J-League resumes with a tough match against Urawa at home

　The J-League resumes after a three-day break following the Nabisco quarterfinal second leg. Approaching Sec. 22, which accounts for nearly two-thirds of the entire schedule, we will face Urawa Reds at home. Although the match against Shimizu in the Nabisco ended in a 0-0 draw, we continued to threaten the Shimizu goal with spirited play. However, Coach Jofuku tightened his focus, stating, "The most frightening thing is to be dominated by the feeling that 'the content was good,'" making this match a quest for further growth and a relentless pursuit of goals and victory. To resolve the lack of decisiveness this week, we will implement "considerable risk-taking innovations (Coach Jofuku)" and adopt a more offensive formation. The starting lineup will feature Oguro at the forefront, with Suzuki and Ricardinho on the sides, while Kajiwara, Hanyu, and Takahashi will serve as a single defensive midfielder in a 4-3-3 formation. Additionally, Kim Yong-gun will be suspended due to accumulated warnings, so the defense will consist of the same members as in the Nabisco Shimizu match. On the other hand, Urawa currently sits in 10th place with 28 points. They suffered three consecutive losses from Sec. 16 in the league but have since regrouped, achieving one win and two draws in their last three matches. Midfielder Abe Yuki transferred to England at the end of August, leaving the team, but they had ample time to prepare after a resounding 7-0 victory in the Emperor's Cup on September 5. The attacking lineup to watch out for includes the individually skilled forward Edmilson, midfielder Ponte, and Kashiwa. If they are allowed to face forward easily, Tokyo will find it difficult. While maintaining concentration at the back line is essential, tightening defense in the midfield centered around Takahashi and not allowing them to play freely will be the key to victory. In attack, the focus will be on how to launch coordinated attacks and push with intensity towards the goal. There has been no victory against Urawa in the past five and a half seasons over 11 matches. Particularly in home matches, we have not scored since 2005, so this match is crucial to dispel that mental block. The team must unite and overcome the pressure of needing to win at all costs. Although a slight breeze picked up in the evening, the humidity remained at Ajinomoto Stadium. The match started at 19:04 with Tokyo's kickoff.

Hanyu and Takahashi are injured. Forced to make an early player substitution.

　From the start, they aimed for the goal with an aggressive attitude. In the 3rd minute, Takahashi took a long shot, and in the 8th minute, Hanyu intercepted in midfield, initiating a counterattack with Kajiyama. Kajiyama advanced through the center, drawing in the defenders, and passed to Suzuki on the right. Daigoku jumped in from the far post to meet Suzuki's grounded cross, but it was just a bit too early for Urawa's goalkeeper to catch it. In the 11th minute, Daigoku dropped a feed from Morishige, and Kajiyama's shot shook the net, but Daigoku was in an offside position. In the 18th minute, Mukuhara sent a cross to Daigoku, but he was caught offside. Urawa also connected passes and launched a vigorous attack, maintaining a speedy development. In the 19th minute, Urawa MF Ponte's through pass allowed FW Edmilson to break through the front line, but Tokunaga marked him tightly, forcing a corner kick. However, in the 20th minute, an incident occurred when Hanyu injured his foot and was forced to substitute. Konno was brought in immediately, but gradually they lost the ball due to mistakes and were pushed back by Urawa. In the 22nd minute, Urawa's right FW Takahashi's cross shook them wide, and they were attacked by MF Kashiwagi from the center. In the 29th minute, Tokyo attempted a quick attack, but Ricardinho's pass to Kajiyama was intercepted by Urawa DF Sanu, leading to a counterattack. In the 35th minute, they were countered from a Tokyo corner kick, and starting from Urawa MF Ponte, DF Hirakawa's cross was volleyed by MF Hosogai, but it went wide, escaping a crisis. However, in the 37th minute, Takahashi was injured and substituted for Ishikawa. Konno moved to center back, and they set up a 4-4-2 formation with Tokunaga and Kajiyama as double defensive midfielders. Due to consecutive incidents, they had to change their plan, but they transitioned from resilient defense to attack. In the 45th minute, Suzuki sent a ball forward to Nakamura from their own half, which Daigoku headed down in midfield, and Kajiyama surged forward with a fierce dribble from just before the halfway line. Upon entering the area, he cut back past the opposing defender and took a shot, but it struck the corner of the goal mouth... Unable to shake the net, they went into halftime scoreless.

Conceded from PK. Shot chances also denied by the bar, 1 point is far away...

