Winning one-on-one and aiming for victory at home

　In the 8th section of the league, we will play against JEF United Chiba at home. Jean, who has not been in perfect condition due to the continuous three matches since last weekend and the Nabisco Cup on the 12th (Wed), will start on the bench. In terms of the system, we will use a 4-4-2 formation, with Inoha positioned at the bottom of the midfield, and we will take measures against Chiba's attacking movements by passing and receiving marks.

　Chiba currently has 2 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses in the league. However, in the last 4 matches, including the Nabisco Cup, they have been undefeated with 3 wins and 1 draw, and their form is improving. Their perseverance and the performance of substitute players have been particularly notable. In the 6th round against Kawasaki, despite conceding two goals, they managed to equalize, and in the Nabisco match against Niigata, they achieved a comeback victory. It will be a battle where they cannot let their guard down until the end.

　On the other hand, Chiba has not had a single game without conceding a goal this season, so there should be plenty of opportunities to exploit. It is important to not lose in one-on-one situations against Chiba, who defend tightly man-to-man. In addition, it is crucial to find open spaces and connect with coordinated movements to score goals. We want to aim for 3 points with an energetic soccer performance at home. The match started at 16:04 with Chiba's kickoff at the chilly Ajinomoto Stadium.

Overwhelmed by Chiba, helpless

　Chiba took advantage of their abundant physicality from the start and found their rhythm. In the 2nd minute, Tokyo attacked and Suzuki sent a left cross, and in the 3rd minute, Tokunaga broke through the right side and sent a cross, but Chiba easily intercepted it and quickly sent a fast pass to the forward, Makoto, in the front line. And with a quick press, they picked up the second ball and continued to attack one after another.

　In the 9th minute, Chiba MF Abe stole the loose ball in the midfield and ran up the right side from a one-two with MF Nakajima. In response to this, Shigetani couldn't stop it, and Abe entered the area and sent a negative last pass from the goal line. In the center, FW Maki was left free and scored a goal. They were already conceded the opening goal. In the following 11th minute, from Chiba's quick attack, MF Hayashi crossed from the right and MF Krupniković headed the shot. He shook the goal net, but the additional point was avoided due to offside.

　Tokyo, unable to grasp the dynamic movement from the second row and the midfield of Chiba, is overwhelmed as time passes. In the 17th minute, Sasa dropped the left cross from Imano, and Tokunaga made a bold middle shot by running in from behind. In the 18th minute, Mashima tried to break the frustrated situation with a long shot. In the 24th minute, Mashima aimed for a header from the right corner kick, but none of them hit the target.

　28 minutes, a decisive header from left MF Yamagishi, who became free in front of the goal from the pass of Chiba MF Krupnikovic, was blocked by Doi's save. However, in the 31st minute, Chiba lost the second goal easily with a header by FW Maki from the FK outside the right area of Chiba, which went up in front of the goal. In the 36th minute, Chiba allowed MF Nakajima to dribble and MF Hanyu, who received the last pass, took a shot. The goal was avoided by Doi's good save, but the play on both offense and defense, such as marking in the midfield and in front of the goal, and movement and keep in the front line, was behind, and they ended the first half without being able to do anything.

Lucas's PK, Akamine's first J-League goal, but the mood for a comeback increases...

　In the second half, three players were substituted at once. Inoha, Sasa, and Kurisawa were replaced by Akamine, Jean, and Kawaguchi, and Lucas was moved to the attacking midfield position, forming a three-back formation to launch a counterattack. Kawaguchi, Akamine, and Lucas moved well in the front line, aiming for the opponent's defense line, and the momentum started to build. However, it was just at that moment again. In the 55th minute, midfielder Abe picked up the clearance from Chiba's free kick and took a powerful shot. Jean tried to block it with his body, but the ball fell to midfielder Hayashi, who then connected with forward Maki, and midfielder Krupnikovic, who had run into the penalty area, scored the decisive third goal...

