had actually missed the shot!
>>Right-Click and Download to see the VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS from these two Sunday games.
A disappointing result against Nantes. But looking at the highlights it looks like Nantes was creating more chances and threatening more. But in the end it was the one PK that gave Nantes the win.
Daisuke Matsui came on in the second half, but no luck!
>>Click to see game highlights
Oh, and here's something a little fun. I think the first time we (in Japan) have actually heard Matsui speak French on camera. The club has hired a tutor for Matsui and the two other non-French speakers in the team to get lessons 3 times a week, but Matsui himself has said that it's difficult and languages are not his forte.
>>Click to see brief comment made in French last week after the Strasbourg game, in which he assisted in the first goal and scored the second winning goal. (He said he was happy about the result and the goal, and he wants to keep it up.) The rest of the interview he switched to Japanese via the translator.
Daisuke Matsui came on in the second half, but no luck!
>>Click to see game highlights
Oh, and here's something a little fun. I think the first time we (in Japan) have actually heard Matsui speak French on camera. The club has hired a tutor for Matsui and the two other non-French speakers in the team to get lessons 3 times a week, but Matsui himself has said that it's difficult and languages are not his forte.
>>Click to see brief comment made in French last week after the Strasbourg game, in which he assisted in the first goal and scored the second winning goal. (He said he was happy about the result and the goal, and he wants to keep it up.) The rest of the interview he switched to Japanese via the translator.
>>Click to download video highlights from this game.
With this win, I believe Celtic are now at the top of the table!
TO read a translation of Shunsuke Nakamura's message posted on his website after the Dundee game, see the comments section for this entry.
With this win, I believe Celtic are now at the top of the table!
TO read a translation of Shunsuke Nakamura's message posted on his website after the Dundee game, see the comments section for this entry.
A little bit "lucky", but a level head allowed Hidetoshi Nakata to send a manageable cross in to Nolan for Bolton's winning goal. 1-0. It was good timing for both to be in good positions for the rebound from Faye's powerful shot.
>>Click to download clip
Click the FREE button. Then you need to wait a 10-20 seconds for the download link to appear at the bottom of the page.
>>Click to download clip
Click the FREE button. Then you need to wait a 10-20 seconds for the download link to appear at the bottom of the page.
The NHK Sokuhou J-league show has been posted thanks to Video Newbie at BigSoccer. The quality is not great, but the content is worth it!!
>>Click to go to download the digest clip for Round 29
If the download is jammed, keep trying. It should work. If you encounter a blocked sign, let me know and I'll see if I can get you another link.
>>Click to go to download the digest clip for Round 29
If the download is jammed, keep trying. It should work. If you encounter a blocked sign, let me know and I'll see if I can get you another link.
The colder weather is drawing spectators to line-up near the hot food stands -- this one a "takoyaki" stand at the Oita vs Kawasaki match on Saturday. Takoyaki is a walk-while-you-eat type festival food that is made of thick batter inserted with a chunk of octopus and made on these special pans into a ball. Condiments include special sauce, mayonnaise, chopped up dried seaweed and bonito flakes. You eat the with toothpicks, just stab and pop into your mouth!
If you got to the Nagoya vs Shimizu game early, there was plenty to do. It was Pikachu-Day, and Nintendo had stands out where you could play video games and contests where you could win pretty neat prizes. Ya go to a nice healthy football match and end up playing video games?! Yup. I guess so!
The psychological pressure is on at bottom-ranked Vissel Kobe. The club staff have been organizing a origami crane project, collecting folded paper cranes from supporters and local residents. Right now they have about 70,000, and in the photo 20,000 have been threaded into 100 strings so far. Folded paper cranes are symbolic, and carry the hopes and prayers of the people who folded them.Urawa Reds 3-2 Kawasaki Frontale
An appropriately multi-goal game from the two attacking sides. Two goals from Alex Santos gave Reds a comfortable lead by the 34th minute, but that's about when Kawasaki decided it was their turn. Two from Juninho and Marques left things even as everyone headed for the lockerooms. The score was unusually still in the second half, but a corner for Reds gave Tulio yet another header -- the winning goal.
But let's not forget that 3rd goal that Kawasaki might have gotten had it not been for the refs calling a foul just as the shot was taken. That decision (and I can't say if it was a good call or not) took the momentum away from Frontale.
In the J2 days, Tulio was quite the goal-getter, so it isn't so suprising to see him play such a big role in Urawa's results. He used to not only score off set pieces, but also was much more of a "libero" and went on attacking runs alot back then. Now he can't take as much risk, but I guess the desire to contribute to the offense is a big part of his character as a player.
Kawasaki were on a winning streak of about six I think up until this game, but Reds seem to be finding their second wind -- they are well within reaching distance so the top three (who play today Sunday) will certainly be looking over their shoulders at more than one team.
Kashiwa Reysol 1-2 Omiya Ardija
The overall impression of the game was that Omiya came through with cohesive team performance at the end, and it was a very very important game in the context of avoiding relegation. Chikara Fujimoto took the reins and stopped the nightmare streak his team was on -- it was the first win in 8 games.
Reysol manager went after the full three points by setting up a 3 man front line in a 4-3-3. Omiya manager Miura went with the 4-1-4-1, which was expected.
Kashiwa missed their captain Myojin (injury), and allowed Omiya control of the game. In particular, the Leandro-Sakurai speediness worked well for the visitors, and forced Kashiwa to give up several CKs in the first phase of the game.
But it was a Reysol free kick at 9 minutes that moved the score. Tamada's free kick to Tsuchiya's head. Everyone from the home side thought it was a good sign, to see Tsuchiya back playing and scoring an early goal.
But from there Kashiwa's cohesion, particularly in the defense to midfield area was poor, and they let Omiya intercept and counter attack over and over. On offense, their forward players did not have the chemistry they needed -- a difficult expectation for this new lineup to work considering it was new.
At the end of the day, it was the Squirrels' Fujimoto who sent a lovely through to Tuto who was able to make a difficult angled shot from the right. Six minutes after that, Tuto returned the favor and sent Fujimoto the ball -- for a sweet loop shot from just outside the box. (You should check out the highlights video clip >>here to see the hilarious derriere-shaking dance from Fujimoto.) This was all in the first 23 minutes of the game.
Kashiwa were able to regroup after Hayano changed the system to 3-4-3 in the second half, but Omiya had the upper hand in team cohesion and Reysol could not come up with anything surprising enough to catch Ardija off guard.
It was a pretty disgusted atmosphere that met the Kashiwa players as they went to the stands after the game. Ack, the uncomfortable silence!! :8 The low rumble of boos. There will be more of these, and tears, which I am not looking forward to....
Yokohama F Marinos 1-0 Tokyo Verdy
A big sigh of relief for the Marinos supporters and players. A header goal from captain Yuji Nakazawa put the Yokohama club n the safety zone from the possibility of relegation.
Though Marinos were not immediately in any threat, you could tell by the way the players looked so relieved after the game, that it was a big part of their thoughts these days. And the fact that manager Okada started Kubo after...I'm not even sure how many months it's been...shows that Marinos were looking for something to change their negative direction. Kubo was not back to 100%, but he played longer than expected for 79 mins. And Kubo recorded 4 shots, the highest taken in the game. Marinos played the better game and created quite a few chances but were just wide or were denied by the bar.
On the defense, Nakazawa marked Verdy's Washington, and the defense held quite well.
The fact that the game reflected Marinos' finishing problems is undeniable, but at this point it's really a matter of getting the goals in whatever shape or form. So in a way rather appropriate for the game to end with a goal off a set-piece, and from Nakazawa.
For Verdy dark days ahead. Like I said, it is almost impossible to imagine them going to the J2... but at this rate it is very possible.
Oita Trinita 0-1 Jef Chiba
This was a game I was looking forward to seeing. Though I must say the first half was rather irritating to watch because there was quite a bit of passing errors and strange positioning (imho). Things were a little heated in the beginning when a scuffle between Jef's Haas and an Oita player (I think it was Umeda) lit a few tempers.
But the game picked up considerably in play, with quite a bit of exciting stuff, though it took until the 81st minute for the first and only goal.
It was a "tricky" free kick, initiated by Abe. Instead of kicking it directly to the group in front of the goal, he sent it up the left side where I think it was Stoyanov was open to send a cross in perfectly to the middle. The defenders were distracted by Maki and others at the near and far posts, and Yuto Sato ran in unmarked and pushed the ball in with his head.
Jubilo Iwata 1-3 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Nagoya Grampus 1-2 Shimizu S-Pulse
Vissel Kobe 1-1 Albirex Niigata
Sunday's Games (today)
Gamba Osaka v FC Tokyo
Kashima Antlers v Cerezo Osaka
Celtic 5-0 Motherwell
A hat-trick from Petrov -- bravo to that!
Hee hee, I was just having this discussion with Frankie about Nakamura's free kicks in >>this comments section, and lo and behold our little Shun goes ahead and does it.
Maybe that little break from taking all the free kicks paid off!
>>Click to go to video download page
For a match report, >>click to go to BBC Sport article
What was most heartening to read was "Gordon Strachan's side started slowly but their slick one-touch passing improved as a breathtaking first half went on."
If you look at Petrov's first goal, you'll the this in action. Lovely overlaps, Motherwell can't keep up with the movement, and the passing with accuracy especially on that last pass. But truly the best passing sequence was the second goal from Maloney... all that light zig-zagging side to side stuff, and most of all the one-touch. They pulled Motherwell apart by spreading the ball horizontally, and so were able to get the goal despite being outnumbered.
And Shunsuke Nakamura's free kick -- I knew he had his heart set on the right of goal. And perfectly placed, can't ask for more. And we weren't going to see him try anything else until he got one in that location first. So maybe we will see more variety on his free kicks in the future.
A hat-trick from Petrov -- bravo to that!
Hee hee, I was just having this discussion with Frankie about Nakamura's free kicks in >>this comments section, and lo and behold our little Shun goes ahead and does it.
Maybe that little break from taking all the free kicks paid off!
>>Click to go to video download page
For a match report, >>click to go to BBC Sport article
What was most heartening to read was "Gordon Strachan's side started slowly but their slick one-touch passing improved as a breathtaking first half went on."
If you look at Petrov's first goal, you'll the this in action. Lovely overlaps, Motherwell can't keep up with the movement, and the passing with accuracy especially on that last pass. But truly the best passing sequence was the second goal from Maloney... all that light zig-zagging side to side stuff, and most of all the one-touch. They pulled Motherwell apart by spreading the ball horizontally, and so were able to get the goal despite being outnumbered.
And Shunsuke Nakamura's free kick -- I knew he had his heart set on the right of goal. And perfectly placed, can't ask for more. And we weren't going to see him try anything else until he got one in that location first. So maybe we will see more variety on his free kicks in the future.
I keep forgetting to post an entry on this, but I finally remembered while actually sitting in front of my computer, so here we are.
I wanted to point all of you in the direction of Furtho's OneTouchFootball Japan overview articles. Especially interesting is the information he gathers on the non-J-league scene.
Right now he has up a "photo special" reflecting the flavor and local feel (and some of the strange quirks and names) of regional and non-pro football in Japan.
>>Click to go to OneTouchFootball Furtho's Japan overview forum
I wanted to point all of you in the direction of Furtho's OneTouchFootball Japan overview articles. Especially interesting is the information he gathers on the non-J-league scene.
Right now he has up a "photo special" reflecting the flavor and local feel (and some of the strange quirks and names) of regional and non-pro football in Japan.
>>Click to go to OneTouchFootball Furtho's Japan overview forum
Finally.
Junichi Inamoto video highlights clip.
>>Click to download highlights from the West Brom 3-2 Fulham England League Cup game
If the above link is congested,
>>Try this download link
Inamoto 3rd minute assist, nice vertical through pass.
Some of those goal allowances were kinda nuts.
But Ina's extended time goal was... perfect. Really happy for him after what I'm sure was a depressing year and half for him. This shot is the kind of unique "Ina" shot that people like him for, and hopefully it will give him more chances on the squad.
**Thanks to Furtho for the heads up on the link!! Domo!
Junichi Inamoto video highlights clip.
>>Click to download highlights from the West Brom 3-2 Fulham England League Cup game
If the above link is congested,
>>Try this download link
Inamoto 3rd minute assist, nice vertical through pass.
Some of those goal allowances were kinda nuts.
But Ina's extended time goal was... perfect. Really happy for him after what I'm sure was a depressing year and half for him. This shot is the kind of unique "Ina" shot that people like him for, and hopefully it will give him more chances on the squad.
**Thanks to Furtho for the heads up on the link!! Domo!
As many of you probably heard already, Hidetoshi Nakata scored his first goal in a ... loooong time. The last time was during his Bologne days, April 10, 2004.
>>Right-Click and Download Hide video highlights
Awww.....
>>Right-Click and Download Hide video highlights
Awww.....
Strasbourg 0-2 Le MansDaisuke Matsui recorded 1 goal, 1 assist in this game. It was his first goal in the 1st Division!
>>Click to Download Daisuke assist to Hautcouer
>>Click to Download Daisuke goal: note the "daisuke" chanting.
Meanwhile, I was browsing the >>Le Mans website and noticed the little photo figure at the top of the page is Dai.... I guess it's true that they call him the "soleil" of Le Mans. :)I was looking through some of my old stuff, and found a really nice summary of Daisuke's first year in France (last season) that was shown on a football show called Yabecchi FC back in July. If you wonder what all the fuss is about Matsui, or if you are a fan of his, either way, it's a great little clip.
>>Click to download this Matsui 1st year summary clip.
Shunsuke Nakamura had a mediocre outing, which was a bit disappointing considering he's had the full week to train. I hear he has officially started his trainer-groomed workouts again.
The team seems to be making an effort to connect their passes, but sometimes they look a little awkward. There were a number of almosts in the game, so perhaps it's a matter of adjustments on the finish. Any comments about Celtic (since I am hardly in the position to make any keen observations), we welcome!
>>Click to download video clip of Celtic/Kilmarnock Nakamura highlights
And, if you are interested in a little silliness, here's a link to a new Nakamura commercial, for Oronamin C energy drink.
>>click to view new Nakamura ad: Scroll down a little. You can choose from the 30sec Ver (high/low) or the 15sec. The story of the ad is the young girl, who is also a domestic celebrity, becomes a reporter. Her assignment, handed out to her by the boss behind the desk, is an article on Nakamura. She is to "stick" by him at all times to get an inside look at his life.