　In the second half, both teams fiercely contested possession of the ball, leading to a rapid exchange of offense and defense. In the 54th minute, Ricardinho picked up a clearance from Urawa on the right side, and Ishikawa broke free into the right area. A pass was sent to him, creating a great shooting opportunity, but it was blocked by the quick cover of the opposing DF. In the 58th minute, Nakamura advanced into the left space from Tokunaga's switch, passing to the center. Ishikawa let it go, and it reached Oguro in front of the goal, but he was tightly marked by the opposing DF and couldn't take a shot. In the 60th minute, Ishikawa's sharp cross led to Mukuhara attempting a diving header, but it was thwarted by a great save from the GK... As they created chances but couldn't convert, in the 66th minute, they failed to stop Urawa's MF Kashiwagi's dribble, which connected to FW Edmilson, who passed to FW Haraguchi in the area. Moriwaki fouled him, resulting in a penalty for Urawa. Tokyo had defended well up to this point, but MF Ponte converted the penalty, putting them in a difficult position by allowing the first goal. Still, in the 67th minute, they brought in Hirayama for Ricardinho to mount a counterattack, but in the 71st minute, Kajiyama crossed to Oguro on the right front line. Suzuki and Hirayama also rushed in front of the goal, but it was caught by Urawa's GK first. There were moments when they were pressured by Urawa, and the back-and-forth battle continued. In the 81st minute, a loose ball from Suzuki's left corner kick found Tokunaga, who was free in the right area. However, Tokunaga's powerful shot hit the crossbar again. Ishikawa's shot, aimed at the ball that bounced back to the left area, also went wide, and they just couldn't break through for a goal. In the intense back-and-forth, Suzuki injured his foot in the 87th minute and had to leave the pitch. Nevertheless, he pushed towards the goal with strong determination, but Nakamura's shot after receiving a switch in the 88th minute was caught by the GK. In stoppage time, Oguro dropped Gonda's kick, and Kondo rushed in to take two corner kicks, but they couldn't convert it into a shot. Following that, Ishikawa's long throw from the left was chest-controlled by Kondo in the right area, but he couldn't take a shot... it was a miss. In the end, they were caught off guard by a counterattack, and Urawa's MF Ponte shook the net, but this was ruled offside. They avoided conceding another goal, but the match ended 0-1. Once again, they couldn't achieve victory against Urawa... 【Player Comments】《Tokunaga》 "In the early stages, our marking against the opponent was unclear, and our positioning was ambiguous. However, I thought, 'As long as we don't get scored on in the end,' so while there were many scenes where we were pushed back by Urawa, I believe we didn't allow them to take too many decisive shots. Our aim was to put more players in front of the goal, even if we were pushed back. The fact that we couldn't score is a reflection of my current ability. The only way is to practice. I want to ensure that we can utilize our issues and reflections in future matches, and I want the team to unite and fight with a sense of urgency." 《Kondo》 "I first entered the midfield, but we couldn't take the ball from Urawa as they connected passes from the back. After some substitutions, we switched to a 4-4-2 formation, and I think I became the center-back because I was used to balancing the defense. Right now, we can't produce results, and it feels like the whole team is anxious about everything... Everyone needs to be aligned towards victory." 【Coach Jofuku's Press Conference Summary】 "In the time given, I prepared as much as I could within my capabilities. Given the situation with many injured players, the players prepared well. All players on the pitch and those who didn't play fought for this match. I am satisfied with the players, but of course, there are areas that were lacking, which is why we couldn't score. I believe that reflects my coaching ability. The problem is probably with me. (In the midst of a tough schedule, do you think there was some bad luck?) If I think that luck is biased towards some teams or that only our team is plagued by bad luck, then I shouldn't be a coach. If that is the way of thinking, it would be better to watch from the stands. Unless I perceive luck as being equal, I cannot sit on the bench. (You started with a different system and reverted in the first half. Was it due to injuries?) The change in system this time had various aims. While there were good points, I also understood the risks involved. Especially with Ricardinho, there were communication issues, and due to childbirth, he had only one day of practice, which was a time issue. In defense, there was a bit too much space, and Hayabusa was covering by switching various things. It is true that I was watching while hesitating whether to continue as is or revert to bring out Ricardinho's strengths. I remember Hayabusa's injury was after we switched back to 4-4-2, but I was aware of the system's issues while considering those two aspects regarding the initial three forwards." 【Urawa Coach Volker Finke's Press Conference Summary】 "I am happy to have taken three points in this manner. Before the match, I intentionally did not mention that it would be a tough theme. Today, six key players were absent, but we were able to perform like this and ultimately achieve results. Many players fought hard until the very end and showed excellent play. In fact, I believe that young players are emerging, and they will become key players and the face of the team in the future. FW Takahashi, Haraguchi, DF Spiranovic, MF Hosogai, and Kashiwagi will be active as pillars of the team for many years to come. I just hope that the absent players return quickly because we need them right now."