<Match Review>
The 2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League resumes after a two-week interval. After struggling with three consecutive matches without scoring in official competitions, the team managed a narrow victory against Nara Club with a goal in the second half of stoppage time during the 2025 J League YBC Levain Cup held during the break, advancing to the next stage. As the team has been gradually building up their performance, scoring and winning in the league should significantly change the momentum. This match at home is one they desperately want to secure a victory in.
The match here is the "Tamagawa Classico" against Kawasaki Frontale. It is a rivalry that dates back to the JFL era. Additionally, the opposing team Kawasaki has three players from the Aoyaka Academy, Yamaguchi, Maruyama, and Miura, in the starting lineup. It will be a game with a mysterious connection.
The starting eleven for Tokyo includes goalkeeper Taishi Brandon NOZAWA, and in the final line, Seiji KIMURA, who is making his league debut, joins the squad following the Levain Cup match against Nara, alongside academy graduates Kanta DOHI and Teppei OKA. The wing-backs are Kosuke SHIRAI on the right and Soma ANZAI on the left, while the central midfielders are Takahiro KO and Kento HASHIMOTO. The inside midfielders are Megumi SATO and Kota TAWARATSUMIDA, with Teruhito NAKAGAWA deployed at the forefront.
In addition to the 3-back formation, the starting lineup includes a record-tying 7 players from the academy (the most in the club's history since the 2015 Meiji Yasuda J1 League Sec. 15 match against Matsumoto Yamaga FC), with a total of 11 players on the bench, centered around the "Aoiaka blood" as they aim for consecutive official match victories following the Levain Cup match against Nara.
1st HALF – Unable to break down the opponent, the first half ends scoreless
From the early stages, Tokyo took control. They thoroughly created multiple passing lanes at varying distances for the ball holder, increasing their possession rate. In the 3rd minute of the first half, Tawaratsumida made a long solo dribble down the left side to win a corner kick, then in the 6th minute, he cut in from the left side and took a right-footed shot. Following that, in the 7th minute, he broke free from a floated pass by Sato to create a scoring chance, showing an aggressive attitude. As a team, they advanced into the opponent’s territory mixing short and long passes with dribbling.
Both teams are playing attacking football while holding onto the ball. Kawasaki is also trying to create chances with long through passes and runs behind the defense, while Tokyo shows aggressive pressing and physical defense, resulting in a tense and exciting match.
In the 28th minute of the first half, Takai received a powerful header from a set piece in front of the goal, but Nozawa made a sharp reaction to make a fine save from a close-range shot. It seemed that Takai had headed the ball into the net from this corner kick, but they escaped trouble as a foul was called.
Tokyo connects the ball from the final line, looking for attacking options while increasing possession rate. They try to break through while avoiding the opponent's press, but they can't fully break down the opponent once they enter the attacking third. This is a period where they need more creativity from the middle zone to finish.
Although the number of dangerous situations in front of the goal gradually increased, the first half ended without any score. For Tokyo, they went into halftime leaving issues with how to bring the ball to the finish and their finishing ability.
2nd HALF—Conceded 3 goals in the second half. A frustrating home defeat
No substitutions for either side at halftime. At the start of the second half, Kawasaki took control of the ball for an extended period.
Gradually gaining momentum, Tokyo earned a free kick in the 5th minute of the second half when player Sato was brought down while attempting to break through on the right side. Player Anzai aimed directly with his right foot, but unfortunately missed just to the right of the goal. In the 7th minute, player Shirai, who had overlapped from the right side, delivered a cross. Player Anzai aimed for the loose ball that was deflected by the goalkeeper in front of the goal, but he couldn't take the shot as the trajectory changed just before. There were several close scenes from set plays.
Tokyo continued to connect passes and launch attacks. However, in the 10th minute of the second half, they were caught off guard and a cross came in from the left side, allowing Yamada to turn and shoot in the penalty area, resulting in the first goal being conceded.
