July 24, 2010
Ride My Seesaw
For fans of Japanese football, this weekend got off to a spectacular start - and possibly the most enjoyable part came before anyone had even kicked a ball. The headline in Saturday monring's sports tabloids announced that JFA chairman Motoaki Inukai was stepping down upon completion of his first two-year term of office, and would be replaced by vice-Chairman Junji Ogura. It is extremely rare for a chairman to step down after only one term (in fact, I think this is the first time it has ever happened). Although the newspapers mentioned some comments about "health concerns", I think it is pretty clear that the big reason for this was not anyone's health, but the fact that Inukai had made himself seriously disliked in most football circles, with his ridiculous schemes and constant efforts to control or influence the J.League. After all, Mr. Ogura is four years older, and has had health problems of his own in recent years, so one has to wonder why he would be selected to take over if "health" was really an issue.
The story caught virtually everyone by surprise, particularly coming just a day after a FIFA committee left Japan following their inspection tour. Inukai stepped down as the head of the 2022 World Cup bid committee as well, suggesting that his efforts to win support by brown-nosing FIFA bigwigs did not help him much. Even those who strongly disliked Inukai (Who? me??) had no idea that he would be replaced this soon. After all, Japan had a successful World Cup, and presumably Inukai could have claimed credit for a lot of that success. Furthermore, just a few months ago he was making noises about trying to re-open the issue of a fall-spring season so clearly he still had an interest in pursuing his issues.
The consensus conclusion, at the moment, is that Mr. Inukai made his sudden decision to step down after the J.League appointed Kashima Antlers president Ohigashi as the new J.League Chairman, on July 23. Inukai has clashed with J.League officials on many occasions, but few others can match the antipathy that Inukai had for Kashima. Rumours prior to that election suggested that people in the JFA were trying to convince candidates from Urawa Reds or Yokohama Marinos to stand for the office as opponents to Ohigashi, but in the end they all refused. Mr. Ohigashi was elected unopposed, and seems to have extensive support from other team executives. That pretty much sends the message that none of the other J.league officials wanted to be viewed as "Inukai supporters".
This news would seem to close the book on the "fall-spring season" idea. As regular readers surely know, we could not be happier. But the day which started so brightly ended with the best poetic justice for out departed JFA Chairman. Most people are well aware that Mr. Inukai's support for a change in the league schedule was founded, primarily, on the idea that this would ingratiate him to top figures in FIFA and UEFA, yet Mr. Inukai always insisted that the plan was based on the belief that "summer is no time to be playing football". According to him, it is a proven fact that football players are unable to perform well when the temperature is 30C or higher. Consequently, matches played in the heat of summer are invariably slow, uneventful and boring.
So pull up a chair and get comfortable, as we tell you all about the many slow, uneventful and boring matches that took place this weekend.
|
3 - 3 
The headline match, this weekend, was the Tokai Derby battle between Nagoya Grampus - who entered the weekend in third place in the league table - and second-place Shimizu S-Pulse. As you might suspect on an evening when the thermometer was still sizzling at about 31C when the two teams kicked off, this was a perfect example of why teams shouldnt be playing football in the summer. As Mr. Inukai always insisted, this was the sort of match that is guaranteed to put you to sleep. . . . Well, at any rate, if you took a half-dozen sleeping pills an hour before it kicked off, it MIGHT put you to sleep . . . . . OK, after taking the sleeping pills and drinking a glass of warm milk, you would have to turn the sound off and do your best not to look at the screen. If you did all that, THEN it would probably put you to sleep . . . or maybe not. . . . . But its not Mr. Inukai's fault that you cant get to sleep. If you had been watching the Barclay's Premier League, like youre supposed to, you wouldnt have such problems.
