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MATCH

2018 MEIJI YASUDA J2 LEAGUE 31st Sec - Zweigen Kanazawa vs Tokyo Verdy

Match Report

【Match Report】

Last week, Verdy achieved victory at Fukuda Arena, their first ever since the formidable stadium’s completion ten years ago. This week they continued their second consecutive away match, once again traveling to a ground where they have yet to win in Kanazawa. The majority of the starting lineup was unchanged from last week’s fixture, with the only revision being the addition of Yong-jik Ri at inside half, in place of Yuhei Sato. Meanwhile, for the substitutes, Leandro returned from injury to take his place on the bench.

Verdy’s brand of football showed remarkable maturation over this past Summer and on this day, as well, they threaded passes to build from the back and slowly push their opponents into their own half. Despite being man-marked by the opposition, Verdy’s passwork would test their concentration and the team were quick to take advantage of any momentary opportunities to speed up the play. The first real chance came in the 14th minute. Kanya Fujimoto initiated the play from a deep position on the right wing and beat his marker before playing a cross in front of goal. Douglas reacted before the defense and was first to get a touch, creating space for a shot, but his effort was kept out by a fine save from the goal keeper. In the 20th minute, Verdy attacked again, this time from the left wing, as Jin Izumisawa ran at the defense and crossed to the far side. Fujimoto was there to head the ball back across goal, but the running Douglas was unable to make contact. Once it became clear that Verdy would struggle to break down the opposition with short passing, the team switched gears and began playing balls behind the defense, stretching the opposition’s shape. In the 23rd minute, Akira Ibayashi played a perfectly timed long ball into space for the running Douglas. After using his strength to hold off his marker, Douglas carried the ball in on goal but a trailing defender pressured him from behind and his shot went just wide of the post. With Verdy unable to finish their chances, they would next find themselves on the receiving end. After breaking forward on the counter. the team were left with a shortage of numbers on the left wing and the opposition took advantage, finding attackers unmarked in front of goal for a powerful shot. However, Naoto Kamifukumoto showed sharp reflexes to bat it away.
Hoping to adjust to the opposition’s man marking by changing the balance at wing and wing back, Verdy would bring on Yuki Kagawa for Naoya Tamura at half time. The move saw Yuta Narawa shift to the right side, while Kagawa took his place at left side back. This strategy would have an instant impact. In the 49th minute, Narawa burst into space on the right wing and carried the ball along the byline, all the way into the penalty area. With his head up to look for teammates, Narawa crossed in front of goal, the ball slipping through the goal keeper’s hands, but just missed Douglas making a run at the far post. Although the second half seemed to be shaping up much like the first, from this point Kanazawa would begin to push back. Verdy dealt with the threat without dropping their line too deep and maintained their shape to prevent opportunities for a shot. Soon, the manager would move once again to change the momentum. In the 61st minute, Izumisawa was brought off and replaced by Leandro, making his long-awaited return from injury. It would not take long before Leandro would create a big chance. It was the 66th minute and the Verdy defense broke up an opposition attack before playing the ball to the half way line, where Leandro had drawn three markers and took advantage by playing the ball to a teammate with his first touch, creating space for Verdy to run forward with the ball. Ryota Kajikawa left his marker behind and had plenty of space to hit a long ball behind the defense. Ri then latched onto the pass and carried it forward as the team built a numerical advantage in the final third. Ri elected to use the overlapping Kagawa to his left and the side back hit a first time cross that was met by Douglas, who timed his run perfectly and volleyed into the left corner of the net to give Verdy the lead. The pair nearly repeated the trick moments later in the 68th minute, with Douglas once again volleying first time from a Kagawa cross, but this time the keeper was able to prevent with a desperate save. From that point, Kanazawa would once again push forward. When they did win the ball, however, the Verdy players would find Leandro and the Brazilian was able to open the play and build rhythm for an attack. In the 74th minute, Leandro once again received the ball and played a looping through-pass over the back line with his first touch. The perfectly weighted pass left no room for the goal keeper to leave his line and found the feet of Douglas, who tried an early shot with only the keeper to beat, only to have his effort blocked. Yong-jik Ri would react first to the rebound, but his shot was deflected off the keeper as well.

After this final attacking thrust by Verdy, Kanazawa would throw numbers forward and pin the team back in their area, unable to push up with their defensive line. However, Kamifukumoto showed excellent judgment in dealing with passes into the box, constantly beating his opponents to the ball. He was aided by his teammates who, despite allowing the opponents to pass the ball in the final third, maintained their shape well and covered the holes to prevent any clear chances. In additional time, Kanazawa appeared to have the goal at their mercy but the defenders were somehow able to keep the ball from crossing the line and escaped with their one goal lead intact.
Verdy have now won two matches in a row at stadiums that are known for being difficult to play in on the road. Next week, they return home to face Yokohama FC in a head-to-head matchup between two upper-table teams. The result could have a huge effect on the team’s chances at promotion and should be a watershed moment for this season. For Verdy, the task will be to maintain their momentum and grasp hold of the future with their own hands. The work needed to accomplish that, however, will be unchanged from previous matches. They must focus on the game at hand and prepare to the best of their ability over the next week. There is nothing left to hold back and those diligent efforts will surely be the shortest route to the goal they seek.

