Aiming for 3 points with a new lineup!

　Sec. 26 of the J1 League was an away game against Omiya Ardija. In the previous match against Oita, we couldn't attack with a good rhythm in the first half, but by changing the formation to a two-top with Toda and Sasa in the second half, the ball retention rate increased and several decisive chances were created from both sides. However, the result was a scoreless draw for the second consecutive game. We have kept three consecutive games without conceding a goal, and the defensive balance has improved as a whole team. However, there have been no results in terms of the attacking aspect.

　Omiya currently has the same points as Tokyo with 28 points, sitting in 14th place due to goal difference. In August, FW Cristiano (6 goals) transferred, and since then, they have had 1 win, 1 draw, and 5 losses in the last 7 matches. Particularly, they have been on a losing streak for the last 4 matches, causing their ranking to drop. Although the performance has not been bad, they have not been able to achieve results. In the last match against Kawasaki, they approached the game with a 4-1-4-1 formation placing FW Yamashita as the lone striker, and if they had scored at least one goal during the first half chances, the outcome might have been different, but they ultimately conceded 2 goals and lost 1-2. In this match, they have made changes to the lineup. The system has shifted to a two-top formation with Sakurai and Yamashita, and on the sides, MF Fujimoto and TUTO will aim to score with quick counters after regaining possession. Additionally, in defense, the holding midfielder Davidson Jun Marcus, who was suspended for 2 matches, has returned, stabilizing the defense from the midfield.

　Tokyo has also made changes to their lineup. Bamba is playing as an attacking midfielder, and Miyazawa, who is in good form, has replaced Kajiyama as the defensive midfielder. With these two players, the team's attacking accent and variation will undoubtedly increase, especially in terms of their tendency to become one-dimensional in the previous match. Additionally, based on the data that Omiya concedes many goals from set pieces, there are also expectations for these two players as set-piece takers. Furthermore, despite only a few days passing since the Yokohama FM match on 9/17, Lucas has made a remarkable recovery and returned to the team. Despite not being fully fit with his right ankle, Kaji has also been included in the starting lineup due to his strong desire and the importance of this match.

　In the previous May home game, the opponent caught up with us at the end and it was a shock as if we had lost, as Coach Hara also said. In order to take revenge on that opponent and also to win in a direct confrontation with the same number of points, we must definitely take "3" points. Including this game, there are 9 remaining games, and it will be a tough battle that we absolutely cannot lose. I want you to believe in your own power and the power of your teammates, and fight with all your might without hesitation to aim for victory. Despite being in October, the Komaba Stadium still has strong sunlight and the game started with a kick-off in Tokyo at 15:04.

New Line-Up Aims To Nut Squirrels 

F.C.TOKYO made the short trip north to Saitama to take on Omiya Ardija in the 26th round of games. The previous fixture, against Oita Trinita, had been the proverbial game of two halves: a rather uncomfortable first half followed by a change of formation to 4-4-2 and a vastly improved second half performance that saw TOKYO find their rhythm and create a hatful of chances from the wings. Nobody took them though, and a second consecutive 0-0 draw was the result. Three consecutive clean sheets showed the strength of the defence but goalscoring remained the most urgent problem.
Opponents Ardija were in freefall following the transfer of leading scorer Christian in August. In the seven games since his departure they had a W1 D1 L5 record and were mired in a four game losing streak. The team wasn't playing particularly badly; they just couldn't get the results. The previous game against Frontale was an even affair which Kawasaki had edged 2-1. In that game manager Miura had fielded a 4-1-4-1 system with Yamashita as lone striker; for the visit of TOKYO he played Sakurai and Yamashita as forwards with midfielders Hashimoto and Tuto on the flanks in a formation designed for counter attacking at speed. Defensive midfielder Davidson Jun Marques returned from a two match suspension to add some stability to the defence.
TOKYO had made some changes as well; Baba played behind the striker and the in-form Miyazawa replaced Kajiyama in midfield. Their inclusion was an attempt to vary the options in attack. Also, data showed Ardija had conceded several goals from set plays and both are skilled free kick takers. TOKYO welcomed back Lucas in a miraculous return following his hospitalization for concussion and Kaji, determined to play in such an important match, appeared despite an ankle injury.
Ardija had grabbed a dramatic late equaliser in the reverse fixture in May in a game that TOKYO manager Hara described as, "Shocking. It felt like we had lost". Revenge for that and an opportunity to defeat a side on the same number of points raised the intensity among the TOKYO players. Ardija kicked off shortly after 3pm on an unseasonably hot afternoon.