In the 20th minute of the second half, Tokyo, aiming for a counterattack, brought in Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA and Keigo HIGASHI to replace players Tsumada and Hashimoto. Ogashiwa took the left inside half position, while Higashi moved into the defensive midfielder position.
As the loud cheers supporting the team resonate from behind the goal, Tokyo aims to strengthen their offensive. Players Shirai, Okabayashi, Kyo SATO, and Nakagawa make a swift advance into the opponent's territory with a speedy attack, while in the midfield, they seek to break through by maintaining possession starting from the holding midfield duo.
In the 26th minute of the second half, Koki TSUKAGAWA was brought onto the pitch in place of Sato. Similar to the Nara match, he was positioned at the forefront, while Nakagawa was moved one line back to the inside half position.
However, just after that, in the 28th minute of the second half, a right cross from the opponent was met by Ito, who had just come on as a substitute, allowing an additional goal.
Tokyo found themselves with a 2-goal deficit. They intensified their pressing from the front line, pushing an aggressive stance. However, when they tried to raise the line and attack while maintaining possession, they lost the ball under pressure on the final line, leading to a long counterattack from Kawasaki that resulted in a goal, further widening the lead in a difficult situation.
Immediately after conceding a goal, players Doi and Nakagawa were replaced by Leon NOZAWA and Kouta Tokiwa, changing to a four-back formation, but they were unable to shake the net until the end. This resulted in four consecutive league matches without a goal, and they ended up with a frustrating result, losing 0-3 to Kawasaki for the third time in a row, following last season's home and away matches.
MATCH DETAILS
<FC Tokyo>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Taishi Brandon NOZAWA
DF Tetsuhira OKA/Kanta DOI (41st minute: Leon NOZAWA)/Seiji KIMURA/Kosuke SHIRAI
MF Soma ANZAI/Takahiro TAKAHASHI/Kento HASHIMOTO (20th minute: Keigo HIGASHI)/Kota TAWARATSUMIDA (20th minute: Go KOBAYASHI)
FW Megumi SATO (26th minute: Koki TSUKAGAWA)/Teruhito NAKAGAWA (41st minute: Kouta TOKIWAKI)
SUBS
GK Go HATANO
DF Yasuki KIMOTO/Henrique Trevisan
MF Hisatoshi NISHIDO
MANAGER
Rikizo MATSUHASHI
GOAL
ー
<Kawasaki Frontale>
STARTING Ⅺ
GK Louis YAMAGUCHI
DF Sasaki Asahi/Kota TAKAI/Maruyama Yuuichi/Miura Souta
MF Yuki YAMAMOTO (41st min: Kawahara Hajime)/Ryota OSHIMA (33rd min: Kento TACHIBANADA)/Yasuto WAKIZAKA
FW Akihiro IENAGA/(41st min: Yusuke SEGAWA)/MARCINHO (26th min: Ito Tatsuya)/Yamada Arata (33rd min: Ellison)
SUBS
GK Chung Sung-ryong
DF Van Welmeskerken / Jesiel
FW Ten MIYAGI
MANAGER
Shigetoshi HASEBE
GOAL
10 minutes into the second half: Shin YAMADA / 28 minutes into the second half: Tatsuya ITO / 38 minutes into the second half: Ellison
[Interview with Coach Rikizo MATSUHASHI]
Q: please review the game.
A, it was a very frustrating result. The players expressed a more aggressive style of play in both offense and defense from the start of the match, and they played with a strong awareness of what we had prepared. I am very satisfied with that and believe we need to build on it for the next match. However, we had too few shots in every game, and we need to improve the quality in the final attacking third. This includes the risk of counterattacks, and while creating goal difference is important, I believe we must further improve the key areas as well.
Q: After the last two matches, I felt you really pushed the needle. Was there any change in your mindset? Also, I think the start of the game was good, but what do you think caused the gradual tone-down?