The team seems to be making an effort to connect their passes, but sometimes they look a little awkward. There were a number of almosts in the game, so perhaps it's a matter of adjustments on the finish. Any comments about Celtic (since I am hardly in the position to make any keen observations), we welcome!
>>Click to download video clip of Celtic/Kilmarnock Nakamura highlights
And, if you are interested in a little silliness, here's a link to a new Nakamura commercial, for Oronamin C energy drink.>>click to view new Nakamura ad: Scroll down a little. You can choose from the 30sec Ver (high/low) or the 15sec. The story of the ad is the young girl, who is also a domestic celebrity, becomes a reporter. Her assignment, handed out to her by the boss behind the desk, is an article on Nakamura. She is to "stick" by him at all times to get an inside look at his life.
Kawasaki Frontale 3-1 Kashiwa Reysol
The sixth straight win for Kawasaki, launching them into 5th place. Not too shabby for a new J1 member. The "jinx" of the newly promoted clubs is apparently in the sophomore year, but I think they can pat themselves on the back for a job so far well done.
This game against Kashiwa started off a little shaky. The first goal came off a set-piece, when the first attempt was denied by the bar and the ball came down right in front of defender Minowa. All he had to do was time his head to hit the ball and just aim it straight in. Unfortunately, it was the same Minowa who gave up a PK to Reysol in the final moments of the game. But luckily Juninho and Marques had already given the team a 3-0 lead.
Reysol had to fight with only ten men for 47 mins of the game, and in general they were the one giving off a more stubborn effort. But the fluidity of the Frontale movement was difficult for the defenders to catch, and things really fell apart for Reysol when Juninho was tackled from behind as he burst through the defense and got tackled from behind. Defender Kobayashi got a red, Juninho got the PK, and that was that. From the expression on the faces of the Reysol players, they are in a painful place right now. Having Ramos rooting them on through practice may keep them somewhat fired up through the week, but going a man down is a double blow. They lost a couple players to red cards last game against Reds, and now again.
I feel bad that you feel bad that I feel bad
Not only that, the whole Tsuchiya story is getting a lot of chatter in the J-league blogs. Tsuchiya is the defender who tackled Urawa Reds forward Tatsuya Tanaka last week -- resulting in Tanaka out of play for six months. I mentioned earlier that there was a swell of anti-Tsuchiya bashing after the game -- Tanaka is not only loved by his Urawa fans but also has a wide following among general football fans.
Anyway, Tanaka had to come out with a message asking people to lay off Tsuchiya. But Tsuchiya himself has been suffering from guilt/remorse/shock, and has been avoiding training with the team this week. The situation at Reysol is bad enough that they don't need their main defender in shock and depressed right now. It's an interesting vicious cycle of remorse -- it would be funny if it wasn't so sad..... Tanaka feeling bad that Tsuchiya's getting bashed; then Tsuchiya feeling bad that Tanaka's hurt and being so nice about it; then people bashing Tsuchiya for getting depressed and making Tanaka feel responsible for his emotional situation. Enough!!
The sixth straight win for Kawasaki, launching them into 5th place. Not too shabby for a new J1 member. The "jinx" of the newly promoted clubs is apparently in the sophomore year, but I think they can pat themselves on the back for a job so far well done.
This game against Kashiwa started off a little shaky. The first goal came off a set-piece, when the first attempt was denied by the bar and the ball came down right in front of defender Minowa. All he had to do was time his head to hit the ball and just aim it straight in. Unfortunately, it was the same Minowa who gave up a PK to Reysol in the final moments of the game. But luckily Juninho and Marques had already given the team a 3-0 lead.
Reysol had to fight with only ten men for 47 mins of the game, and in general they were the one giving off a more stubborn effort. But the fluidity of the Frontale movement was difficult for the defenders to catch, and things really fell apart for Reysol when Juninho was tackled from behind as he burst through the defense and got tackled from behind. Defender Kobayashi got a red, Juninho got the PK, and that was that. From the expression on the faces of the Reysol players, they are in a painful place right now. Having Ramos rooting them on through practice may keep them somewhat fired up through the week, but going a man down is a double blow. They lost a couple players to red cards last game against Reds, and now again.
I feel bad that you feel bad that I feel bad
Not only that, the whole Tsuchiya story is getting a lot of chatter in the J-league blogs. Tsuchiya is the defender who tackled Urawa Reds forward Tatsuya Tanaka last week -- resulting in Tanaka out of play for six months. I mentioned earlier that there was a swell of anti-Tsuchiya bashing after the game -- Tanaka is not only loved by his Urawa fans but also has a wide following among general football fans.
Anyway, Tanaka had to come out with a message asking people to lay off Tsuchiya. But Tsuchiya himself has been suffering from guilt/remorse/shock, and has been avoiding training with the team this week. The situation at Reysol is bad enough that they don't need their main defender in shock and depressed right now. It's an interesting vicious cycle of remorse -- it would be funny if it wasn't so sad..... Tanaka feeling bad that Tsuchiya's getting bashed; then Tsuchiya feeling bad that Tanaka's hurt and being so nice about it; then people bashing Tsuchiya for getting depressed and making Tanaka feel responsible for his emotional situation. Enough!!
I mentioned earlier that Kyoto Purple Sanga's victory over Mito Hollyhock clinched them their promotion to the J1 next year.J's goal posted a number of video clips, mostly player interviews, and I thought I'd introduce the link to the Highlights digest clip of Kyoto's day, starting with the supporters chanting to the match highlights, to the post-match celebrations.
>>Click to launch the video stream
The key for this team as they prepare for next year in the 1st division will be how to maintain their wonderful balance between offense and defense against more tougher teams. They had such a perfect season, deciding their promotion in 37 rounds (only 1 behind the record-holders Kawasaki Frontale last year), that the psychological aspects of how they will deal with certain defeats next year will also be something to watch for.
Click to Enlarge PhotoI thought I'd do a quick list of all the magazines about Japanese football that are available in bookstores and convenience stores across Japan.
Football Only Mags
Soccer N+: National Team supporters' support magazine.
Soccer J+: J-league club supporters' support magazine.
Weekly Soccer Magazine: Along with Weekly Soccer Digest, the staple of football fans (above photo). They have light interviews, and will at least do brief blurbs of all the games for that week.
Football Nippon: Comes out a few times a year, heavier paper, bigger interviews.
Footival: Comes out a few times a year, bigger interviews.
Weekly Soccer Digest: Weekly fare, good for standing in convenience stores and doing a bit of skimming reading.
Soccer ai: I'm not as familiar with this one; they don't have it at my nearby bookstore.
Multi-Sport Mags Known to Have
Good Articles/Interviews about Football
Sports Yeah!: Have had some great interviews in the past year, but you have to keep an eye out.
Sports Graphic Number: Also some great interviews, and they also have fantastic photos.
There are more, but I can't think of them.... If you do, please add to the list by leaving a comment!
Here is highlights digest of the Round 28 games that took place on Saturday, thanks to an anonymous someone. It's probably the best highlights show for the J-league on tv right now. Not only do they show the goals, but also oter interesting scenes. And in some games will take an analytical look at a specific play.
>>Click to download highlights video clip of Round 28
>>Click to download highlights video clip of Round 28
Frontale/Reysol and Cerezo/Sanfrecce games will be played this afternoon, but I thought I'd check in with a quick report of yesterday's games.
>>Click here to get the highlights video clip of this round.
It's not how you play the game, it's whether you win or lose
It's that time of the season, when one eye is constantly on the table. Every point you can get is important, and every loss becomes more of a let-down.
J2 Kyoto Purple Sanga's win yesterday over Mito Hollyhock secured their promotion to the J1 for next year, and though it is exciting news in general it also is a harsh wake-up call for the teams who are stuck in the muck of bottom -- someone is going to have to go dooowwwnnn.
Who Knew One Man Could Make Such a Difference
Gamba Osaka 1-2 Oita Trinita
No one can mention Oita's recent performances without talking about new Brazilian manager Chamusca (pic). What was most magical was that he had barely 2-3 days with the team before his first game which was against Urawa Reds back in Round 23 -- and Oita actually won, 2-1. The consensus among the players is that Chamusca really knows how to suffuse the team with confidence. I mentioned in that Round 23 summary that he had told the team the story of David and Goliath. And players have been saying that he constantly tells them they are capable of playing great, of winning, no matter who the opponent. Under him, the team has yet to taste defeat in six games (5 wins 1 draw).
>>Click here to get the highlights video clip of this round.
It's not how you play the game, it's whether you win or lose
It's that time of the season, when one eye is constantly on the table. Every point you can get is important, and every loss becomes more of a let-down.
J2 Kyoto Purple Sanga's win yesterday over Mito Hollyhock secured their promotion to the J1 for next year, and though it is exciting news in general it also is a harsh wake-up call for the teams who are stuck in the muck of bottom -- someone is going to have to go dooowwwnnn.
Who Knew One Man Could Make Such a Difference
Gamba Osaka 1-2 Oita Trinita
No one can mention Oita's recent performances without talking about new Brazilian manager Chamusca (pic). What was most magical was that he had barely 2-3 days with the team before his first game which was against Urawa Reds back in Round 23 -- and Oita actually won, 2-1. The consensus among the players is that Chamusca really knows how to suffuse the team with confidence. I mentioned in that Round 23 summary that he had told the team the story of David and Goliath. And players have been saying that he constantly tells them they are capable of playing great, of winning, no matter who the opponent. Under him, the team has yet to taste defeat in six games (5 wins 1 draw).
Earlier in the year, I introduced a brand new magazine called Soccer J+ >>Click to see entry, which is basically a J-league supporter-oriented publication. The contents were more about how to increase the quality of life for club supporters, and the general tone of the first issue was enthusiastic, helpful, and fun.Now, the same company has come out with Soccer N+, which is the same kind of supporter magazine but this time for the National Team. I saw it on the bookshelves today, but I didn't have time to give it a good look. I think it would be on the same level as the J+, with information that is helpful to supporters of the national team, as well as a number of interviews, photos, and a look at what the supporters hope for the national team.
One interesting thing was that their lead article was "No Club, No Nippon", discussing how without the J-league the national team won't get stronger.
In my previous entry >>Click to read the entry (see bottom half), I talked about how Japan has been having problems tying friendly opponents down to their word. It's happened again.
Japan will NOT be playing the Ivory Coast or Togo, but instead had to make an emergency switch to Angola.
To be honest, at this point I could care less. The JFA has gotten the run-around by countries that obviously don't have the same degree of professionalism.
The JFA people had gone to meet with the Togo federation people in Paris to officially sign the friendly agreement. But they got stood up by the Togo people, who said that they were in Egypt watching an African championships tournament drawing. In addition I heard gossip that Togo had made some excuse about how their President told them they should get Iran over and hold a game inside Togo instead of going abroad. Togo told the JFA to come over to Egypt for the meeting, and the JFA suits went to Egypt, but suddenly they were pursuing the possibility of tying a contract with Angola instead. Today, the official agreement was signed, so I guess it's going to be Angola.
Zico Japan hasn't played an African country in a long time, I think since 2003. So it is important that we have at least one game take place between now and next summer.
I'm always curious about how these behind the scenes negotations go. The JFA has been talking big from the beginning of the year, but ended up unable to negotiate friendlies with the big name countries they had initially proposed... And this is a sad sad manner in which a friendly was put together.
Hopefully the game is a good one though!
Japan will NOT be playing the Ivory Coast or Togo, but instead had to make an emergency switch to Angola.
To be honest, at this point I could care less. The JFA has gotten the run-around by countries that obviously don't have the same degree of professionalism.
The JFA people had gone to meet with the Togo federation people in Paris to officially sign the friendly agreement. But they got stood up by the Togo people, who said that they were in Egypt watching an African championships tournament drawing. In addition I heard gossip that Togo had made some excuse about how their President told them they should get Iran over and hold a game inside Togo instead of going abroad. Togo told the JFA to come over to Egypt for the meeting, and the JFA suits went to Egypt, but suddenly they were pursuing the possibility of tying a contract with Angola instead. Today, the official agreement was signed, so I guess it's going to be Angola.
Zico Japan hasn't played an African country in a long time, I think since 2003. So it is important that we have at least one game take place between now and next summer.
I'm always curious about how these behind the scenes negotations go. The JFA has been talking big from the beginning of the year, but ended up unable to negotiate friendlies with the big name countries they had initially proposed... And this is a sad sad manner in which a friendly was put together.
Hopefully the game is a good one though!
The Emperor's Cup, or Tennouhai in Japanese, is probably one of the most unique football tournaments in the world.It is a chance to determine who is truly The Best team in the country, regardless of whether you are an amateur club or a university or a youth team or a pro. The Final is one of the biggest events in Japanese football -- taking place on New Year's day each year at the historic Kokuritsu Stadium.
In 1919, the English FA sent a cup made of pure silver to Japan. This cup became the catalyst for the establishment of an association in Japan two years later. A couple months after the association was established, we held the first national football championships -- what is now known as the Emperor's Cup. And that started the tradition of sending the Cup to the winner for the year. The name was officially switched to "Emperor's Cup" in 1951.
Kokuritsu Stadium was first used for the Cup in 1967, and the New Year's Day tradition started in 1968. In 1972, the allowance of regional participation opened the doors to a flood of participation from football clubs around the country. Now the Cup is set up to allow over 6000 teams to be a possible contender for the tournament.
There is a weird jinx attached to the Emperor's Cup, that the Champions are cursed in the season following. This season, it's been a hellish year for Tokyo Verdy, current EC champs. Still, I don't think the jinx really affects the players' desire to win it, as it is an extremely big honor and prestigious event.
I believe the original silver cup given by the FA has been replaced by a new cup in the 1960's contributed by the Emperial family...
80 teams officially participate -- they include the 18 J1 teams, the 12 J2 teams, the best two JFL teams of the previous season, the winner from the university championship, and 47 teams representing Tokyo city, Hokkaido, Kyoto, Osaka, and the remaining prefectures (this is how Japan is split up into administrative divisions).
First, the 47 representative teams plus university team play Round 1 and 2.
Those that make it through play Round 3 with the J2 and JFL teams included.
Those that make it through play in the next round with the J1 teams.