No goals in the first half despite creating decisive chances

　As expected, Omiya strengthened their defense and executed a counter-attack strategy. In the 3rd minute, MF TUTO attempted a dribble breakthrough after stealing the ball in the midfield. Immediately after, TUTO advanced on the right side of the area and received a through pass, resulting in a free shot. It was a decisive moment, but it was barely saved and turned into a corner kick. Tokyo struggled to attack as Omiya quickly regrouped, and their attempts to enter the midfield were intercepted, leading to sharp counter-attacks.

　Tokyo was unable to attack as they wanted, but after 10 minutes they finally created a chance. Imakano intercepted the ball in the midfield and passed it to Baba on the left side. The ball reached Lucas in the center at the right time, and he took a daring shot from outside the box, but it went over the bar. In the 16th minute, Jean's clearance ball reached Baba, who launched a counterattack from the left side, and in the end, Kurisawa's shot was blocked by the opponent's defender. In the 18th minute, Miyazawa delivered a fast ball near the right corner kick, and Jean competed for the ball with the opponent's defender, but it was caught by the goalkeeper.

　Tokyo, who grasped the flow, continued to attack afterwards. In the 20th minute, there was a counterattack from Omiya's corner kick. Kurisawa passed to Baba on the left side, and Miyazawa ran into a big side change. Although the centering pass couldn't be made, Kaji followed up and created a good opportunity. In the 25th minute, Miyazawa's ball from the central free kick was too long and went directly to the opponent's goalkeeper. In the 28th minute, Lucas passed to Miyazawa from a post-play. Miyazawa tried to pass a lobbed ball to Toda, who ran behind the opponent's defense, but the opponent's goalkeeper caught it. In the 30th minute, Kurisawa dribbled and attacked the center, attracting the defense and passing to Kaji on the right side. Lucas tried to head the cross, but it didn't go into the goal.

　37 minutes, Fujiyama dribbles on the left side and enters the area, Lucas receives the ball in the center and forcefully goes for a shot, but it goes over the bar. It was a close opportunity with Miyazawa free on the side. In the 38th minute, Lucas skillfully keeps the ball after clearing by Shigeno in their own half. He then dribbles towards the goal and takes a shot inside the area, but it is saved by the opponent's goalkeeper despite being surrounded by three defenders. Both were decisive chances but couldn't be capitalized on.

　Omiya also had a counterattack from the right side in the 41st minute of the endgame, with TUTO shaking off Fujiyama and entering the area from the end line, and Jean returned to escape to the corner kick. Even when attacked, FW Sakurai, Yamashita, MF Fujimoto, and TUTO remained on the front line, and Omiya aimed for a counterattack. However, Tokyo was unable to make a decisive and thick attack. The first half ended with both teams scoreless.

Chances Made But Not Taken 

As predicted, Ardija looked to defend in depth and hit TOKYO on the counter attack. In the 3rd minute, Tuto attempted to break forward from midfield and shortly after had a free shot turned around the post after running onto a through ball inside the area. Ardija were very quick to pull men back behind the ball and were aided by some reckless midfield play from TOKYO that allowed the home side opportunities to counter attack.
The visitors had to wait until the 10th minute for their first chance of the game; Konno intercepted a pass in midfield and fed Baba on the left. Baba neatly moved the ball on to Lucas who shot just over the bar from outside the area. In the 16th minute, Jean's clearance sparked a break led by Baba that finished with a defender blocking Kurisawa's shot. Jean made a connection with Miyazawa's firmly struck corner in the 18th minute but a defender took the pace off the ball and it bobbled to Ando in the Ardija goal.
TOKYO began to dominate play. A sweeping move following an Ardija corner in the 20th minute came to nothing but showed that the visitors were finding their attacking rhythm. Miyazawa slightly overhit a free kick in the 25th minute then flighted a pass over the Ardija backline for Toda to run on to; Ando raced off his line to snatch the ball away. Kurisawa dribbled forward in the 30th minute, drawing defenders to him before slipping the ball out to Kaji. Lucas met Kaji's cross with a firm header but failed to hit the target.
Defender Fujiyama made a rare foray forward in the 37th minute before cutting the ball back to Lucas in the area. Lucas deftly trapped the ball but shot high with Miyazawa completely unmarked alongside him. Lucas bulled his way forward in the 38th minute and drew a save from Ando with a well struck effort despite the attention of three defenders. The chances continued at both ends. In the 41st minute, Tuto evaded Fujiyama and played a low cross into the TOKYO area that Jean cleared for a corner. The counter attacking threat from Ardija prevented TOKYO getting forward in numbers to bolster the attack and the first half ended 0-0.