Since this was the first weekend of summer vacation for the nation's schoolchildren, and the added attraction of a local derby match swelled interest, the Red Whales of Aichi and the Orange Wingheads of Shizuoka faced off in front of a nearly full house, at Mizuho Stadium. The fans were treated to the sort of spectacle that leaves bladders strained and exhausted - for no matter how much beer and soft drinks they consumed, nobody dared to take a restroom break until the halftime whistle. Nagoya got things started just nine minutes after kickoff, when Mu Kanazaki chipped a pass over the S-Pulse defensive line for Keiji Tamada, who appeared to be a step offside when the pass was delivered. Viewed from one angle, it looks like an S-Pulse player on the far sideline might have played Tamada onside, but that is all academic because the linesman's flag stayed down and Tamada's goal put the Red Whales in the early lead
But S-Pulse battled back to equalise in the 20 minute, when Jungo Fujimoto dribbled briskly around the left flank, accelerated past the final Nagoya defender, and pulled the ball across the face of goal as three teammates charged through the box. As Seigo Narazaki dashed off his line to intervene, someone - possibly a defender - deflected the ball slightly and prevented him from snatching it up. All he could do was swat the ball weakly towards the right post. Frode Johnsen displayed excellent body control, pulling up suddenly and twisting around to face goal as he waited for the ball to come back off the post, then heading it into the vacated net.
Minutes later Josh Kennedy nearly put Nagoya back into the lead, with a header that had the keeper beaten. But Takuya Honda chased back on defence and managed to head the ball over the crossbar. By this time the intensity of play was as hot as the bitumen in the parking lots outside the stadium, and though the contest remained 1-1 for the next 20 minutes or so, the rush of incisive play at both ends had everyone in the stadium gasping for breath. By the time Shinji Okazaki headed a low cross from Shinji Ono towards the left corner in the 40 minute, forcing Narazaki to smother it with a spectacular diving save, both teams had cast caution to the wind and were charging about the pitch with an intensity that seemed unsustainable in the muggy heat of a July evening. But the two teams would maintain this pace right to the end, refuting any suggestions that football players are unable to cope with summer weather.
As the clock moved towards the 45 minute mark, Nagoya brought down the curtain on the opening act with a flourish. Magnum Tavares fed a nice lead pass into the left corner for Tamada, who chipped it out in front of net, in what he surely intended as a pass. Kennedy and two S-Pulse defenders jostled furiously with one another, trying to deflect the ball either towards or away from the net, but their efforts cancelled each other out, and in the end, the ball trickled into the right corner untouched. The goal was credited to Tamada.
As the second half began, Grampus made an early bid to extend their lead, and it looked like the effort had succeeded when Nagoya earned a penalty kick in the 60 minute. However, Tamada apparently started counting his hat tricks before they were tied up with a bow, and fired the ball over the crossbar. Let off the hook by Tamada's miss, the Wingheads suddenly sprang the equaliser, when Okazaki collected a pass at the top of the penalty arc, held his defender on his back for a moment, and then spun suddenly with a right-footed shot. The ball slammed off the right post and caromed into the back netting.
By this point the contest had turned into the sort of slugfest that one usually sees only on the undercard of a boxing match, where two aging gladiators with no reputation or ranking to protect stand toe to toe and pound away at each other, making little if any effort to block or defend. In the 76 minute Mu Kanazaki charged into a passing lane, snatched the ball away from an S-Pulse player and turned on the superthrusters. Kanazaki galloped past three flat-footed defenders and took the ball all the way to the edge of the Shimizu box before Eddy Bosnar finally caught up with him. Kanazaki suddenly slammed on the brakes and feinted a pass towards Magnum, as the Brazilian galloped in behind him, but as soon as Bosnar dropped off to defend the pass, he measured the range and fired a shot into the right corner.
S-Pulse responded with a haymaker of their own. In the 78 minute a corner kick from the left side dropped into a crowd of six tall players at the far post. Eddy Bosnar won the aerial battle and muscled the ball into the net, leveling the scores once more. Up and down the pitch the two teams raced, apparently oblivious to fatigue or the lingering heat. First one team and then the other made its bid to hammer home the winner, with Nagoya coming closest. But despite maintaining their heroic efforts for an exhausting five minutes of injury time, neither one could score a knockout, and the contest was settled with a hard-earned point apiece
|
3
0 - 1
It may not have produced as many goals as other matches on Saturday evening, but the contest between Urawa Reds and Sanfrecce Hiroshima, at Saitama Stadium, was certainly an entertaining one despite the low score line. Last weekend the Reds' hopes of climbing into the title chase by midseason took a serious blow, as a last-second goal by Gamba Osaka sent them to a momentum-crushing defeat. At midweek the team announced a roster change that also left many fans disappointed and depressed, even though we think it represents a step forward in the process of building a younger team. Naohiro Takahara, who fell completely out of the picture this season as a first-team contributor, was officially released by the club on Thursday, allowing him to accept a transfer to K-League competitors FC Seoul. Considering how much money the former national team striker earned from Urawa, and how little he contributed to the team, this has to be viewed as a logical decision, though the failure to get ANY money for a transfer fee has to be discouraging when you consider how much the club paid out in order to bring him back from Germany, in 2008.