A big part of the fun is seeing whether any of the teams can pull an upset. In the mix are U-18 J-league youth teams, amateur clubs, high schools, universities, etc. We've actually seen in the 3rd round a club called Sagawa Kyubin Tokyo SC (it is a delivery company) beat J2's Consadole Sapporo 2-0. Another surprise win was ALO's Hokuriku over J2's Shonan Bellmare 2-1 (in extended time).
>>Click to download video clip of Round 3 highlights.
The real interest of course picks up when the J1 teams are thrown in the pot. Here is what the next Round 4 matches will look like:
Kashima Antlers J1 v Honda Lock (Rep. Miyagi)
Oita Trinita J1 v Tokyo Verdy J1
Nagoya Grampus J1 v ALO's Hokuriku (Rep. Toyama)
Omiya Ardija J1 v Kyoto Purple Sanga J2
Urawa Reds J1 v Montedio Yamagata J2
FC Tokyo J1 v Avispa Fukuoka J2
Yokohama F Marinos J1 v Vegalta Sendai J2
Kawasaki Frontale J1 v Sagawa Kyubin (Rep. Tokyo)
Gamba Osaka J1 v Yokohama FC J2
Kashiwa Reysol J1 v Vissel Kobe J1
Jef Chiba J1 v Ventforet Kofu J2
Cerezo Osaka J1 v Honda FC (JFL)
Jubilo Iwata J1 v Sagan Tosu J2
Albirex Niigata J1 v Thespa Kusatsu J2
Sanfrecce Hiroshima J1 v Mito Hollyhock J2
Shimizu S-Pulse J1 v Tokushima Vortis J2
The above games will take place on November 3, and the rounds will proceed until the semi-final on December 29, and the Final on January 1 2006.
If you live on the West Coast and would like to see the Japan NT in the flesh, here's some good news! The JFA announced that they are scheduling a trip to San Francisco CA next February for a friendly with the mighty U.S.A.
The game will take place some time mid-month, and the team is expected to stay for 10 days. Since training sessions are never closed-doors, you will probably have some good opportunities to see them up close. Perhaps even get a photo or autograph.
The game will take place outside of the FIFA matchday calendar, so Zico will probably be unable to call up the Europe-based players (sorry!).
Ta ta IC, Hello Togo
Next month's friendly against the Ivory Coast has been cancelled. Instead, the JFA has invited Togo for the event.
The change came following admission from the Ivory Coast that the majority of their top team, including the sizzling Drogba, will not be able to attend. The JFA chose Togo from the list of countries showing interest. Togo, in 54th place, is the highest ranking team from Africa that is qualified for the World Cup. Togo has signed a promise that their top guys, including Monaco's Emmanuel Adebayor, will all show up.
I guess the JFA wisened up after the >>Click Ukraine incident.
The game will take place some time mid-month, and the team is expected to stay for 10 days. Since training sessions are never closed-doors, you will probably have some good opportunities to see them up close. Perhaps even get a photo or autograph.
The game will take place outside of the FIFA matchday calendar, so Zico will probably be unable to call up the Europe-based players (sorry!).
Ta ta IC, Hello Togo
Next month's friendly against the Ivory Coast has been cancelled. Instead, the JFA has invited Togo for the event.
The change came following admission from the Ivory Coast that the majority of their top team, including the sizzling Drogba, will not be able to attend. The JFA chose Togo from the list of countries showing interest. Togo, in 54th place, is the highest ranking team from Africa that is qualified for the World Cup. Togo has signed a promise that their top guys, including Monaco's Emmanuel Adebayor, will all show up.
I guess the JFA wisened up after the >>Click Ukraine incident.
I've calmed down considerably since watching this game last Wednesday. The immediate emotional impression I had was that it was a disaster, mostly because of the rain and the ref and the red card and the pk and so forth. It was almost easier, like Zico said after the game, "to forget this game every happened". I was tempted to make this game a wash. But then it would have been a true waste, for the players did play hard, and there were several things gained.
------- Yana - Taka
-------- Nakamura
------ Ina ----- Hide
----------- Koji
Santos - Moniwa - Tsuboi - Komano
----------- Kawaguchi
No Offense
The 4-3-1-2 system was tested for the second time ever in this game against the Ukraine. What was noticeable was that given how Japan likes to play with a multi-player team effort, there was just not enough chemistry on the pitch in this new formation and with a new combination of players.
------- Yana - Taka
-------- Nakamura
------ Ina ----- Hide
----------- Koji
Santos - Moniwa - Tsuboi - Komano
----------- Kawaguchi
No Offense
The 4-3-1-2 system was tested for the second time ever in this game against the Ukraine. What was noticeable was that given how Japan likes to play with a multi-player team effort, there was just not enough chemistry on the pitch in this new formation and with a new combination of players.
The truth is, most countries neither respect or fear Japan in their dealings; and we are often too naive to even realize it. The JFA is great about support from within: they were quick to learn from their mistakes at the beginning of the 2004 qualifying process, and they responded by doing things like hiring a national team staff of chefs, providing chartered planes, lugging tons of water and food to away games, etc.
However, when it has come to negotiating with other football associations, the JFA is not very proactive. Timid even. They may not want to make waves, push an issue, use things to their advantage. One of the biggest things has been how they don't exploit, for lack of a better word, the fact that we have Zico as the manager of the squad. The committee in charge of match-making is more concerned with looking squeaky clean. That policy may sound good in theory, but all it means is that the national team suffers for being unable to experience top-level play in the limited number of friendlies left until the World Cup. It's like being an actor and having an agent that is squeamish about asking for auditions. Zico has been pushing the JFA to become more savvy, more pushy, more demanding when they deal with other countries, but it seems they have an inherent resistance towards that kind of style.
Japan really needed to play against a full-strength Ukraine side. This friendly was at the invitation of Ukraine, and their invitation included the promise of their top players. You can argue that the Ukraine that showed up had afterall beaten Japan. However, that wasn't really the point -- whether Japan won or lost this friendly, the supporters and Zico himself were more interested in allowing the team (especially the relatively inexperienced defenders) to go head to head with the likes of Shevchenko. But the team that showed up was missing four or more of their strongest players.
It wouldn't have looked so bad if we had known that there was a possibility that these top players would be out of the game. We may not have accepted the invitation had we known. What happened was that the JFA had gotten a verbal agreement by Ukraine's football association saying that they would show up with their full squad and get a healthy crowd at the stadium. Instead, the crowds were anemic, and the night before the game the manager sent his top players home, making an excuse that Shevchenko was sick, even though he was spotted the evening before at the World Cup qualification celebrations. Nakamura had also been running a fever that week, but he played both games.
In the end, not only did the JFA look the fools for so earnestly trusting, not getting the promises in writing, but the team didn't really get to experience top international standards in either of the games. And perhaps the only people who gained anything were the people who owned the broadcast rights for the game.
Zico, meanwhile, was rabid after the game, but more immediately about the Latvian referees. Here too, he mentioned how he has been telling the JFA they need to point out when Japan has been treated poorly. I'm not sure what happened behind the scenes, and whether the Latvian referees were all that Ukraine could gather during a week of World Cup qualifying matches. The JFA however has decided to not pursue the issue of the refs.
No one is going to stand up for Japan if Japan isn't going to stand up for itself. I don't know the entire story, of course, but the fact is that the JFA was convinced Ukraine would hold up their end of the deal, even when rumors started the night before that Shevchenko was not going to show up the JFA kept reassuring everyone that he was going to be there. If this embarrassing incident doesn't convince them to negotiate with more shrewd sophistication, I'm not sure what will.
***
On a rather silly sidenote, we've heard that the hotel that the players were staying at in Kiev leaked the players' phone numbers to callgirls -- can you imagine our guys getting woken up in the middle of the night with offers of various nocturnal pleasures? And hello, let's never stay at that hotel again...
However, when it has come to negotiating with other football associations, the JFA is not very proactive. Timid even. They may not want to make waves, push an issue, use things to their advantage. One of the biggest things has been how they don't exploit, for lack of a better word, the fact that we have Zico as the manager of the squad. The committee in charge of match-making is more concerned with looking squeaky clean. That policy may sound good in theory, but all it means is that the national team suffers for being unable to experience top-level play in the limited number of friendlies left until the World Cup. It's like being an actor and having an agent that is squeamish about asking for auditions. Zico has been pushing the JFA to become more savvy, more pushy, more demanding when they deal with other countries, but it seems they have an inherent resistance towards that kind of style.
Japan really needed to play against a full-strength Ukraine side. This friendly was at the invitation of Ukraine, and their invitation included the promise of their top players. You can argue that the Ukraine that showed up had afterall beaten Japan. However, that wasn't really the point -- whether Japan won or lost this friendly, the supporters and Zico himself were more interested in allowing the team (especially the relatively inexperienced defenders) to go head to head with the likes of Shevchenko. But the team that showed up was missing four or more of their strongest players.
It wouldn't have looked so bad if we had known that there was a possibility that these top players would be out of the game. We may not have accepted the invitation had we known. What happened was that the JFA had gotten a verbal agreement by Ukraine's football association saying that they would show up with their full squad and get a healthy crowd at the stadium. Instead, the crowds were anemic, and the night before the game the manager sent his top players home, making an excuse that Shevchenko was sick, even though he was spotted the evening before at the World Cup qualification celebrations. Nakamura had also been running a fever that week, but he played both games.
In the end, not only did the JFA look the fools for so earnestly trusting, not getting the promises in writing, but the team didn't really get to experience top international standards in either of the games. And perhaps the only people who gained anything were the people who owned the broadcast rights for the game.
Zico, meanwhile, was rabid after the game, but more immediately about the Latvian referees. Here too, he mentioned how he has been telling the JFA they need to point out when Japan has been treated poorly. I'm not sure what happened behind the scenes, and whether the Latvian referees were all that Ukraine could gather during a week of World Cup qualifying matches. The JFA however has decided to not pursue the issue of the refs.
No one is going to stand up for Japan if Japan isn't going to stand up for itself. I don't know the entire story, of course, but the fact is that the JFA was convinced Ukraine would hold up their end of the deal, even when rumors started the night before that Shevchenko was not going to show up the JFA kept reassuring everyone that he was going to be there. If this embarrassing incident doesn't convince them to negotiate with more shrewd sophistication, I'm not sure what will.
***
On a rather silly sidenote, we've heard that the hotel that the players were staying at in Kiev leaked the players' phone numbers to callgirls -- can you imagine our guys getting woken up in the middle of the night with offers of various nocturnal pleasures? And hello, let's never stay at that hotel again...
Here are some video highlights of some of the Japan players who were able to make it to the pitch this weekend at their respective clubs.
Celtic 1-1 Hearts
Oh, that was a bad goal allowance, but I hear it was a tight game with lots of pressure from Hearts. I thought Shunsuke Nakamura would be benched because he was suffering from fever this past week, but it looks like he was ok.
If Celtic had won this game, they would have been able to climb to the top of the table, which is why this draw is quite a disappointment. The goal from Beattie in the 13th minute was a rather nice side-to-side multi-player effort after Nakamura got a free kick, but three minutes later Hearts were able to counter and equalize. After that, I hear the Celtic attack got very one-dimensional. The Celtic players got a bit myopic about hauling the ball at the goal, when perhaps they could have passed more and upped the probability of an actual goal.
From the Japan side of things, it was quite crucial for Nakamura to win this game against the current leaders. Manager Strachan does not want to let Shun go for next month's friendly against the Ivory Coast; however, he hinted before the game that it may depend on this Hearts result. Unfortunately, a draw is not good enough. Whatever. This is always going to be the problem for the national team.
>>Click to download the Nakamura/Celtic highlights from this game.
Bolton 1-5 Chelsea
A painful defeat at the hands of an obviously terrific side. Hidetoshi Nakata subbed in at the beginning of the second half.
>>Click to download Hide/Bolton highlights from this game
Hamburg SV 0-1 Wolfsburg
Naohiro Takahara subbed in the 80th minute. I hear he was suffering from a cold; that Latvia/Ukraine tour... He looked okay in the ten minutes he played, though.
>>Click to download Takahara/Hamburg highlights from this game
Le Mans 1-1 Lille
A PK for Le Mans gave them the lead, but Lille caught up. Daisuke Matsui went in at the 76th minute.
>>Click to download Matsui/Le Mans highlights from this game
You Rest Now
Yoshito Okubo was left out of the roster this weekend in Mallorca's game against Racing Santader (0-0), even though he was in the starter group during practice the day before. The club staff said that the manager wanted to rest him, considering his trip with the national team. I wonder.
Now All He Has to Do is Heal?
Shinji Ono's surgery took place this weekend in Japan and was a success. It will take him six weeks to recover, according to doctors. The problem with his foot was that the screw they used in the previous surgery was fine, but another area suffered inflammation. The doctors went in and replaced the screw with something shorter/smaller.
Pack Yer Bags!
Junichi Inamoto has been on the wrong side of Albion manager Robson this season. I was rather put off to hear Robson making a comment during a press conference about how Inamoto knows what he's doing wrong, and later revealed that he handed Ina a video and that that should be more than sufficient for him to get what it is that he's not doing. Kinda weird and creepy, if you ask me. What happened to sitting down with a player and having a short chat? What's all this passive aggression?
Well Ina will not suffer at the hands of Robson any further. In fact, the rumors are that he may be off to Cardiff again. Of course, Ina has said that he prefers to stay in the Premier, but if it means he gets no play time, well then there's no question that a move has to be made. I can imagine how worried he is about the World Cup. The move to Cardiff is temporary, but in January, Inamoto is expected to be sent out of the club all together.
Celtic 1-1 Hearts
Oh, that was a bad goal allowance, but I hear it was a tight game with lots of pressure from Hearts. I thought Shunsuke Nakamura would be benched because he was suffering from fever this past week, but it looks like he was ok.
If Celtic had won this game, they would have been able to climb to the top of the table, which is why this draw is quite a disappointment. The goal from Beattie in the 13th minute was a rather nice side-to-side multi-player effort after Nakamura got a free kick, but three minutes later Hearts were able to counter and equalize. After that, I hear the Celtic attack got very one-dimensional. The Celtic players got a bit myopic about hauling the ball at the goal, when perhaps they could have passed more and upped the probability of an actual goal.
From the Japan side of things, it was quite crucial for Nakamura to win this game against the current leaders. Manager Strachan does not want to let Shun go for next month's friendly against the Ivory Coast; however, he hinted before the game that it may depend on this Hearts result. Unfortunately, a draw is not good enough. Whatever. This is always going to be the problem for the national team.