Despite being at a disadvantage due to Toda's expulsion, we managed to defend Miyazawa's goal with the entire team.

　The second half, which the former coach sent off saying "we can't finish like this," begins. Like the first half, both teams started by focusing on defense, but an accident occurred for Tokyo. In the 54th minute, Baba was fouled and won a free kick, and from Baba's quick restart, Toda jumped out into the penalty area and collided with the opponent's goalkeeper. As a result of this play, Toda received a red card and was sent off. With one player less, Tokyo made a modification to the formation, moving Miyazawa to the left side and adjusting Inomata to a single defensive midfielder position.

　Although they were at a disadvantage, Tokyo never gave up on the game and took advantage of a momentary gap in Omiya's defense to score the long-awaited opening goal. In the 60th minute, Miyazawa kept the ball in the center and passed it to Baba. Baba sent a perfect through pass behind the opponent's shallow defense line directly to Lucas, who broke free and competed with the defenders before taking a shot. Although the goalkeeper initially blocked it, Miyazawa, who had been running fiercely towards the loose ball, aimed carefully and kicked it into the unguarded goal to take the lead.

　Omiya launches a fierce counterattack. First, a substitution: in the 63rd minute, MF Kanazawa is replaced by MF Saito, and in the 69th minute, MF Davidson Jun Marcus is replaced by MF Shimada, whose left foot is particularly powerful during set plays. After that, FW Sakurai, who was free in the center, takes a powerful shot from outside the area, but Dohi manages to save it and deflects it for a corner kick. In the 71st minute, a right FK taken by Shimada is caught by Dohi. Tokyo also makes a substitution in the 73rd minute, bringing in Kajiyama for the visibly tired Miyazawa, but they cannot stop Omiya's momentum. In the 76th minute, FW Sakurai passes to MF Fujimoto on the right side for a grounded cross. Tutto jumps in but does not allow a shot. Immediately after, Omiya substitutes Fujimoto for FW Morita, initiating a power play. In the 80th minute, FW Sakurai sends a cross from the right side, and although he is coming back, MF Tutto makes a perfect header, but it goes just wide of the goal, leading to a scene where he holds his head in disappointment.

　Tokyo substituted Lucas with Yoshiro ABE, bringing in an attacking player to give the team an offensive mindset. In the 85th and 89th minutes, they gave a free kick to Omiya in front of the goal from about 20-25m, but in the end, everyone defended the goal with determination and the match ended 1-0. Tokyo was reduced to 10 players and after taking the lead, they were on the defensive, but the team fought together and achieved their first victory since the Sec. 23 match against Shimizu.

　【Player Comments】《Miyazawa》"It was a difficult match. The pitch conditions were not very good, and in the first half, the opponent quickly fell back, so we couldn't circulate the ball and couldn't create a rhythm. Even when I tried to receive the ball in between, it often went over my head, and there were few opportunities for Lucas and Yuta to get the ball at their feet. After we went down to ten men, we managed to pass the ball well in attack and focused solely on keeping up with the opponent in defense. (For the goal) the ball rolled right in front of me, so I just had to calmly kick it. It was an easy goal. But a goal is a goal, no matter how it comes. I'm happy we got the result. Everyone was fired up, and I thought we had to defend immediately! So I didn't have the luxury to perform the 'cradle' celebration. I'll apologize to Asari-san and Kiyoshi-san later (laughs). The play that led to the goal = a long ball, Yuta received it in between, and Lucas broke forward, is the key to Tokyo's soccer. To create that chance, it's unavoidable to let the ball go over my head to some extent. Even when I wasn't playing, I practiced with the cheers of the supporters etched in my heart. I want to aim for victory from now on so that we can share even more joy together." 《Baba》"I was filled with the feeling of wanting to do well in my first start in a while. The defense has been doing well so far, so I thought it was up to us attacking players to score. I talked with Miyazawa-san about 'changing the flow of the bad team.' In the first half, we were facing a headwind, so the passes weren't quite connecting, but Lucas had the ball at his feet, and behind him, Toda-san was running, so there were plenty of options. It was easy to play. I could see Lucas's shooting scene while running, so I played it directly. I think that is 'my play (characteristic).' I want to continue winning consecutively from now on." 《Lucas》"It was my first match since the injury, but I didn't feel any pain. I'm very happy that we were able to win the match. (Were you scared to play?) I had some worries about aerial battles, but once the match started, I forgot about it. There were a few situations like that, but there were no problems. Thank you to all the supporters for worrying about me. I will continue to do my best, so please keep supporting us."