This weekend's result capped off a thoroughly miserable week, and it was no surprise to hear the Saitama Red Army growling and mooing at their own players, after the final whistle. Actually, though, Urawa played a decent match, and had more than a few scoring chances. Sanfrecce is quickly estaplishing themselves as one of the dark-horse challengers for an ACL spot, despite losing their best player - Yosuke Kashiwagi - to the Reds. If not for the referee-assisted loss to Cerezo, immediately after the break, they would be nipping at Nagoya's heels in fourth place. As it is, they are sitting in striking distance of the league leaders, and playing good football. So the sight of Reds fans booing their team for a hard-fought loss to such a competitor is disappointing, to sa the least. It was solid defending by the Purple Archers, rather than any lack of effort by the Red Rhinestones, that kept the match scoreless until late in the contest.
After playing each other to a stalemate for 70 minutes,, Sanfrecce finally broke the deadlock on a bit of individual genius by Sanfrecce's two most creative players. Tomoaki Makino carried the ball to the top left corner of the Reds box, and then played a beautiful give-and-go combination with Hisato Sato. Makino started off the move by threading the ball through two defenders to Sato, posting up near the penalty spot. As he released the ball, Makino dashed in a sweeping arc across the top of the box and then down the right channel. Sato held up the ball until Makino was into the clear, then fed it back across the face of goal to meet Makino in full stride. Before the defenders could react, he squeezed a side-footed shot inside the right post, then fired an imaginary arrow into the crowd to celebrate the team's second win in a row.
|
0
2 - 3 
Just two days ago, the Kashima Antlers made the very sudden announcement that their starting centre back - Korean national team member Lee Jung-soo - was leaving the club to join Al-Sadd of Qatar. This news came as a bit of a surprise. Naturally Lee attracted some attention from overseas clubs due to his fine performances in the World Cup, but we did not think the Antlers would consider any offers until the end of the J.League season. Apparently, the offer from the Middle Eastern club was just too lucrative for either the player or the club to turn down.
In recent years, this has become an increasingly common occurrence in the J.League, and some commentators have expressed dismay about the number of high-profile players being "poached" by clubs in Qatar and Saudi Arabia. In our view, this is much ado about nothing. If the clubs are wiling to pay that much money to acquire players, and the players are prepared to sacrifice long-term prospects for career growth (lets face it, guys like Bare, Magno Alves and Cabore havent exactly raised their international profile by moving to the Middle East) in return for lucrative short-term financial rewards, then so be it. Most J.League teams have the scouting resources in South America to find a half-dozen potential replacements, and the massive transfer fees they receive can be used to strengthen club finances and pick up better domestic players. From a short-term perspective, Lee will probably be missed. But if the reports of a US$1.5 million transfer fee are accurate, surely the long-term benefits are more compelling.
On the other hand, when you lose two national team-calibre defenders in the space of two weeks, it is bound to have at least some impact on the team's defensive balance. To make matters worse, ace striker Shinzo Koroki was also unavailable for the match against Jubilo Iwata, this weekend. In the first half, the Antlers showed signs of disarray that one might expect when three key starters have to be replaced suddenly. A bit of luck also helped Jubilo get things started on the right note. Moments after kickoff, Jubilo got a free kick about 10 meters outside the box, on the right side. The kick was partially cleared, but the Antlers defenders failed to clear the zone and the ball was sent back in to Daisuke Nasu who met it on the short hop and sent it spinning towards the low right corner. It looked like the keeper was in position to make the stop, but somehow Hitoshi Sogahata fumbled the ball into his own net. Perhaps the backspin on the ball made it difficult to handle, but whatever the reason, the result was a rather soft goal for Jubilo.