>>Click to download the Nakamura/Celtic highlights from this game.
Bolton 1-5 Chelsea
A painful defeat at the hands of an obviously terrific side. Hidetoshi Nakata subbed in at the beginning of the second half.
>>Click to download Hide/Bolton highlights from this game
Hamburg SV 0-1 Wolfsburg
Naohiro Takahara subbed in the 80th minute. I hear he was suffering from a cold; that Latvia/Ukraine tour... He looked okay in the ten minutes he played, though.
>>Click to download Takahara/Hamburg highlights from this game
Le Mans 1-1 Lille
A PK for Le Mans gave them the lead, but Lille caught up. Daisuke Matsui went in at the 76th minute.
>>Click to download Matsui/Le Mans highlights from this game
You Rest Now
Yoshito Okubo was left out of the roster this weekend in Mallorca's game against Racing Santader (0-0), even though he was in the starter group during practice the day before. The club staff said that the manager wanted to rest him, considering his trip with the national team. I wonder.
Now All He Has to Do is Heal?
Shinji Ono's surgery took place this weekend in Japan and was a success. It will take him six weeks to recover, according to doctors. The problem with his foot was that the screw they used in the previous surgery was fine, but another area suffered inflammation. The doctors went in and replaced the screw with something shorter/smaller.
Pack Yer Bags!
Junichi Inamoto has been on the wrong side of Albion manager Robson this season. I was rather put off to hear Robson making a comment during a press conference about how Inamoto knows what he's doing wrong, and later revealed that he handed Ina a video and that that should be more than sufficient for him to get what it is that he's not doing. Kinda weird and creepy, if you ask me. What happened to sitting down with a player and having a short chat? What's all this passive aggression?
Well Ina will not suffer at the hands of Robson any further. In fact, the rumors are that he may be off to Cardiff again. Of course, Ina has said that he prefers to stay in the Premier, but if it means he gets no play time, well then there's no question that a move has to be made. I can imagine how worried he is about the World Cup. The move to Cardiff is temporary, but in January, Inamoto is expected to be sent out of the club all together.
To follow up on >>this entry discussing the Round 27 results, I found a video highlights clip which is posted below.
If the download gets interrupted for error or some other reason, just go back to the page and download to the exact same place on your computer; it should resume where it left off.
>>Click to download highlights of Round 27
If the download gets interrupted for error or some other reason, just go back to the page and download to the exact same place on your computer; it should resume where it left off.
>>Click to download highlights of Round 27
I will come back to finish my analysis of this game, but in the meantime, I found a brief highlights video of the game. I understand the full game downloads are pretty tedious, so hopefully these clips will be easier for some of you.
This is actually less of a highlights, and more of a quick review by the people at Yabecchi FC football show. They honed in on a couple specific instances of play.
>>Click to download video
This is actually less of a highlights, and more of a quick review by the people at Yabecchi FC football show. They honed in on a couple specific instances of play.
>>Click to download video
Kyoto Purple Sanga have been stunning the J2 this year, and for a long time now people have been making it a question of when, not if, the team would clinch their promotion.
In this last round game against Tokushima Vortis, a 5-1 win and a draw result from the Yokohama FC vs Yamagata Motedio match, means that if Kyoto can get a tie result or better in their next game against Mito Hollyhock it will give them the 2nd or better standing they need to head to the 1st division.
Things started to look a little hairy for the leaders, in the 25th minute when Vortis caught up 1-1. There was a bad vibe on the pitch. But Daisuke Nakaharai's goal off a tricky little heel pass from Alemao gave their side the momentum they needed to get back to business without looking back.
It's always interesting to see how some teams have difficulty winning that one game they need to get the Championship or get promoted. We are our own worst enemies sometimes.
I'm looking forward to seeing Kyoto next year, seeing how they compare to the performance put on by Frontale this year. From what I hear, the technical standard in the J2 has really improved, and many say that the gap between the two divisions is decreasing. The biggest difference of course is still those one or two plays, either in defense or offense, that are acceptable in the J2 but not in the J1.
It's been two seasons since Kyoto have seen J1 play, but I have a feeling they may have become a tougher wiser team.
In this last round game against Tokushima Vortis, a 5-1 win and a draw result from the Yokohama FC vs Yamagata Motedio match, means that if Kyoto can get a tie result or better in their next game against Mito Hollyhock it will give them the 2nd or better standing they need to head to the 1st division.
Things started to look a little hairy for the leaders, in the 25th minute when Vortis caught up 1-1. There was a bad vibe on the pitch. But Daisuke Nakaharai's goal off a tricky little heel pass from Alemao gave their side the momentum they needed to get back to business without looking back.
It's always interesting to see how some teams have difficulty winning that one game they need to get the Championship or get promoted. We are our own worst enemies sometimes.
I'm looking forward to seeing Kyoto next year, seeing how they compare to the performance put on by Frontale this year. From what I hear, the technical standard in the J2 has really improved, and many say that the gap between the two divisions is decreasing. The biggest difference of course is still those one or two plays, either in defense or offense, that are acceptable in the J2 but not in the J1.
It's been two seasons since Kyoto have seen J1 play, but I have a feeling they may have become a tougher wiser team.
Aaacch.
Can't believe the news that greets me after only being away a few days!
Jef Chiba 2-2 Yokohama F Marinos
Click Photos to Enlarge:
Despite the drizzle, it was a festive mood at the new Fukuda Denshi Arena "Fuku-Ari". Lots of food, marching bands, and most of all crowds crowds crowds. The game itself turned out to be a disappointing one more for Jef, as they had the lead but could not hang on to it. Marinos are still struggling to balance, and though I hear the club has given manager Okada an option to extend his contract, I wonder what will become of the current Champions after this season.
Gamba Osaka 4-1 Vissel Kobe
Kashima Antlers 1-1 Jubilo Iwata
The J-league division 1 table is getting crowded. Gamba put away last place Vissel for a 4-1 scoreline, including two from Araujo (will nothing stop this man?) and one each from Endo and Yoshihara. Kashima, however, missing their man Alex Mineiro, were unable to find the goals they needed and ended with a 1-1 draw against Jubilo -- a goal each from Masuda (Kashima) and Cullen (Jubilo). It's great to hear that these two younger players have been contributing to their clubs, and I do see them playing more significant roles for their teams in the future. Gamba are now 6 points ahead of Kashima.
Urawa Reds 7-0 Kashiwa Reysol
There were some crazy scorelines too. The biggest news was that Tatsuya Tanaka, scrappy and promising forward for Urawa Reds, fractured a bone in his right legin the game against Kashiwa Reysol. (The specifics are that there is a fracture to his fibula, and also was discovered that he dislocated his ankle.) This game was quite the mighty mess. Kashiwa started off with a solid and stable game, but they might have been playing with a little bit too much gusto as they continued to invite cards left and right. The first and biggest ouch was when Reysol captain Myojin got his second bookable offense and exited at only the 13th minute! After that, the team tried to play a decent game despite being one man down, but the stress may have been too much. When Ponte scored the first for Urawa at the 23rd minute, there was still hope.
But the second half opened up with Tanaka scoring just four minutes out. But the little striker was struck down in the 60th minute when Reysol defender Tsuchiya tackled from behind -- and emotions exploded among Reds supporters when they realized Tanaka was in big trouble.
The Maric-Maric-Maric-Sakai-Yokoyama (7-0) hammering of goals may have seemed like punishment enough for the rough Kashiwa play, but fans have found it difficult to contain their anger at Tsuchiya. Apparently Reysol have received a slew of messages letting them know exactly what they thought of the shaved-headed defender.
It seems to have been pretty bad, because Tanaka came out with a statement to the fans asking them not to blame Tsuchiya for the incident. These things happen in football. We as professionals always play with the intent to put on the best and strongest performance we can, so please do not attack Tsuchiya, the hospitalized Tanaka stated. Poor guy, not only will he have to sit out the next six months and undergo surgery, he has to be worrying about whether some sort of violence may ensue against the man who may have ended his hopes for the World Cup.
Of all the players on the J-league.... Tanaka had a difficult past year, finally finding his zone, finally making it to on the national team A squad, finally getting his first goal there, having injured his back in Korea, and coming back to perform fantastically (is that a word?) in these last few rounds.
In the Reysol camp, the drop to 14th place, and the horrible result have launched an emergency meeting. Though the owner had stated his complete faith in manager Hayano, some are saying that it may be another J-league manager exit. And hopes are that perhaps Ramos may take over.
Oita Trinita 5-0 Shimizu S-Pulse
Another eye-popping scoreline. They are calling it the "Chamusca Magic". Since taking over the struggling team, he has yet to taste defeat in 5 games (4 wins, 1 draw). Not only that, they haven't allowed a single goal in 4 games. The people who should be scoring (Magno, Edmilson, Takamatsu) are scoring, and the entire team is stable on defense. That's pretty darn good, and you wonder exactly what he has been doing in training... So far, I like his posture/attitude, and cosidering how young he is, it's nice to have a fresh type of managing personality in the J. Hopefully he won't leave us too soon.
Kawasaki Frontale 4-1 Nagoya Grampus
Frontale are keeping things hopeful as well. They have won the last 5 games -- not too shabby for the newly promoted club. I've always thought they had a very attractive attacking style, but in the beginning of the season they were allowing as many goals as they got. Now, not only can they score via the usual fluid simple counter, but they have shown quality on place kicks, expanding their scoring options. After allowing one from Marques and a hattrick from Juninho, it was all Grampus could do to return with one.
It's hard to be surprised by Nagoya's performance, considering the recent departure of Nelsinho. Though to be honest, they have enough experienced players to hold things together, maybe the biggest problem is that they lack a club style. Though this may take time and leadership.
Cerezo Osaka 1-0 Omiya Ardija
Cerezo eked a win over Ardija, keeping their 3rd place spot on the table, but don't be fooled -- these guys have probably showed the most dramatic and solid change since last season. They are creeping up to Kashima in 2nd, only being three points behind. A scary team to have in that position.
Can't believe the news that greets me after only being away a few days!
Jef Chiba 2-2 Yokohama F Marinos
Click Photos to Enlarge:
Despite the drizzle, it was a festive mood at the new Fukuda Denshi Arena "Fuku-Ari". Lots of food, marching bands, and most of all crowds crowds crowds. The game itself turned out to be a disappointing one more for Jef, as they had the lead but could not hang on to it. Marinos are still struggling to balance, and though I hear the club has given manager Okada an option to extend his contract, I wonder what will become of the current Champions after this season.
Gamba Osaka 4-1 Vissel Kobe
Kashima Antlers 1-1 Jubilo Iwata
The J-league division 1 table is getting crowded. Gamba put away last place Vissel for a 4-1 scoreline, including two from Araujo (will nothing stop this man?) and one each from Endo and Yoshihara. Kashima, however, missing their man Alex Mineiro, were unable to find the goals they needed and ended with a 1-1 draw against Jubilo -- a goal each from Masuda (Kashima) and Cullen (Jubilo). It's great to hear that these two younger players have been contributing to their clubs, and I do see them playing more significant roles for their teams in the future. Gamba are now 6 points ahead of Kashima.
Urawa Reds 7-0 Kashiwa Reysol
There were some crazy scorelines too. The biggest news was that Tatsuya Tanaka, scrappy and promising forward for Urawa Reds, fractured a bone in his right legin the game against Kashiwa Reysol. (The specifics are that there is a fracture to his fibula, and also was discovered that he dislocated his ankle.) This game was quite the mighty mess. Kashiwa started off with a solid and stable game, but they might have been playing with a little bit too much gusto as they continued to invite cards left and right. The first and biggest ouch was when Reysol captain Myojin got his second bookable offense and exited at only the 13th minute! After that, the team tried to play a decent game despite being one man down, but the stress may have been too much. When Ponte scored the first for Urawa at the 23rd minute, there was still hope.
But the second half opened up with Tanaka scoring just four minutes out. But the little striker was struck down in the 60th minute when Reysol defender Tsuchiya tackled from behind -- and emotions exploded among Reds supporters when they realized Tanaka was in big trouble.
The Maric-Maric-Maric-Sakai-Yokoyama (7-0) hammering of goals may have seemed like punishment enough for the rough Kashiwa play, but fans have found it difficult to contain their anger at Tsuchiya. Apparently Reysol have received a slew of messages letting them know exactly what they thought of the shaved-headed defender.
It seems to have been pretty bad, because Tanaka came out with a statement to the fans asking them not to blame Tsuchiya for the incident. These things happen in football. We as professionals always play with the intent to put on the best and strongest performance we can, so please do not attack Tsuchiya, the hospitalized Tanaka stated. Poor guy, not only will he have to sit out the next six months and undergo surgery, he has to be worrying about whether some sort of violence may ensue against the man who may have ended his hopes for the World Cup.
Of all the players on the J-league.... Tanaka had a difficult past year, finally finding his zone, finally making it to on the national team A squad, finally getting his first goal there, having injured his back in Korea, and coming back to perform fantastically (is that a word?) in these last few rounds.
In the Reysol camp, the drop to 14th place, and the horrible result have launched an emergency meeting. Though the owner had stated his complete faith in manager Hayano, some are saying that it may be another J-league manager exit. And hopes are that perhaps Ramos may take over.
Oita Trinita 5-0 Shimizu S-Pulse
Another eye-popping scoreline. They are calling it the "Chamusca Magic". Since taking over the struggling team, he has yet to taste defeat in 5 games (4 wins, 1 draw). Not only that, they haven't allowed a single goal in 4 games. The people who should be scoring (Magno, Edmilson, Takamatsu) are scoring, and the entire team is stable on defense. That's pretty darn good, and you wonder exactly what he has been doing in training... So far, I like his posture/attitude, and cosidering how young he is, it's nice to have a fresh type of managing personality in the J. Hopefully he won't leave us too soon.
Kawasaki Frontale 4-1 Nagoya Grampus
Frontale are keeping things hopeful as well. They have won the last 5 games -- not too shabby for the newly promoted club. I've always thought they had a very attractive attacking style, but in the beginning of the season they were allowing as many goals as they got. Now, not only can they score via the usual fluid simple counter, but they have shown quality on place kicks, expanding their scoring options. After allowing one from Marques and a hattrick from Juninho, it was all Grampus could do to return with one.
