Worst Ground Condition!?

The Yamagata City Athletics Stadium, which served as the venue for the match on this day, was far worse than we expected. The players who arrived at the venue were speechless at the "harsh environment" that spread out in front of them, and doubted whether they could play here. About 50% of the pitch had no grass and was bare, and it was also bumpy and hard. Beyond 30cm from the touchline, there was no grass and it became a hard dirt track, making it dangerous to play near the line. "Is it okay to hold the J-League here?" Such a terrible stadium, where such voices were heard everywhere, was too "harsh" for Tokyo Eleven, who were already physically and mentally exhausted from playing in the league and cup matches in an extremely tight schedule. Away games are already disadvantageous for the away team, but the situation on this day was extraordinary and even lowered the players' "fighting spirit".

Yamagata, who knows the ground well

The match started in 22°C, which felt chilly with occasional strong winds. As expected (?), it quickly turned into a "kicking contest" from the very beginning. The uneven surface made dribbling difficult as the ball bounced unpredictably, requiring more effort than usual just to stop it. Consequently, Tokyo's style of carefully connecting passes in midfield and building attacks through the dribbling breakthroughs of the full-backs fell silent. Naturally, it was impossible to play "normal football" on such a pitch, and Tokyo couldn't find a way to attack due to the far worse ground conditions than anticipated. On the other hand, Yamagata struggled with the sensation of chasing a rugby ball as the bouncing ball rolled in unexpected directions, but it seemed they had practiced on this pitch several times, and their "tactics (?)" were thoroughly implemented. They completely skipped the passing in midfield and focused on winning the ball, launching long balls into the space behind the defense. This was very much like rugby tactics, prioritizing moving forward and aiming for the opponent to mishandle the bouncing ball. What was even more impressive (?) was their awareness of kicking the ball while it was still in the air. Indeed, on this pitch, it was reasonable to expect that stopping the ball would take time and effort, leading to mistakes. Therefore, kicking the ball in the air posed a lower risk, and if the pass didn't require precision, it was effective. It was only natural that Yamagata, well-acquainted with this pitch, took control of the match.

2 goals conceded

Tokyo, which understands it in its head, but can't easily switch from "usual soccer". Left back Fujiyama usually has a dribble skill that can easily pass through 2-3 people, so he consciously tries to kick forward, but when the opponent presses sharply, he reflexively dribbles. In the midfield, Almir tries to break through with his usual image and a combination with FW Amaral, but the ground pass lacks accuracy and is easily cut off by the opponent. Tokyo is frustrated by not being able to create a rhythm and tries to pass to Amaral and Okamoto, who are on the front line, but it is simple and lacks ingenuity, making it easy for the opponent to read. Yamagata's defensive line is deep, and they couldn't penetrate the space behind the defenders.

On the other hand, Yamagata, well-acquainted with the pitch, repeatedly executed a thorough long ball strategy. Yamagata established a base with the powerful two-top of Mutail, the current J2 top scorer, and a former Nigerian national team player who previously played for Kawasaki Frontale, along with Hirama, who possesses speed and technique, moving around in the midfield. Sandro marked Mutail, Komine marked Hirama, and Asari perfectly contained them, but they were unable to catch Bouter, who surged from deep in the midfield to the front line, occasionally causing a crisis. In the 16th minute, Bouter unleashed a powerful shot that was deflected by goalkeeper Suzuki with an incredible save, resulting in a corner kick for Yamagata. However, the ball kicked by Yoshida from the left corner seemed too high but lost speed due to the strong wind, sharply curved, and was sucked in just past the far post, almost mocking Suzuki's desperate jump. With this, Yamagata gained even more momentum, and the overall pace quickened, becoming one-sided. In the 42nd minute, Fujiyama had his dribble cut off, leading to a counterattack and a cross, which resulted in Hirama's shot being pushed in by Mutail for the second goal. Tokyo returned to the locker room at halftime trailing 0-2, unable to find their rhythm.

The fierce comeback in the second half fell just short.

In the second half, Tokyo replaced defensive midfielder Shinjo with forward Kaburaki and began their counterattack. Confirming the coach's instructions to focus on wing attacks during halftime, Tokyo established a base with Kaburaki, Yukihiko, and Umeyama on the right side, while Almir and Fujiyama connected on the left side. When they picked up the ball in midfield or defense, they thoroughly spread it to the sides, leading to crosses or dribbling into the center, causing Yamagata's defense line to start breaking down. However, while the increased chances from the attacking participation of the full-backs also invited danger from counterattacks on the sides. Particularly on the left side, Hirama broke free from Bauter’s exquisite pass, creating a scoring opportunity. The intense back-and-forth continued, and in the 67th minute of the second half, during an attack from the right side, Yukihiko was fouled by a Yamagata defender just before the central penalty area while attempting to shoot, resulting in a free kick. Almir aimed directly at the free kick from this excellent position, and the ball released from his left foot sharply curved over the wall and hit the top right corner of the goal with a "thud." Following his artistic goal in the previous match against Oita (9/25), Almir once again scored, closing the gap to one point, prompting Tokyo to launch a fierce attack. When Yamagata had one player sent off in the 70th minute, they were reduced to ten men, leading to a one-sided development for Tokyo. With a pressing mood, Tokyo dominated the ball, creating chances by breaking through the sides multiple times, but they lacked precision in their crosses and could not reach decisive opportunities. In the 81st minute, they substituted defender Umeyama for forward Enomoto, continuing to attack with a highly offensive three-top formation, but ultimately failed to secure an additional goal and suffered a narrow defeat. This week, they ceded the top position to Kawasaki F, who won against Niigata, falling to second place.

<Coach Okuma's Comment>

A ground like today's doesn't suit Almir. Because he couldn't become the starting point, he couldn't build up the attack. Also, we fought with the image of a normal ground overall and ended up being defeated. Especially the second goal in the first half is a typical example of that. It's our fault that we couldn't switch easily compared to Yamagata, who came prepared for this ground. However, considering how much we were able to move in the second half, I don't think our condition is bad, so I want to quickly switch our mindset and face the Kashima game on the 6th.

"Accumulated Warning Status"

Takayuki KOMINE... (2) → (3)

Sandro... (1) → (2)