A, I have a very strong awareness of what I seek and what I communicate, and I am grateful to the players for that. This time, I felt I pushed the needle more than usual, and while I had the ball, I ended up losing it more often than I would have liked. It's not just about the number of challenges, but also about where we are winning the ball and under what circumstances. I don't mean to say that we haven't organized that, but gradually, the number of ball losses increased, and it was disappointing that the time we spent defending gradually increased.
Q: From midway through the second half, you brought Koki TSUKAGAWA into the top position. Are you currently exploring new ways to score in order to break through the situation where you have not been able to score?
A, it is certainly not a difficult situation. It is natural for the players currently here to perform. We have been able to fully utilize his characteristics through daily training. Although we couldn't quite show that today, he worked hard on the defensive side, and I am very grateful for that. However, it's not about who specifically, but rather that we need to have patterns where anyone can create the same play. If we don't improve our ability to execute precise plays according to the situation, I believe it will not be easy to score.
Q, watching how the team started today's match, I feel they have progressed considerably. I think it will take some time to fully play the style of soccer envisioned by Rikizo MATSUHASHI, but do you feel there is a sense of advancement?
A, gradually... I have been saying that my expression is 'while tickling', but there were parts where that form became a bit difficult to see, so I will emphasize that a bit more and ask the players for it, and the players will respond to that expectation 100 percent. Conversely, if I can accurately convey the right things to them and they can turn that into something tangible, I believe we can move in a better direction.
[Player Interview]
＜Kosuke SHIRAI＞
Q, please review the game.
I regret the result of 0-3 and losing at home. In terms of content, there were times when we were able to implement the play and build-up from the back that we have been focusing on and being conscious of since this season, and there were also moments when our pressing from the front worked well. However, while we maintained possession of the ball, we were not able to become a threat to the opponent in the final moments regarding how to penetrate and aim for the goal. I felt that there is still a lot we need to improve on. We had chances, but I want to increase the number of opportunities and enhance the reproducibility of our play.
Q: Especially in the first half, it seemed that you were conscious of approaching the opponent's full-backs, as you were actively defending from a high position.
During defense, I was conscious of applying pressure on the opponent in a formation like 4-2-4. By positioning myself slightly higher on the right, I aimed to create chances after regaining possession. I believe we were able to effectively coordinate and win the ball in the desired positions during the first half.
Q: The league matches have been tough, but do you feel any growth or progress in the team during this time?
A, the build-up is still in a developing stage, but as a team, we are working with a high level of awareness, and we are able to align our consciousness in the same direction to take on challenges. We just need to continue to repeat challenges and growth steadily.
Q: The next match is against Tokyo Verdy. This is a particularly important and highly anticipated game in the annual league. What do you want to keep in mind for this match?
In the league, we have suffered consecutive losses, and the next match is an absolute must-win against Tokyo Verdy. To prepare for a match that we cannot afford to lose, we will fight with strong determination and resolve aiming for victory.
<Tsuyoshi OGASHIWA>
Q: You came on as a substitute. What instructions did the coach give you?
I was told to play in the shadow position, receiving the ball between the lines, facing forward, and making movements to score. I think I was able to differentiate well between when to take on defenders and when to use passes. However, I feel disappointed that I couldn't convert those opportunities into goals.
Q: Specifically, what aspects were lacking in order to score goals?
We weren't able to make the final through passes very well. The pass two steps before the goal was slightly off, and even when we had the ball in a good position, the passes were off. Gradually, these small discrepancies added up, and we found ourselves unable to make through passes. I believe we need to improve the quality of each play to get closer to scoring.
Q: How will you prepare for the next match?
A, I think we have to practice because there are few shooting opportunities. The next match is on Wednesday, so we need to communicate well among the players and work on creating our shape. I believe we absolutely must win the match against Tokyo Verdy, so I want to prepare well to show results rather than just focusing on the content.