It's hard to be surprised by Nagoya's performance, considering the recent departure of Nelsinho. Though to be honest, they have enough experienced players to hold things together, maybe the biggest problem is that they lack a club style. Though this may take time and leadership.
Cerezo Osaka 1-0 Omiya Ardija
Cerezo eked a win over Ardija, keeping their 3rd place spot on the table, but don't be fooled -- these guys have probably showed the most dramatic and solid change since last season. They are creeping up to Kashima in 2nd, only being three points behind. A scary team to have in that position.
**New Weblinks to game download are available. The bandwidth is limited, so if the link is blocked again, please read the comments attached to this entry for additional download options.
>>Click to download 1st Half of Ukraine vs Japan
>>Click to download 2nd Half of Ukraine vs Japan
____________________
About 300MB for each half. The entire Japan vs Ukraine game.
Some times the download may be cut off, and you will get an error type message. Just click okay, and go back to the above link of the file that was cut off, and download again to the EXACT same place (same filename) you downloaded to before. The download should resume from where you left off.
If these files are too big and you don't want to download the entire game, please wait for Depflight to return. She will post smaller clips with her main analysis of the game, so you can see highlights or specific scenes at that time.
>>Click to download 1st Half of Ukraine vs Japan
>>Click to download 2nd Half of Ukraine vs Japan
____________________
About 300MB for each half. The entire Japan vs Ukraine game.
Some times the download may be cut off, and you will get an error type message. Just click okay, and go back to the above link of the file that was cut off, and download again to the EXACT same place (same filename) you downloaded to before. The download should resume from where you left off.
If these files are too big and you don't want to download the entire game, please wait for Depflight to return. She will post smaller clips with her main analysis of the game, so you can see highlights or specific scenes at that time.
Hi everyone!
I will be out of the country for the next several days, will be back on Sunday night.
The blog, in the meantime, is going to be dozing; however, a friend will post links to video if any are found while I am away. I know many of you don't get access to Japan NT games, so I try and get my network of friends to find as many clips as possible.
Ukraine 1-0 Japan
>>Click here if you want to download the video of the entire game.
>>Click here for photos from the game.
The Ukraine game was one of the most disastrous we've had in a while. The weather was bad, our midfield was hesitant and a little too careful in the beginning and allowed Ukraine to do too much, the refereeing was awful (I hate to jab at the refs, and even more so when Zico makes the entire press conference about how awful the referee was, but I have to admit the Latvian ref seemed to really have it in for the Japanese players -- you all know my general standard, that at least refs should have consistency so they treat both teams equally regardless of whether they call certain things a foul or not).
The Biggest Effort Award should be given to Hide Nakata (pic left). Though he made a few pass errors, he played the full game without stopping, and his effort stood out. Not only his play on defense and offense, but his leadership, communicating with all the players, and trying to calm the team down against the ref.
The PK awarded Ukraine in the last several minutes of the game was a "eh" call, apparently defender Minowa who went in to form a 3-back defense line, held the Ukraine player down with his hands, but it didn't seem that way on video -- though on video those types of things are difficult to "see".
The red card to Koji Nakata (53 min) was also a so-so call, but I'm willing to give on that. Considering Koji was part of the pass-bungle from the last game, I think it's pretty safe to say that he is not having a very good year either at club or NT. I still think Fukunishi has been showing better performance over the past year. But as far as my disappointment about the ref was concerned, it wasn't so much in the red card or the PK itself, but all the smaller calls or play-ons that went in favor of Ukraine that occurred throughout the game that left us all scratching our heads. Consistency, please.
Ukraine were playing pretty much an all-sub group, but they showed their physical presence and passing capabilities. They never really broke through the Japanese defense, but they had the upper hand in the game, and created most of the chances. They targeted Japan's sides, and we know with the diamond that can be a weakness; but on the flipside they may have overused the side option -- had I been a Ukraine supporter, I would have liked to see a little more variation from them as well. Japan had a number of close calls, but were saved by Ukraine's lack of finish -- a familiar problem for us too!
Though on the defense for most of the game, Japan did create a few chances. The only really positive thing that came out of this, especially after the Latvia game, was the ability of the players who subbed in to change the negative mood on the pitch, injecting new life into play. I will come back to specific analysis after I get back.
And miracles of all, Santos was subbed out for Murai. Santos had been given a lot of space and options by his teammates, but he just kept losing the ball on silly plays; Murai looked very straightforward but good in comparison. I want Santos to get past some of his bad habits because he has shown in the past how one play from him can make a difference on the team, but if he keeps making the same types of bad decisions especially as our opponents get stronger, then I would prefer others to get a chance to audition for left side.
In the past, these European tours have been the catalyst for change (which I will address in my follow-up discussion about this game when I return). And I've learned that though each game is a world of its own, in terms of wanting a certain result, some times it is important to see the bigger picture and not get too myopic about one game (though important to analyze what went wrong and what worked).
Anyway, I have to go now, but will return very soon! I the meantime, if you'd like to leave your thoughts/comments about the game, please please type away!
And watch for video clips -- they will be posted as they are found.
Ono to Operate
More bad news for Shinji. After doctors looked at his toe, it was decided that he needed to operate. He's returned to Japan and it will take him about 6 weeks to recover. Meaning not only will he miss all his games at Feyenoord; he will also not be available for the next NT game against the Ivory Coast in November.
I will be out of the country for the next several days, will be back on Sunday night.
The blog, in the meantime, is going to be dozing; however, a friend will post links to video if any are found while I am away. I know many of you don't get access to Japan NT games, so I try and get my network of friends to find as many clips as possible.
Ukraine 1-0 Japan
>>Click here if you want to download the video of the entire game.
>>Click here for photos from the game.
The Ukraine game was one of the most disastrous we've had in a while. The weather was bad, our midfield was hesitant and a little too careful in the beginning and allowed Ukraine to do too much, the refereeing was awful (I hate to jab at the refs, and even more so when Zico makes the entire press conference about how awful the referee was, but I have to admit the Latvian ref seemed to really have it in for the Japanese players -- you all know my general standard, that at least refs should have consistency so they treat both teams equally regardless of whether they call certain things a foul or not). The Biggest Effort Award should be given to Hide Nakata (pic left). Though he made a few pass errors, he played the full game without stopping, and his effort stood out. Not only his play on defense and offense, but his leadership, communicating with all the players, and trying to calm the team down against the ref.
The PK awarded Ukraine in the last several minutes of the game was a "eh" call, apparently defender Minowa who went in to form a 3-back defense line, held the Ukraine player down with his hands, but it didn't seem that way on video -- though on video those types of things are difficult to "see".
The red card to Koji Nakata (53 min) was also a so-so call, but I'm willing to give on that. Considering Koji was part of the pass-bungle from the last game, I think it's pretty safe to say that he is not having a very good year either at club or NT. I still think Fukunishi has been showing better performance over the past year. But as far as my disappointment about the ref was concerned, it wasn't so much in the red card or the PK itself, but all the smaller calls or play-ons that went in favor of Ukraine that occurred throughout the game that left us all scratching our heads. Consistency, please.
Ukraine were playing pretty much an all-sub group, but they showed their physical presence and passing capabilities. They never really broke through the Japanese defense, but they had the upper hand in the game, and created most of the chances. They targeted Japan's sides, and we know with the diamond that can be a weakness; but on the flipside they may have overused the side option -- had I been a Ukraine supporter, I would have liked to see a little more variation from them as well. Japan had a number of close calls, but were saved by Ukraine's lack of finish -- a familiar problem for us too!
Though on the defense for most of the game, Japan did create a few chances. The only really positive thing that came out of this, especially after the Latvia game, was the ability of the players who subbed in to change the negative mood on the pitch, injecting new life into play. I will come back to specific analysis after I get back.
And miracles of all, Santos was subbed out for Murai. Santos had been given a lot of space and options by his teammates, but he just kept losing the ball on silly plays; Murai looked very straightforward but good in comparison. I want Santos to get past some of his bad habits because he has shown in the past how one play from him can make a difference on the team, but if he keeps making the same types of bad decisions especially as our opponents get stronger, then I would prefer others to get a chance to audition for left side.
In the past, these European tours have been the catalyst for change (which I will address in my follow-up discussion about this game when I return). And I've learned that though each game is a world of its own, in terms of wanting a certain result, some times it is important to see the bigger picture and not get too myopic about one game (though important to analyze what went wrong and what worked).
Anyway, I have to go now, but will return very soon! I the meantime, if you'd like to leave your thoughts/comments about the game, please please type away!
And watch for video clips -- they will be posted as they are found.
Ono to Operate
More bad news for Shinji. After doctors looked at his toe, it was decided that he needed to operate. He's returned to Japan and it will take him about 6 weeks to recover. Meaning not only will he miss all his games at Feyenoord; he will also not be available for the next NT game against the Ivory Coast in November.
Since I don't link to highlights for every round in the J-league, and got some questions about how to register for J's Goal video access, I'll post the instructions here with translation. The J's goal registration is free.
The following are the instructions to the J's Goal "Amazing Goal" section that lists the top goals of each round every week. You can take a look at all of them, and vote for your favorites. You can also look at the archives for previous rounds and check out the goals from Round 1 to present -- also for the Division 2 J2 league as well. Below are the instructions to register. If you have questions, leave a comment.
STEP 1 Go to URL: http://www.jsgoal.jp/movie/goal/
Click to Enlarge
Click on the "Free Member Registration" link.
The following are the instructions to the J's Goal "Amazing Goal" section that lists the top goals of each round every week. You can take a look at all of them, and vote for your favorites. You can also look at the archives for previous rounds and check out the goals from Round 1 to present -- also for the Division 2 J2 league as well. Below are the instructions to register. If you have questions, leave a comment.
STEP 1 Go to URL: http://www.jsgoal.jp/movie/goal/
Click to EnlargeClick on the "Free Member Registration" link.
This is a house.
Really.
I kid you not.
I thought it would be fun to introduce this living option on the blog, since the house is in the shape of a football (just not as round, I guess). The hexagon shape of each panel apparently makes it nearly indestructible -- and the producers are selling it as a very safe shelter particularly against natural disasters like earthquakes, floods (the thing floats!), and so forth. You can live in it, use it as a second home, camp in it, store stuff, etc.
I hear they are selling pretty well. I guess it isn't as crazy an option in Japan, since a lot of people live in tiny rooms anyway. What do you think?
Want to see what it looks like inside?
>>Click here to see the interior photos You can click the 1F and 2F and see how the house is split. Scroll down for actual photos.
Really.I kid you not.
I thought it would be fun to introduce this living option on the blog, since the house is in the shape of a football (just not as round, I guess). The hexagon shape of each panel apparently makes it nearly indestructible -- and the producers are selling it as a very safe shelter particularly against natural disasters like earthquakes, floods (the thing floats!), and so forth. You can live in it, use it as a second home, camp in it, store stuff, etc.
I hear they are selling pretty well. I guess it isn't as crazy an option in Japan, since a lot of people live in tiny rooms anyway. What do you think?
Want to see what it looks like inside?
>>Click here to see the interior photos You can click the 1F and 2F and see how the house is split. Scroll down for actual photos.
If you'd like to see the highlights from the Japan vs Latvia game, here is a nice 16 minute digest video. About 130 MB. Highlights most of the interesting plays, all the goals, in a neat package.
>>Click to go to download page for video
>>Click to go to download page for video
>>To download a video digest of the game, click here
------- Yana - Taka
-------- Nakamura
----- Matsui ---- Hide
----------- Ina
Koji - Moniwa - Tanaka - Komano
----------- Doi
The photo on the left is of Koji Nakata shaking his head at himself for having made an error in passing in the final minutes of the game that allowed Latvia to intercept and equalize (chipped past Doi pictured on the ground with Tsuboi). He said afterwards that the error was entirely his fault.
After the game Shunsuke Nakamura was prodded about this error, but he defended Koji by saying that the team on the whole had certain items they wanted to address and a certain style they were keen to play by, and in this game their intention to move the ball around widely backfired in the final quarter because they had lost their stamina and focus. He also said that the team didn't really have a Plan about how to carry a 2-0 lead through the remaining 40 minutes. He said that Koji only made that passing error because the team had over-emphasized their intention to pass and move, and that had it been a qualifier or the World Cup, Koji would never had chosen to pass that way. It is also worth noting that had the other players been moving into better positions, instead of all standing around, he may not have been forced to pass back, either.
How did the Diamond do?
The difference between the 4-2-2-2 and the 4-3-1-2 (the slightly skewed diamond we saw) is not great. The advantage of the diamond fits the character of the team (or the kind of team Japan wants to be) -- that of creating numerical advantage in the midfield and using possession/passing. The diamond allows the midfielders to create a good numerical advantage in midfield movement because they tend towards the middle; the better relative positioning and distance makes for better passing. The disadvantage is that because the midfielders tend towards the middle, it's harder to create offensive and defensive numbers on the side. This is sort of the textbook way of looking at it.
The other interesting thing about the diamond is that it is essentially the "box" turned around at an angle. This means that the angles of passes change, and that is something the players need to get used to, with regard to how they "see" their teammates. This just takes time and repetition.
The game was hard to really evaluate because Latvia played so defensively. Still, they marked persistently, and forced Japan to pass quickly and not hang onto the ball too long. There was a great deal of movement especially in the first half, and different players showed their faces on attack.
But on the whole, I think it would have been better if Hide and Matsui did not force Nakamura to drop down so much. Nakamura should have been playing nearer to the forwards, but he was more nearer to Inamoto on many occasions. With Nakamura dropped down, Takahara had to come down also and play post for long periods, and that's not using him to our advantage. And, the sides did make some good attempts, but the positioning of the rest of the team when they sent their cross was (imho) not that great. On defense, they allowed a number of dangerous counters via the sides, and in the future it will be an issue of how to balance the desire to put on a mutliplayer sophisticated attack while also caring against the counters.
Japan's Hurdles?
- Ideas and accuracy to get into the goal area
- Changing the tempo of play between fast and slow
- Knowing in unison when it's time to throw numbers up front
- Learning how to pull the rhythm back when the game starts to go in a negative direction
- Finish
One of the reasons that Japan may play better against stronger countries is that the small windows of opporunity are very distinguishable. There is a united feeling among the team when they get possession at last, "this is it, time to attack". But when Japan has sixty-plus percent possession, it's like "okay, so what do we do now?". Several players showed some neat ideas, and many players took strong shots from mid/long-range (Taka, Ina, Shun, Komano), and there were a few decent crosses in from the sides, and the midfielders and forwards changed positions quite dizzyingly. There was some good passing, but it was all kept outside Latvia's penalty area...which is probably Latvia's aim to begin with.