　[Summary of Coach Hara's Press Conference] "In the last match against Oita, we couldn't score even though it was a home game. Our defense has been good lately, and we haven't conceded any goals, but we've been struggling to find our attacking rhythm. We may have been too focused on defense, and as a result, we weren't able to score and lacked decisiveness. Therefore, today I made some changes to the lineup. The balance of our defense might be disrupted, but I decided to include Baba, Miyazawa, and the remarkably recovered Lucas to approach the match. Normally, we would include a goalkeeper on the bench, but I wanted to send a message to the players that 'we want to win, not settle for a draw,' so I included five field players and prepared to respond to anything that might happen in the match. As expected, Omiya quickly set up a solid defense in front of their goal. Also, since it was Miyazawa and Baba's first appearances in a while, they seemed a bit off in the early stages. However, they gradually got involved in the attack, and we started to create some good opportunities. That said, if we lose the ball poorly, we need to be cautious of Omiya's fast players like FW Sakurai, Yamashita, and MF TUTO, so we discussed fighting while being aware of counterattacks. Just when I thought we were creating good chances and that Toda might score, he got sent off. From the bench, I couldn't quite understand the reason for that scene, but reducing our numbers in the front line would lead to being pushed back, so I moved Miyazawa to the left to have three in midfield and kept Lucas and Baba up front. We hadn't had much momentum lately, but although it wasn't like last season's Nabisco Cup Final, after going down to ten men, our strengths and fighting spirit started to show. I think we began to move the ball well after regaining possession. We may have been too cautious, wanting to avoid conceding goals, and forgot this kind of attitude. Today, many supporters came early to cheer for us, and the desire to earn three points helped maintain the players' focus. After going down to ten men, we actually managed to fight well, but we must not forget this feeling as we continue to compete."

　【Summary of Coach Miura's Press Conference】 "It was a match we had to win. I felt reassured by the support from our fans before the match. I wanted to deliver results for that reason, but I couldn't, and I apologize to all the supporters. In the first half, Tokyo used long balls to Lucas and picked up the second balls, and we hoped to create good counterattacks from our organized defense. However, we couldn't get good balls to the strikers. Still, I have the impression that we created several chances on the counter. In the second half, everything changed with the expulsion of player Toda. First of all, we knew that Tokyo is good at playing in a 10 vs 11 situation. While we were thinking about how to break them down, we conceded a goal, and after that, Tokyo's intentions became clear, putting us in an extremely difficult situation. The question was how to play our cards and how to attack, but we had to shift to power play over time, starting from the sides. We had several decisive chances, but ultimately we couldn't score. (Did it seem like the buildup from the full-backs was passive?) The key point was to exploit the space created by Tokyo's full-backs moving up, but Yamashita and Sakurai couldn't run much into that space, and Sakurai often received the ball while being marked by Jean. Due to physicality, in the second half, I emphasized that Sakurai should receive the ball between the defense and midfield, and Yamashita should focus on running or switching positions. From there, Yamashita became more aware, and Sakurai was able to move and play in the second line. Just then, there was the expulsion. The opponent completely withdrew and defended, creating a clear situation."

Toda's Expulsion Sparks TOKYO

TOKYO manager sent his players out for the second half with the injunction, "Don't let it end like this". Both sides remained heavily committed to defence but the balance seemed to tip to Ardija following Toda's sending off in the 54th minute. Baba was fouled in midfield, picked himself up and played a quick free kick towards Toda in the Ardija area. Ando raced out and flung himself at Toda's feet; the referee brandished the red card and Toda trudged disconsolately from the field. Miyazawa then moved to the left and Konno played as a lone defensive midfielder.
TOKYO didn't retreat into a defensive shell but maintained their attacking posture and were rewarded for their positive endeavour in the 60th minute. Miyazawa held the ball up in midfield and played it to Baba. Baba looked up and threaded a superb pass through the Ardija backline which was momentarily playing too high up the field. Lucas battled a defender as he bore down on goal and shot. Ando raced off his line and blocked the effort but was helpless as the rebound fell to Miyazawa who calmly drove the ball into the empty net.
Ardija replaced Kanazawa with Saito and Davidson Jun Marques with midfielder Shimada, a free kick specialist. In the 70th minute Sakurai produced a fizzing shot from the edge of the area that Doi turned round the post for a corner. Doi safely held a free kick from Shimada in the 71st minute. Kajiyama replaced a tiring Miyazawa in the 73rd minute but TOKYO were unable to stem the tide of Ardija's attacks. In the 76th minute Tuto fractionally failed to make contact with Fujimoto's low cross into the area. Ardija then replaced Fujimoto with forward Morita and flung everything at TOKYO. In the 80th minute Tuto had a great chance to tie the game but headed Sakurai's cross wide from a good position. TOKYO replaced Lucas with Abe in an attempt to relieve some of the pressure. As full time approached Ardija won a pair of free kicks in good positions but were unable to make them count and the final whistle blew on a 1-0 win for the visitors.
The ten men of TOKYO had defended heroically and earned their first victory in four games.