Kashima began pushing back in search of the equaliser, and had a few dangerous opportunities over the next 30 minutes. But Jubilo played a tight defence punctuated by sudden, quick counterattacks that kept Kashima off balance. Just before the break, a long clearance caught the Kashima back line flat-footed and apparently unsure of who was supposed to be covering which Jubilo player. Sho Naruoka collected the ball while on the dead run, a half step behind his defender, and slid a shot underneath Sogahata to extend the lead to 2-0.
The second half was very different indeed, as Kashima made a concerted effort to use the wide areas of the pitch and force Jubilo to chase. Bit by bit, the strategy began to wear the home team down, and the momentum shifted towards the Antlers. In the 52 minute Kashima pulled a goal back on a set play, as Takuya Nozawa curled his kick off the forehead of Gilton and on into the top right corner. Though Jubilo continued to use the counterattacking stance and quick penetration efforts they employed to good effect in the first half, the opening goal seemed to dent their confidence slightly. But the big turning point in momentum came 15 minutes later, when two long crossfiedl passes in succession streched the Jubilo defence out of shape. Gilton streaked down the left flank to collect the second crossfield pass, and sent a low line drive towards the near post. Koji Nakata, slanting into the box from the opposite side, met the ball with a stooping header and and poked it past the keeper.
The equaliser seemed to light a fire under the Antlers, while Jubilo reeled back in disarray. At this point the closing chapter of the story was as predictable as the final reel of a Jean-Claude Van Damme movie. Even the announcers seemed to concede the obvious, reciting cliches about "winning mentality" and "the character of a defending champion". Sure enough, in the 86 minute the Galloping Herd of Ibaraki finally trampled the Blue Budgies'resistance. Another long cross-field pass found Nozawa in acres of space near the top left corner of the box, and as the entire Jubilo defence charged towards him, Nozawa had time to pick out Inoha in front of goal, and loop the ball towards him. Inoha did not get much power on his header, but as the ball looped towards the left post, Marquinhos strode in and bundled it across the line, carrying the Antlers to a three-point margin atop the table.
|
2
vs 
The match between Yokohama Marinos and Gamba Osaka - like the Reds-Sanfrecce contest - was a lot more eventful than the final score line suggests. Bopth teams created a wealth of scoring opportunities, and the contest ended with the two teams level on shots, at 18 apiece. Both Koji Yamase and Yasuhito Endo hit the woodwork, and there was a missed penalty kick as well, providing plenty of excitement for the 40,000 fans that turned out to Yokohama International Stadium.
After a hard-fought but scoreless first half, Yokohama squandered a golden opportunity to take the lead shortly after the break. In the 55 minute the Marinos won a corner kick on the right side, and as Shunsuke Nakamura floated a ball for the far post, the referee blew his whistle and pointed to the spot. Sota Nakazawa was called for a foul on his namesake, Yuji Nakazawa. Though it was clumsy rather than deliberate, replays show that he did indeed use his hands to obstruct the Marinos defender's path to the left post. But Kazuma Watanabe pulled his PK past the right post, and the contest remained scoreless.
Gamba narrowly missed a chance to take the lead with ten minutes left, but Yasuhito Endo's shot came back off the crossbar, and it looked like the contest was headed for a scoreless draw. Just as the clock ticked into injury time, Nakamura carried the ball to the edge of the Gamba box and fed it to young Yuji Ono, then cut into the box for what everyone in the stadium assumed would be a return pass. But as the defenders dropped off him to cover Nakazawa, Ono spotted Takashi Amano charging down the right flank, and fed the ball through the right channel. Amano caught up with the pass as he neared the corner of the six yard box, and met the ball with a powerful right foot. Although the angle was very narrow, the shot glanced off Fujigaya's left glove and into the back netting, to give Yokohama the late win.
|
1
2 - 2 
In Sendai, the Golden Eagles of Tohoku hosted the Mighty Swans of Hokuriku in another wild and fast-paced see-saw battle. Park Song-ho gave Vegalta the lead in the 36 minute, running onto a Ryan Yong-gi inlet pass and tucking it into the left corner. This lead held up until half time, But shortly after the break Kisho Yano made one of his patented stumbling runs into the box, deliberately tangling himself up with a defender and then flopping to the pitch. The referee swallowed the bait and awarded a PK, which Marcio Richardes dispatched calmly inside the left post.