The PK Japan got was a direct result of Takahara persistently keeping the ball just outside the penalty area despite being surrounded, and Hide's idea to heel back the ball to Yana. They needed at least this amount of unexpectedness in their play, the fluidity of the one-two passing, in order to get into the box, and the team as a whole was unable to find that degree of accuracy or quality in the pre-finish play this game. Everything was a tiny bit off.
How did Matsui do?
No one put on an outstanding performance, but people have been giving general thumbs up to Matsui, considering he has been away for two years and suddenly got thrown in to start in a new formation. (Completely OT, but he was so delighted with the Japanese food the team chef prepared during the camp in Latvia that he gained a couple kilos.)
He was rather low key this game, and he admitted that his main concern was his responsibilities in defensive balance. There were moments where we saw him flash a bit of his dribbling, and displayed his increased strength and game-smartness, threw himself into defense without any laziness. But on the offense he tended to pass instead of trying to create something himself, which was a little disappointing. He admitted after the game that he wanted to do more, and maybe the sense of unfinished business is good for him going into the next game. His confidence on the attack increased in the second half, though.
Matsui also made an interesting remark after the game. He said, "I was told that it was up to me to go forward when I thought it was the Moment, to take the risk; but I didn't really know when that Moment was." Some of the other players made the same comment, that they were playing the whole game at one high gear, and couldn't mix things up. The even tempo allowed Latvia to get comfortable in their defense. And made it difficult for the players to know, are we attacking, are we preparing, and it led to many moments where their ambivalent passing got intercepted.
What about Zico's Substitutions?
I felt bad for Okubo. He got put in when the team had lost its rhythm, and I guess his job was to settle things down. Part of the problem was that Okubo was getting his first chance in over 10 months, and he with his current record of playing the most games without scoring a goal. He went out there when Japan was ahead by two, and though the team really should have been playing a winner's game, they didn't try and change their strategy or tempo. Okubo's presence made it more so, because he was gunning for a goal. The midfielders kept sending him passes to catch up to, but he shared later that he would have actually preferred to get the ball at his feet and take the ball up with his own dribbling. I think that would have been better, since it would help settle the ball down nearer the opponent goal. Instead, Japan kept throwing these overshot balls forward, and that led to repeated loss of possession.
Latvia kicks long balls forward, invites fouls from a wilting Japan, and in the end gets their way with a CK they convert for their first goal of the game.
Change to 3-5-2
At 76 mins, Matsui and Nakamura are taken out for Santos and Tsuboi. I get that Zico though putting in an extra defender would help maintain the 2-1 lead, but it actually played a big part in destroying whatever thin film of glue that was holding the team together. Koji was pushed up next to Ina, and Santos went to left.
Taking Matsui and Nakamura out, and then Hide and Takahara ten minutes later, well, it was not a "hang in there" signal, but more of a "let's go home". Things were getting quite hairy on the pitch, and I think Zico just wanted to take these four out as soon as he thought it could be possible and perhaps to use up time. Obviously, he isn't going to substitute like that in a WC game, but I wasn't very happy about that, especially felt bad for the players left on the pitch.
What's in store for the Ukraine game?
Well, the NT took their charter plane to Kiev yesterday, and some brief reports trickled in today about their practice session. The biggest news is that Ono has left the NT and returned to the Netherlands -- his injury was not a twisted ankle, but a broken toe.
As for the lineup for Wednesday, I hear it may look like this:
--------- Yana --- Taka
---------- Nakamura
--------- Ina ---- Hide
------------- Koji
Santos? - Moniwa - Tsuboi - Komano
------------- Kawaguchi
It looks like a more defensive lineup except for Santos in back, and I'm not sure what's the final deal on the back four.
Japan to Play Ivory Coast in November
The JFA announed that they have invited the Ivory Coast to Japan for a friendly in November. As you know the African team has just qualified for the WC, and since we haven't played a team from that continent in ages, it is a logical matchup. I'm guessing we won't see the Europe-based players at that game.
------- Yana - Taka
-------- Nakamura
----- Matsui ---- Hide
----------- Ina
Koji - Moniwa - Tanaka - Komano
----------- Doi
The photo on the left is of Koji Nakata shaking his head at himself for having made an error in passing in the final minutes of the game that allowed Latvia to intercept and equalize (chipped past Doi pictured on the ground with Tsuboi). He said afterwards that the error was entirely his fault.After the game Shunsuke Nakamura was prodded about this error, but he defended Koji by saying that the team on the whole had certain items they wanted to address and a certain style they were keen to play by, and in this game their intention to move the ball around widely backfired in the final quarter because they had lost their stamina and focus. He also said that the team didn't really have a Plan about how to carry a 2-0 lead through the remaining 40 minutes. He said that Koji only made that passing error because the team had over-emphasized their intention to pass and move, and that had it been a qualifier or the World Cup, Koji would never had chosen to pass that way. It is also worth noting that had the other players been moving into better positions, instead of all standing around, he may not have been forced to pass back, either.
How did the Diamond do?
The difference between the 4-2-2-2 and the 4-3-1-2 (the slightly skewed diamond we saw) is not great. The advantage of the diamond fits the character of the team (or the kind of team Japan wants to be) -- that of creating numerical advantage in the midfield and using possession/passing. The diamond allows the midfielders to create a good numerical advantage in midfield movement because they tend towards the middle; the better relative positioning and distance makes for better passing. The disadvantage is that because the midfielders tend towards the middle, it's harder to create offensive and defensive numbers on the side. This is sort of the textbook way of looking at it.
The other interesting thing about the diamond is that it is essentially the "box" turned around at an angle. This means that the angles of passes change, and that is something the players need to get used to, with regard to how they "see" their teammates. This just takes time and repetition.
The game was hard to really evaluate because Latvia played so defensively. Still, they marked persistently, and forced Japan to pass quickly and not hang onto the ball too long. There was a great deal of movement especially in the first half, and different players showed their faces on attack.
But on the whole, I think it would have been better if Hide and Matsui did not force Nakamura to drop down so much. Nakamura should have been playing nearer to the forwards, but he was more nearer to Inamoto on many occasions. With Nakamura dropped down, Takahara had to come down also and play post for long periods, and that's not using him to our advantage. And, the sides did make some good attempts, but the positioning of the rest of the team when they sent their cross was (imho) not that great. On defense, they allowed a number of dangerous counters via the sides, and in the future it will be an issue of how to balance the desire to put on a mutliplayer sophisticated attack while also caring against the counters.
Japan's Hurdles?
- Ideas and accuracy to get into the goal area
- Changing the tempo of play between fast and slow
- Knowing in unison when it's time to throw numbers up front
- Learning how to pull the rhythm back when the game starts to go in a negative direction
- Finish
One of the reasons that Japan may play better against stronger countries is that the small windows of opporunity are very distinguishable. There is a united feeling among the team when they get possession at last, "this is it, time to attack". But when Japan has sixty-plus percent possession, it's like "okay, so what do we do now?". Several players showed some neat ideas, and many players took strong shots from mid/long-range (Taka, Ina, Shun, Komano), and there were a few decent crosses in from the sides, and the midfielders and forwards changed positions quite dizzyingly. There was some good passing, but it was all kept outside Latvia's penalty area...which is probably Latvia's aim to begin with.
The PK Japan got was a direct result of Takahara persistently keeping the ball just outside the penalty area despite being surrounded, and Hide's idea to heel back the ball to Yana. They needed at least this amount of unexpectedness in their play, the fluidity of the one-two passing, in order to get into the box, and the team as a whole was unable to find that degree of accuracy or quality in the pre-finish play this game. Everything was a tiny bit off.
How did Matsui do?
No one put on an outstanding performance, but people have been giving general thumbs up to Matsui, considering he has been away for two years and suddenly got thrown in to start in a new formation. (Completely OT, but he was so delighted with the Japanese food the team chef prepared during the camp in Latvia that he gained a couple kilos.)
He was rather low key this game, and he admitted that his main concern was his responsibilities in defensive balance. There were moments where we saw him flash a bit of his dribbling, and displayed his increased strength and game-smartness, threw himself into defense without any laziness. But on the offense he tended to pass instead of trying to create something himself, which was a little disappointing. He admitted after the game that he wanted to do more, and maybe the sense of unfinished business is good for him going into the next game. His confidence on the attack increased in the second half, though.
Matsui also made an interesting remark after the game. He said, "I was told that it was up to me to go forward when I thought it was the Moment, to take the risk; but I didn't really know when that Moment was." Some of the other players made the same comment, that they were playing the whole game at one high gear, and couldn't mix things up. The even tempo allowed Latvia to get comfortable in their defense. And made it difficult for the players to know, are we attacking, are we preparing, and it led to many moments where their ambivalent passing got intercepted.
What about Zico's Substitutions?
I felt bad for Okubo. He got put in when the team had lost its rhythm, and I guess his job was to settle things down. Part of the problem was that Okubo was getting his first chance in over 10 months, and he with his current record of playing the most games without scoring a goal. He went out there when Japan was ahead by two, and though the team really should have been playing a winner's game, they didn't try and change their strategy or tempo. Okubo's presence made it more so, because he was gunning for a goal. The midfielders kept sending him passes to catch up to, but he shared later that he would have actually preferred to get the ball at his feet and take the ball up with his own dribbling. I think that would have been better, since it would help settle the ball down nearer the opponent goal. Instead, Japan kept throwing these overshot balls forward, and that led to repeated loss of possession.
Latvia kicks long balls forward, invites fouls from a wilting Japan, and in the end gets their way with a CK they convert for their first goal of the game.
Change to 3-5-2
At 76 mins, Matsui and Nakamura are taken out for Santos and Tsuboi. I get that Zico though putting in an extra defender would help maintain the 2-1 lead, but it actually played a big part in destroying whatever thin film of glue that was holding the team together. Koji was pushed up next to Ina, and Santos went to left.
Taking Matsui and Nakamura out, and then Hide and Takahara ten minutes later, well, it was not a "hang in there" signal, but more of a "let's go home". Things were getting quite hairy on the pitch, and I think Zico just wanted to take these four out as soon as he thought it could be possible and perhaps to use up time. Obviously, he isn't going to substitute like that in a WC game, but I wasn't very happy about that, especially felt bad for the players left on the pitch.
What's in store for the Ukraine game?Well, the NT took their charter plane to Kiev yesterday, and some brief reports trickled in today about their practice session. The biggest news is that Ono has left the NT and returned to the Netherlands -- his injury was not a twisted ankle, but a broken toe.
As for the lineup for Wednesday, I hear it may look like this:
--------- Yana --- Taka
---------- Nakamura
--------- Ina ---- Hide
------------- Koji
Santos? - Moniwa - Tsuboi - Komano
------------- Kawaguchi
It looks like a more defensive lineup except for Santos in back, and I'm not sure what's the final deal on the back four.
Japan to Play Ivory Coast in November
The JFA announed that they have invited the Ivory Coast to Japan for a friendly in November. As you know the African team has just qualified for the WC, and since we haven't played a team from that continent in ages, it is a logical matchup. I'm guessing we won't see the Europe-based players at that game.
Click Photos to Enlarge
There was one day of "training" for the two all-star teams, that took place at the Oita BigEye stadium at the same time the day before the game. It was open to the public free, and I hear thousands came to that. You know how much I love Jef Chiba manager Osim's stories. He was selected to take the reins of the J-East team, being quite the beloved grumpy old man that he is in the J. In the one-day training, he gave the non-Chiba players a taste of what it was like to train at the Jef club.
While the J-West guys were going through your regular-type dribbling and shooting drills, Osim borrowed a bunch of differently colored bibs and proceeded to tell his players that they were going to up their concentration and quick-thinking skills by playing a little game. The rules were that, for instance, a person with a red bib could only pass to someone with a blue bib, and a person with a blue bib had to look for someone with a green bib, and so on. It was so confusing for those from other clubs that most of them ended the session without ever really knowing what the heck they were supposed to be doing. Ogasawara, pic above in red bib along with Tanaka in green and Tamada in blue and Nakazawa sans bib), said that he still can't figure out what he was supposed to do. Anyway, it was interesting to hear about some of the more unique drills that Osim uses at Chiba. His players are probably the most athletically oriented in the league, and taking this drill as an example, I can see why they are always able to play so fluidly.
It took me a while to adjust my eyes, trying to get a sense of who was playing where, and getting used to seeing certain players in jerseys that are not blue or their club color. The game was very fast tempoed. It was like watching basketball, the players going back and forth with really fast passing and running. As could be expected, there was little fouling, so we didn't get to see as many opportunities for free kicks (which I think are some of the biggest weapons of some of the players, like Anderson Lima, Ogasawara, Abe, Miura, Soma), but still it was a pretty entertaining afternoon.
Though at the beginning, when the rosters for both sides were first announced, I thought the J-East team had a more attractive lineup. It was sad that Ishikawa, Kaji, Endo all had to pull out to injury. The game started off with the rhythm for the East (in red) -- a great cross from left Soma to fw Maki's side-twisting header. However West (in grey) picked things up, and particularly Magno Alves was setting up with some delicious passes -- I thought he would more determinedly go after a goal for himself, but instead seemed to make more of a mark in his assists. One which was a pass open to right with the outside of his foot to Fukunishi, who chased the ball into the area and volleyed from an angle for a really sweet goal. 
After that West widened the score with a goal each from Takamatsu and Gon Nakayama, and East tried to catch up via a corner with a rebound header from Nakazawa. We also saw a really beautiful mid-range shot from Tatsu Tanaka, but it hit the bar.
Miyamoto, as usual, was aiming for the MVP -- now him trying to be the first defender to win the award is turning into a sort of tradition. There was one scene when he popped up on the left side and sent a rather slick cross into the penalty area for a great opportunity -- I think Fukunishi may have been the one to almost head it in. Unfortunately for him, he was out-shone by Nakazawa on the East team, who didn't get the MVP either (Magno Alves did), but got the Fighting Spirit award.