Players' comments
Miyazawa
"That was a very tough game. The pitch condition wasn't good and our opponents dropped back quickly in the first half so we couldn't find our passing rhythm. The ball was flying over my head quite a lot and we couldn't get it into Baba or Lucas' feet. When we went down to ten men I was concentrating on moving the ball around accurately and sticking to the Ardija players. It was an easy goal; the ball bobbled up in front of me and I just had to hit the target. But a goal's a goal though, no matter how you score it. We were pleased to get the result today. The goal was a real TOKYO style move; a long ball to Baba and a neat through ball on to Lucas. It was worth seeing the ball sail over my head for the end result. While I was out of the first team the fans' words of encouragement really kept me going in training. I'd like to repay that by winning games in the future".

Baba
"It was the first time I had started a game for some time so I was extra determined to play a good game. The defence has played well recently so we attackers felt it was about time we got amongst the goals. The first half was difficult but I had so many options for passes; for example into Lucas' feet or through the defence for Toda to race on to. For the goal, I had seen Lucas' run and decided to play the ball first time; I think that's my speciality. We really want to put a winning run together from here".

Lucas
"It's my first game since the injury but I didn't feel any pain at all today. I'm very pleased with the win. I was a little worried about going up for high balls before the game but once we started I forgot about it. There were no problems with that. I'd like to thank all the supporters for their concern. I'll do my best from now on".


F.C.TOKYO manager Hara
"The defence has been playing well recently but we haven't been able to score, not even at home. Maybe we've been focusing too much on defence and that has taken the edge off us in attack. I changed the starting line up today to try and shake things up a little. What we might lose in defensive balance we could make up for through Baba, Miyazawa and Lucas, back after his miraculous and happy recovery. The players were adamant they wouldn't play for a draw today so we didn't name a goalkeeper to the subs' bench and prepared for any eventuality this week in training. As we expected Ardija pulled every player behind the ball very quickly when they lost possession and we seemed rather sluggish in midfield. But as the game went on we got the attack going and began to put some good moves together. We were losing the ball in bad positions though, and the Omiya front line is very fast. We put some pressure on ourselves. We were improving and I half expected Toda to decide it for us but then he was sent off. We couldn't see what happened from the bench but we knew that if we pulled a forward player back then we would be in trouble so we left Lucas and Baba up front and moved Miyazawa out to the left. After we were reduced to ten men the strengths of the team shone through; we were winning the ball and moving it around. Maybe we had forgotten how to play like that from focusing on not conceding so much. The players were determined to win for all the fans who came to support us and the ten men managed to maintain their concentration throughout the rest of the game. We can't afford to forget that spirit when we play."

Ardija manager Miura
"That was a game we had to win and I have to apologize to the supporters for not being able to do so. In the first half TOKYO played a lot of long balls to Lucas looking for the knock downs but we were able to defend systematically and counter attack well. We couldn't get good balls in to our strikers though, but I felt we made several chances. In the second half Toda was sent off and then many things changed. We were debating how to respond as we know TOKYO are very strong in that situation when we conceded a goal and things suddenly became more difficult for us. After that it was a case of how to make the most of our man advantage and when to send on the substitutes. We had some chances but couldn't get the ball in the net. The side backs seemed passive? Well, the point was that Sakurai and Yamashita couldn't run into the space left by the TOKYO sidebacks when they moved forward. Also, Jean was all over Sakurai every time the ball was played up to him. In the second half we pulled Sakurai back into a position between midfield and the forward line and left the running to Yamashita. They responded well but then there was the sending off and the game changed. TOKYO pulled every player behind the ball and just defended after that".