　Still without looking down, Tokyo shows a fierce counterattack from here. In the 61st minute, Kawaguchi, who broke through to the left area, crosses. The opponent's goalkeeper touches it, changing the angle, and hits the hand of the opponent's defender in the area, resulting in a penalty kick. Lucas takes this penalty kick and neatly scores a goal, quickly shifting the momentum in Tokyo's favor. In the 64th minute, Lucas receives a through pass from Akamine's post. Kawaguchi, who forcefully breaks through between the opponent's defenders, takes a decisive shot, but it is blocked by the opponent's goalkeeper's excellent save. Kajiyama picks up the loose ball and takes a shot in the middle, but it goes straight to the goalkeeper.

　In the 69th minute, Lucas, who received a left throw-in, lifted the ball with a lob in front of the goal. The opponent's goalkeeper made a catching mistake. Akamine, who reacted to the loose ball, kicked it in and scored! Although it was a mistake by the opponent, Akamine's attitude of not giving up and pressing forward led to his first J-League goal.

　Amidst the rising mood of counterattacks, the intense exchange of counters continued, and it was not surprising that a goal could be born for either side. Shigetani showed a bold attacking run, and in the 71st minute, Kawaguchi received Shigetani's left cross and unleashed a powerful middle shot. However, it slightly veered to the left. In the 86th minute, a ball sent by Kawaguchi in front of the goal hit Kajiyama and bounced back, falling in front of Shigetani who was overlapping, but he failed to finish and crossed the goal line. They fought back until the end, but there was no comeback and the time was up. Ultimately, Chiba was unable to exert their strength both in attack and defense, and lost 2-3.

　【Player Comments】<Moniwa> "The goal conceded might have been prevented if we had communicated a bit more or closed down a bit faster. We must correct ourselves to never take our eyes off the ball and do the basics properly. I think the reason for changing the system in the second half was to show a more attacking stance. Norio pulled the opponent quite a bit, which created space in front of me, so I pushed forward. It may take time, but I believe we are heading in the right direction. We have many highly skilled players and want to become stronger." <Akamine> "When I played, I tried to change the flow together with Kawaguchi. I focused on pressing from the front, breaking into space, and becoming a starting point. Since it was an earlier appearance than before, I absolutely wanted to produce results. In the goal scene, I anticipated that the GK might spill the ball and pressed in. It was my first professional goal, but since we were losing, I wasn't very happy. It's disappointing that we couldn't win."

　[Summary of Coach Gallo's Press Conference] "We were not good in the first half, but I think we bounced back in the second half. Chiba has been using the same system and players for about four years, so their combination was good, and they were clearly superior in the first half. In the second half, we created chances to go forward, but conceding the third goal was significant. We were motivated and managed to score two goals back, almost forcing a draw... Regarding the defeat, as the coach, I take responsibility. In the second half, the opposing players fell down 6 or 7 times, and time passed each time, but there were only 4 minutes of stoppage time. (The intention behind the simultaneous substitution of 3 players) was that since we were losing and it was a home game, we brought them on to catch up and turn the game around. Jean was brought on as a countermeasure against Chiba FW Maki's aerial threat. Kawaguchi and Akamine were made the two forwards to move more and utilize their speed. Sasa had slowed down a bit, and Kurisawa was making passing mistakes today and was not in good condition, so we substituted him."

　[Summary of Chiba - Coach Ivica OSIM's Press Conference] "Our players performed surprisingly well. In the first half, four of the regular players played very well. We were able to contain FC Tokyo, a young, aggressive, and dynamic team. However, facing such attacks, it wouldn't have been surprising if we had lost. Today, FC Tokyo had no momentum. That was the lucky part for us. Some players lost focus, became overconfident, and lost the ball with careless plays. If that continued, it wouldn't have been surprising to lose. But scoring three goals and winning means we won in terms of performance as well. We played well in the first half, and actually, the good play should have continued in the second half. That's why we led 3-0, but after conceding a penalty, the momentum changed. Naturally, the opponent tried to turn the game around. They scored the second goal with such a play, and Tokyo revived. Everything changed in an instant. However, we did not switch to defense after that. We regained rhythm and created chances where we could have scored if we had played a bit more calmly in front of the goal. Tokyo launched all-or-nothing attacks. We only had six substitutes because some players performed poorly in the practice match the day before, so there were no players suitable for the bench. Although it was a tight schedule with only two days between matches, they are professional players. They either play matches or train every day. Sometimes training is even more intense. So, there is no excuse for being tired. The stadium is the place where they do their job."