During the game, the television audio sub-channel was broadcasting the Yabbecchi FC (a football digest show that is hosted by a popular variety/comedian personality) group as they invited different players to come and chat with them as the game was being played. A lot of joking around, and gossip of what happens off the pitch, at NT camp, and so forth. It was silly but fun to listen to. Tanaka and Ogasawara showed up on the broadcast after they were subbed out at half time, and they said sheepishly that Osim gave them some grumpy words of dissatisfaction, saying Tanaka played too selfishly (relied on individual skill rather than teammates) and Ogasawara was lazy and didn't run enough (which Oga admits is true; I think he and Fukunishi are quite well known for dislking a lot of running, but that's blasphemy in Osim football!).
Anyway, here are Video Highlights:
>>Click for a Video Highlights clip
I always love the mascots entertainment, and they have made available the video clips from that as well. Check these out!
>>Click for the Mascots PK clip
>>Click for the Mascots Tug-o-War clip
>>Click for the Mascots Introductions clip
There was one day of "training" for the two all-star teams, that took place at the Oita BigEye stadium at the same time the day before the game. It was open to the public free, and I hear thousands came to that. You know how much I love Jef Chiba manager Osim's stories. He was selected to take the reins of the J-East team, being quite the beloved grumpy old man that he is in the J. In the one-day training, he gave the non-Chiba players a taste of what it was like to train at the Jef club. 
While the J-West guys were going through your regular-type dribbling and shooting drills, Osim borrowed a bunch of differently colored bibs and proceeded to tell his players that they were going to up their concentration and quick-thinking skills by playing a little game. The rules were that, for instance, a person with a red bib could only pass to someone with a blue bib, and a person with a blue bib had to look for someone with a green bib, and so on. It was so confusing for those from other clubs that most of them ended the session without ever really knowing what the heck they were supposed to be doing. Ogasawara, pic above in red bib along with Tanaka in green and Tamada in blue and Nakazawa sans bib), said that he still can't figure out what he was supposed to do. Anyway, it was interesting to hear about some of the more unique drills that Osim uses at Chiba. His players are probably the most athletically oriented in the league, and taking this drill as an example, I can see why they are always able to play so fluidly.It took me a while to adjust my eyes, trying to get a sense of who was playing where, and getting used to seeing certain players in jerseys that are not blue or their club color. The game was very fast tempoed. It was like watching basketball, the players going back and forth with really fast passing and running. As could be expected, there was little fouling, so we didn't get to see as many opportunities for free kicks (which I think are some of the biggest weapons of some of the players, like Anderson Lima, Ogasawara, Abe, Miura, Soma), but still it was a pretty entertaining afternoon.
Though at the beginning, when the rosters for both sides were first announced, I thought the J-East team had a more attractive lineup. It was sad that Ishikawa, Kaji, Endo all had to pull out to injury. The game started off with the rhythm for the East (in red) -- a great cross from left Soma to fw Maki's side-twisting header. However West (in grey) picked things up, and particularly Magno Alves was setting up with some delicious passes -- I thought he would more determinedly go after a goal for himself, but instead seemed to make more of a mark in his assists. One which was a pass open to right with the outside of his foot to Fukunishi, who chased the ball into the area and volleyed from an angle for a really sweet goal. 
After that West widened the score with a goal each from Takamatsu and Gon Nakayama, and East tried to catch up via a corner with a rebound header from Nakazawa. We also saw a really beautiful mid-range shot from Tatsu Tanaka, but it hit the bar.Miyamoto, as usual, was aiming for the MVP -- now him trying to be the first defender to win the award is turning into a sort of tradition. There was one scene when he popped up on the left side and sent a rather slick cross into the penalty area for a great opportunity -- I think Fukunishi may have been the one to almost head it in. Unfortunately for him, he was out-shone by Nakazawa on the East team, who didn't get the MVP either (Magno Alves did), but got the Fighting Spirit award.
During the game, the television audio sub-channel was broadcasting the Yabbecchi FC (a football digest show that is hosted by a popular variety/comedian personality) group as they invited different players to come and chat with them as the game was being played. A lot of joking around, and gossip of what happens off the pitch, at NT camp, and so forth. It was silly but fun to listen to. Tanaka and Ogasawara showed up on the broadcast after they were subbed out at half time, and they said sheepishly that Osim gave them some grumpy words of dissatisfaction, saying Tanaka played too selfishly (relied on individual skill rather than teammates) and Ogasawara was lazy and didn't run enough (which Oga admits is true; I think he and Fukunishi are quite well known for dislking a lot of running, but that's blasphemy in Osim football!).
Anyway, here are Video Highlights:
>>Click for a Video Highlights clip
I always love the mascots entertainment, and they have made available the video clips from that as well. Check these out!
>>Click for the Mascots PK clip
>>Click for the Mascots Tug-o-War clip
>>Click for the Mascots Introductions clip
Wow, it's really autumn now isn't it? The significance of the passage of time hit me as I saw the team come out onto the pitch in their long-sleeved unis. Time is just ticking away, and every game we play it seems we are opening up a new can of worms.
Well, that may be overreacting a bit. Zico tested out the new diamond midfield, which was very interesting as one option going forward.
The game overall was a return to the too-much-possession but not enough physicality against a defensive but powerplay team. Also, the problem of the finish, the final one or two plays that creates that perfect opportunity -- that was lacking too.
Click pic to enlarge. Takahara's shot for a 5th minute goal, while Shunsuke, Yanagisawa and Inamoto watch on.
Click pic to enlarge. Nakamura takes the PK won by Yanagisawa six minutes into the second half, for goal number 2.
VIDEO CLIP
Before I fall into my long monologue about the game, here is a link to download the post-game interview of Hide and Takahara with a replay of Takahara's whopping long-range shot (5min) tucked in at the end.
>>Right-Click and Download Video clip
I will return with a close look at the game; in the meantime, feel free to leave your comments about what you think/thought about the game/result.
P.S. Apparently Hide Nakata and Shunsuke Nakamura are among those nomitated for the AFC Asian Player of the Year award. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say ManU's Korean forward Ji Sun Park will win the thing -- though Nakamura lost it by a nose last year to Iran's Karimi. I guess the question will be how the club performances weigh against the national team contributions...
Well, that may be overreacting a bit. Zico tested out the new diamond midfield, which was very interesting as one option going forward.
The game overall was a return to the too-much-possession but not enough physicality against a defensive but powerplay team. Also, the problem of the finish, the final one or two plays that creates that perfect opportunity -- that was lacking too.
Click pic to enlarge. Takahara's shot for a 5th minute goal, while Shunsuke, Yanagisawa and Inamoto watch on.
Click pic to enlarge. Nakamura takes the PK won by Yanagisawa six minutes into the second half, for goal number 2.VIDEO CLIP
Before I fall into my long monologue about the game, here is a link to download the post-game interview of Hide and Takahara with a replay of Takahara's whopping long-range shot (5min) tucked in at the end.
>>Right-Click and Download Video clip
I will return with a close look at the game; in the meantime, feel free to leave your comments about what you think/thought about the game/result.
P.S. Apparently Hide Nakata and Shunsuke Nakamura are among those nomitated for the AFC Asian Player of the Year award. I'm gonna go out on a limb and say ManU's Korean forward Ji Sun Park will win the thing -- though Nakamura lost it by a nose last year to Iran's Karimi. I guess the question will be how the club performances weigh against the national team contributions...
O-No! <-- Bad pun, but the English started it!Shinji Ono Injured
Ono had gotten tackled in this past weekend's game at Feyenoord, and there was some kind of injury scare. I'm not sure if this injury is related to that, but during practice today, he twisted his right ankle and it's been announced he won't be playing in tomorrow's game against Latvia.
It's a huge disappointment for many supporters, because this was supposed to be the "resurrection" of the golden midfield again.
Not only that, the buzz was that the four (Ina, Shun, Ono, Hide) were going to be starting with a diamond midfield -- for the first time in our history. Ina at the bottom, Shun at top.
It's also bad timing because these four had been practicing together for a couple days (plus they are very used to playing with each other after all these years). Now we only have a day to shift things around.
Matsui, Okubo, and Minowa (three in photo), the three fresh faces (well, relatively fresh!) on the squad seem to be doing very well. Matsui spent the entire first day playing Shunsuke's shadow; running next to him, doing the drills and all the stretches by Shun's side.Okubo scored a couple goals in the mini-practice game, a 9-on-9 affair using a smaller portion of the pitch. (This was Thursday.) He has been saying that he's thinking of this NT opportunity as his last unless he can come up with the goods -- mainly, goals. He's had some bad luck in the NT, scoring a number of goals all to be called off sides. So he has yet to score for the NT, and he does feel the pressure. However, he has said this week that he's a different man from a year ago, having been at Mallorca almost a year now.
Minowa, who is good friends with Fukunishi (Fuku is not with the team this week; he has the all-stars game), said that he got a message of good luck from his former Jubilo Iwata teammate, and has been hearing a lot about the ins and outs of the NT through Fukunishi over the past several years. Right now the defense is a four-back, with Mako Tanaka and Moniwa in the center, but maybe he will get a chance to play in one of the two games. Knowing Zico, probably not, unless people get hurt; still, I'm sure the week has been an interesting one for Minowa. Needless to say, Frontale are delighted with this call-up.
Matsui is expected to move onto the starting roster in tomorrow's game, now that Ono is injured. I wonder if they will keep the diamond or go back to the flat. Sort of like how the team shifted when Ono was injured before the Bahrain game, and Ogasawara went in next to Shunsuke, Hide sliding back to defensive half. Or will they keep the diamond -- which means Hide on the right, Matsui on the left?
Koji Nakata has been playing left sideback, in the absence of Alex (who is delayed) but has been told that he may play that position for one game, and may be switched to the defensive half for the next.
What is eerie and spooky, at least for me, is that I asked for a Nakamura-Matsui line-up with a Koji Nakata left in >>This blog entry about my then-ideal roster. Eep. It's always simple to say, THIS is the lineup that beats all lineups as a theory, but then to have that tested in reality...that's really upping the stakes!
Meanwhile, these two kids (don't they look like six year olds private school kids in the photo?) left Japan via Narita airport Thursday. They are seen in the photo eating a unique Japanese omelette/rice dish called "omu-raisu" (omelette-rice), and basically is ketchup-tainted fried rice wrapped in a thin egg blanket so it looks like a stuffed omelette. The sports rags made a dig at Tsuboi also, who had forgotten his passport -- luckily someone from the JFA rushed to his house and delivered it to Narita before the plane was due to depart.***
And Congrats go out to Naohiro Takahara, who is engaged to be married this year -- apparently the fiance is a porcelain-skinned wisp o' a thing beauty who lives in Hamburg. I always thought of Takahara as the Ina/Hide type -- self-proclaimed bachelor type, but I guess I was wrong!
***
Latvia will show up to the game in full-force tomorrow. The lineup looks like their top team, and is supposed to be a farewell game for national football hero Mihails Zemļinskis who is retiring. Being at home, Latvia are expected to play less defensively than we saw in the qualifiers. I saw their game against Russia in August, and they put up quite a wall against Russia. Since Russia play the kind of pass-oriented football that is similar to Japan, it was an interesting game to watch. Japan will probably have the same kind of trouble, though Latvia will come out more. I expect a bit of rough play, too.
Meanwhile, Inamoto reunited with a former Arsenal mate Igors Stepanovs before training on Thursday. The two call each other friend, and had a nice chat before going off to practice.
Our Turn Now -- Gamba and Jef on to Finals
Yokohama F Marinos 1-0 (PK 1-4) Gamba Osaka
Gamba had scored one goal in the first leg, so the clean header from midfielder Nasu for Marinos at 30 minutes evened things out early on. It was interesting to see that Gamba did put on quite a fight to get ahead, but they kept missing the mark. Araujo had a great chance but the shot hit the bar. Marinos also created, but the last shot was not there. Both semi-finals were rather messy, what with the continuing rain.
Things went to extended time, and when nothing came of that, on to the dreaded PK. Now, in the J, the two other games I remember with PKs were last season's League Championships and this pre-season's Xerox Supercup. And both had Marinos in them. I have to say, Marinos had the Champions look about them last season, which they don't this season. I remember last year, in the final deciding Championship game, at halftime the Marinos players looked relaxed and confident as they headed into the lockerrooms whereas Reds players looked so wound up they were going to pop a blood vessel or two.
Anyway, as you can see from the score, Marinos missed more than one kick, while Gamba chugged along without mishap. Essentially the problem with Marinos has been that they have been unable to maintain a winner's mentality through this year. It's strange how things can change so quickly from one season to the next. And the fact that Gamba's players could cleanly get their PKs in without problems -- that is the scary thing about them; you give them a little opening, and they will make the shot.
The game ended when Oguro got the ball cleanly in on the fourth kick. (photo of Oguro jumping in the air as Miyamoto and Sidiclei join the celebration; click pic to enlarge)
>>Click to see video highlights of the game
Jef Chiba 2-2 Urawa Reds
Jef had won the first leg 2-0, so they were in a comfortable position going into this game. But that comfort flew out the window when Reds had a 2-0 lead after only 27 minutes -- a header from defender Tulio and a hustled toe-in by Tatsuya Tanaka.
I think people assumed Reds were going to get that third goal and win this game in a dramatic finish. I had been rooting for Jef in the Nabisco, but really never even dreamed they would come back like they did.
Jef manager Osim said to the players at halftime, if you're going to lose then at least lose playing proper football. In the first half, Jef players showed their lack of experience (in a crucial game, so close to making it to the final) by being too scared to go forward. They should have been putting on their characteristic front-line pressure, going after the opponent possession actively.
Anyway, it was a tremendous two points they got back, considering how they played in the first half. Both Jef goals came from captain Yuki Abe (photo of Abe looking surprised but happy; click to enlarge). The first was a CK-->header from the nearside. Second was a front-of-goal tap in (watch the highlights video below). I have said throughout the season that I have been really impressed by Abe's growth this year -- especially his presence on the pitch. People think of his free kicks, but he's also scored quite a number off headers. And though he looks very quiet and composed, he's showed passion and determination when it was most needed by the team. In last week's league game against Kashima Antlers, he was a superb match to man-mark Mitsuo Ogasawara.
Reds Tulio got red carded at the 70th minute, but I think that red card could have been psychologically advantageous for Reds -- sort of a nothing-to-lose mentality, since they were losing 3-2 at that point (total goals from both legs). And Reds have been known to put on a frightening show when they are pushed into a corner.
So, the game ended in a tie, but the two goals from the first leg allowed Chiba to proceed to the finals against Gamba. I think I wrote in an entry a couple months back that I wanted to see Jef play Gamba in this final, so I guess I got my wish!