Post-match comments

監督 Miguel Ángel Lotina

Your thoughts on the match?
“It was a very difficult one for us. It was an even game and we didn’t play as well as we had in other matches. They refused to allow us to play our way. On top of that, they also attacked us very well. We had to concentrate hard in defense. They may have had more time on the ball in attack, but I think we may have had more chances. I feel that we got an important three points against a very good team.”

What do you think is the ideal balance between players making passes and those receiving them?
“In the first half, the midfield battle was pretty fierce and we lost the ball on many occasions. At half time, I had to make adjustments in that area. I wanted us to retain possession for longer periods. In terms of our defense, I think we were able to focus for the full 90 minutes, but after Leandro came on, he was able to keep hold of the ball and that allowed us to build a sustained attack.”

What was your reason for starting Yong-jik Ri?
“Yong-jik always plays at a high level and it’s a fact that Yuhei (Sato) does the same. When I was considering our plan for this match, I made the judgment that Yong-jik’s character would be necessary for us to win.”

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Post-match comments

FW 9Douglas Vieira

Tell us about your goal.
“The attack developed in the areas that are strongest for us on the left side and I knew Yuki is excellent at crossing, so I made eye contact with him before he hit the ball. I moved well, took a good position, and scored a good goal. I’m very happy that it led to a win for the team.”

It looked like you hurt your leg at one point.
“Unfortunately, that’s true. I didn’t want to hurt the team and so I thought it might be better to have a player in better condition come on, so I had to call for a sub.”

You’re on a winning streak now, as you approach the upper-table clash next week.
“For us, the support we’ve received while on the road has been huge. It’s important we’ve won these last two matches, but next we hope to have the same level of wonderful support at home as we progress toward our goal. I think we’re doing things the right way and I want us to keep moving forward.”

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DF 4Yuki Kagawa

You took the pitch from the second half, today. What image did you have after viewing the first half?
“The match was moving at their pace and so I wanted us to reclaim the momentum.”

The way you received the ball in high positions really stood out, today.
“The score was 0-0, so I had it in mind to get a goal as I came on. For that reason, I wanted to be aggressive and receive the ball high up the pitch.”

Tell us about your assist for the winning goal.
“Yong-jik received the pass in a good position, so I had space to his left and took the chance to make a run. For the cross, they had cut off the path to the near post, so I guessed that someone would make a run at the other end and put pace on the cross. I’m happy that Doug as was there and he did well to score.”

It seemed to be more of a reverse ball than one straight across the face of goal. Was that intentional?
“It wasn’t a pin-point cross aimed at anyone in particular. I just tried to put the ball into the open space and I’m happy with the way it turned out.”

You only joined the team recently, but it seems like you’ve already fit right in.
“I think so. The more I train, the more I’ve come to understand the team’s style and philosophy. I think I’m communicating better with everyone, too. I think the chance I had to play today will help to build better relationships.”

What are your feelings for next week’s upper table match-up with Yokohama FC?
“I only played for one half, today, but I want to prepare so that I can play in that style for 90 minutes. It’s an upper table match-up and we’ll have more games that we can’t afford to lose after that, so every fixture is important and I want us to focus on winning.”

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GK 21Naoto Kamifukumoto

It seemed to be a difficult match, today.
“At half-time, we discussed the fact that even if we moved the ball at the back, they were pressing hard in the center of the pitch and that made it difficult for us to retain the ball. We ended up giving it away to them a lot. I think that came down to the way they played; they pressed us well and when we couldn’t shake them, they gradually gained more time on the ball. Still, even in matches like that, it’s important that we remain patient and defend well. In doing so, they had some chances too, but I think we’ll be able to defend the three points like we did today. Ideally, we’d like to have a bit more of the ball, but I think our shared understanding of what needed to be done in a difficult match like this was what enabled us to get the result.”

You, yourself, defended very well today.
“We prepared as a team to face our opponents and I’m glad that enabled me to contribute to the team’s effort today.”

You had a lot of touches on the ball during the build up, as well.
“We had analyzed their movements ahead of time and we thought that it would be difficult for them to continue their pressure from the halfway line all the way to the goal keeper, so before the match began I had it in mind to receive the ball at my feet and try to make things easier for my teammates. As far as moving the ball at the back, I think that went well, but I wish we had done it at a higher tempo. With that said, it’s important that we be able to observe our opponents during the match and adjust our football to match. Next, we just need to express our team strengths on top of that. If we can do that, then I think we will be able to make our opponents suffer.”

For the next match, you return home for a head to head upper-table match.
“Our mindset is to concentrate on one match at a time and we knew that today’s match, too, would be important. I think it’s great that we were able to maintain our focus for the full 90 minutes. The only thing we need to think about now is to make our best preparations for the next match.”

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