Neither team has held up the silverware, so it will be interesting to see how their lack of experience or their emotions will tip the balance.
>>Click to see video highlights of the game
Yokohama F Marinos 1-0 (PK 1-4) Gamba OsakaGamba had scored one goal in the first leg, so the clean header from midfielder Nasu for Marinos at 30 minutes evened things out early on. It was interesting to see that Gamba did put on quite a fight to get ahead, but they kept missing the mark. Araujo had a great chance but the shot hit the bar. Marinos also created, but the last shot was not there. Both semi-finals were rather messy, what with the continuing rain.
Things went to extended time, and when nothing came of that, on to the dreaded PK. Now, in the J, the two other games I remember with PKs were last season's League Championships and this pre-season's Xerox Supercup. And both had Marinos in them. I have to say, Marinos had the Champions look about them last season, which they don't this season. I remember last year, in the final deciding Championship game, at halftime the Marinos players looked relaxed and confident as they headed into the lockerrooms whereas Reds players looked so wound up they were going to pop a blood vessel or two.
Anyway, as you can see from the score, Marinos missed more than one kick, while Gamba chugged along without mishap. Essentially the problem with Marinos has been that they have been unable to maintain a winner's mentality through this year. It's strange how things can change so quickly from one season to the next. And the fact that Gamba's players could cleanly get their PKs in without problems -- that is the scary thing about them; you give them a little opening, and they will make the shot.
The game ended when Oguro got the ball cleanly in on the fourth kick. (photo of Oguro jumping in the air as Miyamoto and Sidiclei join the celebration; click pic to enlarge)
>>Click to see video highlights of the game
Jef Chiba 2-2 Urawa RedsJef had won the first leg 2-0, so they were in a comfortable position going into this game. But that comfort flew out the window when Reds had a 2-0 lead after only 27 minutes -- a header from defender Tulio and a hustled toe-in by Tatsuya Tanaka.
I think people assumed Reds were going to get that third goal and win this game in a dramatic finish. I had been rooting for Jef in the Nabisco, but really never even dreamed they would come back like they did.
Jef manager Osim said to the players at halftime, if you're going to lose then at least lose playing proper football. In the first half, Jef players showed their lack of experience (in a crucial game, so close to making it to the final) by being too scared to go forward. They should have been putting on their characteristic front-line pressure, going after the opponent possession actively.
Anyway, it was a tremendous two points they got back, considering how they played in the first half. Both Jef goals came from captain Yuki Abe (photo of Abe looking surprised but happy; click to enlarge). The first was a CK-->header from the nearside. Second was a front-of-goal tap in (watch the highlights video below). I have said throughout the season that I have been really impressed by Abe's growth this year -- especially his presence on the pitch. People think of his free kicks, but he's also scored quite a number off headers. And though he looks very quiet and composed, he's showed passion and determination when it was most needed by the team. In last week's league game against Kashima Antlers, he was a superb match to man-mark Mitsuo Ogasawara.
Reds Tulio got red carded at the 70th minute, but I think that red card could have been psychologically advantageous for Reds -- sort of a nothing-to-lose mentality, since they were losing 3-2 at that point (total goals from both legs). And Reds have been known to put on a frightening show when they are pushed into a corner.
So, the game ended in a tie, but the two goals from the first leg allowed Chiba to proceed to the finals against Gamba. I think I wrote in an entry a couple months back that I wanted to see Jef play Gamba in this final, so I guess I got my wish!
Neither team has held up the silverware, so it will be interesting to see how their lack of experience or their emotions will tip the balance.
>>Click to see video highlights of the game
I will try and catch up on the report of this past weekend's J1 games some time in the next few days.
Zico left for Germany ahead of the rest of the NT in order to scout out the various possibles for camp locales in preparation for next summer. Apparently already a lot of countries have made multiple reservations, and the JFA want to have Zico decide on a place before things start to get booked up.
The ten domestic players got on a plane yesterday and safely landed in Riga, and I think most of the 9 European players will join the squad today (or have done so already). The two Urawa Reds players will join them after their Nabisco Cup semi-final today...
I read a little blurb somewhere that Nakazawa (who was chosen for the all-stars and therefore cannot go to Europe this week) emailed def Mako Tanaka saying he really wanted to go to Europe. Every time Japan has gone on a mini tour of Europe we have seen some interesting things arise. Nakazawa himself got his first big opportunity in a European tour also, so I guess he's feeling the heat of the competition now -- particularly in Frontale's Minowa (called up for the first time) who is just as tall, strong, and mature.
I will try and catch the Nabisco games, and get back with a report.
Japan plays Latvia on the 8th.
The Jomo Allstars game is on the 9th.
The NT game against the Ukraine is on the 12th.
The J1 league games resume on the 15th.
busy busy!
Zico left for Germany ahead of the rest of the NT in order to scout out the various possibles for camp locales in preparation for next summer. Apparently already a lot of countries have made multiple reservations, and the JFA want to have Zico decide on a place before things start to get booked up.
The ten domestic players got on a plane yesterday and safely landed in Riga, and I think most of the 9 European players will join the squad today (or have done so already). The two Urawa Reds players will join them after their Nabisco Cup semi-final today...
I read a little blurb somewhere that Nakazawa (who was chosen for the all-stars and therefore cannot go to Europe this week) emailed def Mako Tanaka saying he really wanted to go to Europe. Every time Japan has gone on a mini tour of Europe we have seen some interesting things arise. Nakazawa himself got his first big opportunity in a European tour also, so I guess he's feeling the heat of the competition now -- particularly in Frontale's Minowa (called up for the first time) who is just as tall, strong, and mature.
I will try and catch the Nabisco games, and get back with a report.
Japan plays Latvia on the 8th.
The Jomo Allstars game is on the 9th.
The NT game against the Ukraine is on the 12th.
The J1 league games resume on the 15th.
busy busy!
Hi all, sorry for my long absence from the blog. I've been ill for the past four days, and finally got back on my feet today. The weather has been hot/cold weird lately, and I think my immune system was just not working properly to battle the germs and things flying around.
Anyway, I'm a bit behind, and with a hundred interesting things happening in the next week, feeling a little rushed to catch up on things.
But first.... (drum roll please)
Otto, a friend of this blog, and enthusiastic Romanian fan of the Japan NT living in Bucharest, has sent in a report about Shinji Ono when Feyenoord visited for the second leg of the UEFA against Rapid.
■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Welcome back Shinji!!
Guest Writer: Otto
I will describe in this article the two days visit of the Feyenoord playmaker and passing master, Shinji Ono.
28 september 2005. Rapid Bucharest will play Feyenoord Rotterdam in a thrilling second leg in wich the dutch players try to overturn the first leg's home result of 1-1. Around 12:30 the dutch team, including Shinji Ono (who came back as first line-up player after a long period of medical problems) arrives in Bucharest by plane. Their training is scheduled at 19:00 and i will be there to watch one of my favourite players, Shinji Ono, wich i've met 2 years ago, when he first came to Romania, Bucharest for a friendly match between Romania and Japan. That time i obtained his signature and a handshake with him. This time i had bigger plans. I wanted to snap a photo with him after the training session. I took some photos during the training session (sorry for the low quality of the photos, which were made with a non-zooming camera) and here you can see them. (most of them include Ono, although it's very unclear..)
During the training session Ono showed alot of commitment being always first at every exercise Koeman put his team to. He also left to the showers first of all players. Then me and my best friend Adrian waited for him to take the chance of snapping a photo. We waited several minutes in front of the Feyenoord club bus. I was disappointed for not seeing Ono get on the bus.. Then i had an inspirational moment wich proved crucial in attaining my goal. I asked a dutch person of Feyenoord's delegation who was carrying some luggage into the bus (which actually was the person who handles supporter's requests- what luck!!) where Ono could be. He told me Ono is already on the bus! I was kind of disappointed. Then i asked him if he could convince Ono to take a photo with me. He promised me he would do so. I waited and waited... I was loosing my patience, and was already resigned of not meeting Ono. But finally i saw him getting off the bus and coming straight to me. I was like dreaming. I shook hands with him and pose for a photo. Then he asked me where did i get my Japan National Team Home Jersey. I told him i bought it from eBay. He said it's very cool. Then we took another picture (which was taken correctly this time by Adrian) and i remebered him the first time we met two years ago at the Romania vs Japan friendly (ended 1-1). He was very surprised and i wished him "Gambatte" for tomorow's important match with Rapid Bucharest.
The day of the match,the final showdown.. 29 september. Feyenoord needed victory to qualify. But Rapid easily took the lead( min. 13) on an Oslund catastophic mistake.( see the video of Mugurel Buga scoring the only goal of the match) Feyenoord couldn't create the playing style they we're looking for. Ono had a big chance of scoring from 20 meters, but the GK Coman put off a brilliant save. Ono had a really though match, allthough he was quite handy collecting and intercepting alot of loose balls or weak passes. Ono did the best he could do, but the team,mostly the defence was like paralyzed be the early goal and the inefficiency of the attack.
Dirk Kuyt the captain who always scored no matter what, was permanently surrounded by 3-4 romanian players. He couldn't do anything except speculate some error of Rapid's defence but always the romanian where protected by luck and chance. Even the late equalisier of Andre Bahia wich was not validated because of Dirk Kuyt being caught offside couldn't boost the team's morale to avoid the disaster of being kicked out of Uefa Cup.
The match ended. 1-0 for Rapid. Feyenoord is out. Ono must be really disappointed. But that's football. He alone cannot change the destiny of his team. He is an invaluable player.Not a big star like Ronaldinho or others, but a little star that is helping his team little by little achieve victory. From a defeat you can learn more.( that what i think a japanese proverb is saying)
I close this article hoping that in the future i will meet Shinji Ono again. For the third time...
>>Click to watch video of Bucharest goal
***
Depflight note: Thanks so much to Otto for sending in his report and the photos and the video clip!! I took the liberty of resizing some of the photos and putting a mask over Otto's face, as I am wary of some of the problems that can arise from posting photos on the net.
If you would like to send in a report, article, or opinion piece (or photos, video) about anything having to do with Japanese football or footballers, please email me any time (depflight@yahoo.co.jp). It's so much more interesting to get reports and opinions from around the world!
Anyway, I'm a bit behind, and with a hundred interesting things happening in the next week, feeling a little rushed to catch up on things.
But first.... (drum roll please)
Otto, a friend of this blog, and enthusiastic Romanian fan of the Japan NT living in Bucharest, has sent in a report about Shinji Ono when Feyenoord visited for the second leg of the UEFA against Rapid.
■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Welcome back Shinji!!
Guest Writer: Otto
I will describe in this article the two days visit of the Feyenoord playmaker and passing master, Shinji Ono.
28 september 2005. Rapid Bucharest will play Feyenoord Rotterdam in a thrilling second leg in wich the dutch players try to overturn the first leg's home result of 1-1. Around 12:30 the dutch team, including Shinji Ono (who came back as first line-up player after a long period of medical problems) arrives in Bucharest by plane. Their training is scheduled at 19:00 and i will be there to watch one of my favourite players, Shinji Ono, wich i've met 2 years ago, when he first came to Romania, Bucharest for a friendly match between Romania and Japan. That time i obtained his signature and a handshake with him. This time i had bigger plans. I wanted to snap a photo with him after the training session. I took some photos during the training session (sorry for the low quality of the photos, which were made with a non-zooming camera) and here you can see them. (most of them include Ono, although it's very unclear..)
During the training session Ono showed alot of commitment being always first at every exercise Koeman put his team to. He also left to the showers first of all players. Then me and my best friend Adrian waited for him to take the chance of snapping a photo. We waited several minutes in front of the Feyenoord club bus. I was disappointed for not seeing Ono get on the bus.. Then i had an inspirational moment wich proved crucial in attaining my goal. I asked a dutch person of Feyenoord's delegation who was carrying some luggage into the bus (which actually was the person who handles supporter's requests- what luck!!) where Ono could be. He told me Ono is already on the bus! I was kind of disappointed. Then i asked him if he could convince Ono to take a photo with me. He promised me he would do so. I waited and waited... I was loosing my patience, and was already resigned of not meeting Ono. But finally i saw him getting off the bus and coming straight to me. I was like dreaming. I shook hands with him and pose for a photo. Then he asked me where did i get my Japan National Team Home Jersey. I told him i bought it from eBay. He said it's very cool. Then we took another picture (which was taken correctly this time by Adrian) and i remebered him the first time we met two years ago at the Romania vs Japan friendly (ended 1-1). He was very surprised and i wished him "Gambatte" for tomorow's important match with Rapid Bucharest.
The day of the match,the final showdown.. 29 september. Feyenoord needed victory to qualify. But Rapid easily took the lead( min. 13) on an Oslund catastophic mistake.( see the video of Mugurel Buga scoring the only goal of the match) Feyenoord couldn't create the playing style they we're looking for. Ono had a big chance of scoring from 20 meters, but the GK Coman put off a brilliant save. Ono had a really though match, allthough he was quite handy collecting and intercepting alot of loose balls or weak passes. Ono did the best he could do, but the team,mostly the defence was like paralyzed be the early goal and the inefficiency of the attack.
Dirk Kuyt the captain who always scored no matter what, was permanently surrounded by 3-4 romanian players. He couldn't do anything except speculate some error of Rapid's defence but always the romanian where protected by luck and chance. Even the late equalisier of Andre Bahia wich was not validated because of Dirk Kuyt being caught offside couldn't boost the team's morale to avoid the disaster of being kicked out of Uefa Cup.
The match ended. 1-0 for Rapid. Feyenoord is out. Ono must be really disappointed. But that's football. He alone cannot change the destiny of his team. He is an invaluable player.Not a big star like Ronaldinho or others, but a little star that is helping his team little by little achieve victory. From a defeat you can learn more.( that what i think a japanese proverb is saying)
I close this article hoping that in the future i will meet Shinji Ono again. For the third time...
>>Click to watch video of Bucharest goal
***
Depflight note: Thanks so much to Otto for sending in his report and the photos and the video clip!! I took the liberty of resizing some of the photos and putting a mask over Otto's face, as I am wary of some of the problems that can arise from posting photos on the net.
If you would like to send in a report, article, or opinion piece (or photos, video) about anything having to do with Japanese football or footballers, please email me any time (depflight@yahoo.co.jp). It's so much more interesting to get reports and opinions from around the world!
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