Just a few moments later, Albirex keeper Noriaki Higashiguchi dove for a bounding ball and was kicked squarely in the face by a Sendai player. The collision broke the keeper's nose, halting action for almost ten minutes before the trainers finally decided that the flow of blood could not be stopped and he would have to be replaced.
In the 65 minute, Albirex won a free kick just outside the box and Marcio Richardes demonstrated his mastery over the Jabulani, curling the ball perfectly into the top right corner. All the keeper could do was watch it go. But on the very next sequence of play Vegalta equalised on a set play of their own. After winning a corner kick on the right, Ryan Yong-gi displayed his own fine touch, placing the ball right on the forehead of Eder as he charged in towards the six-yard box. The ball rocketed into the left corner and the contest was level once again.
When the fourth official finally held up his signboard to display extra time, it seemed a bit stingy at only eight minutes. Three minutes after the injury period began, Albirex won a corner kick on the left side, and Marcio Richardes capped off a brilliant evening of Jabulani-stroking with a curling banana kick that whispered past the front post and crossed the goal line before anyone could touch it. We would appreciate help from anyone who has the time and interest to research past data, but I believe this is the first time anyone has scored a hat trick from three different set plays - PK, free kick and corner kick.
The remaining five minutes of injury time would seem excruciatiungly long for Albirex fans, as the Golden Eagles charged again and again towards the Niigata goal. But for Vegalta fans, the time slipped away too fast. With Vegalta still pressing forward in numbers, the referee pointed to the centre circle and blew his whistle, carrying Albirex into the top half of the table, level on points with the sixth-place Marinos
|
2
3 - 0 
Cerezo Osaka has been the surprise package of the J1 this season, and their strong performances since the departure of Shinji Kagawa, to Borussia Dortmund, have carried them all the way to fourth place. Montedio Yamagata, by contrast, find themselves in a similar position at this point of the season to last year - they have performed well enough in the early stages of the season to ease worries about getting caught up in the relegation battle, but have not managed to play with enough consistency achieve anything more than a mid-table mediocrity. Over the opening 45 minutes neither team was able to create more than an occasional half-chance, but as the second half kicked off, Cerezo finally broke the ice on a powerful left-footed blast by Adriano
Once they had conceded the lead, Montedio's focus seemed to crumble, while the Flaming Pinks suddenly seemed to find their rhythm. Takashi Inui extended Cerezo's lead in the 58 minute, carrying the ball to the top of the penalty arc on a counterattack, pulling up suddenly to create some space, and then firing into the low left corner. The third goal was the most aesthetically delightful of the lot, as Inui and Akihiro Ienaga exchanged passes at the top of the box, then slid the ball behind the Montedio defence as young Hiroshi Kiyotake charged through the line. Kiyotake chipped the ball over the keeper and Cerezo were in control.
But one element of Cerezo's play this season raises concerns about their staying power, and this week was no exception. Not long after the second goal, play began to get a bit rough, and the undisciplined youngsters on the Flaming Pinks got a bit carried away. By the 75 minute they had been reduced to ten men, as Adriano picked up his second yellow card. If they keep on this track, Cerezo's nickname may have to be changed from the "Flaming Pinks" to the "Flaming Reds"
|
3
1 - 3 
Shonan Bellmare is looking more and more like a relegation candidate, and despite some positive contibutions from newcomers Emerson and Valdo, then strenthened their claim on a relegation spot with a convincing loss to FC Tokyo. Shortly before the break, Ricardinho took a pass down the left channel and hooked the ball across the face of goal. Masato Morishige was perfectly positioned, and he demonstrated his physical strength by fighting off a defender's challenge and heading the ball powerfully into the low left corner. Minutes later, Naotake Hanyu doubled Tokyo's half-time advantage with a goal just before the final whistle.
Newcomer Masashi Oguro, who was signed from Yokohama FC during the World Cup break, seemed to put the contest out of reach ten minutes after the break, charging through the middle on a counterattack to collect an inlet pass from Shingo Akamine and stroking it underneath the keeper, giving the Capital-City Coondogs a three-goal lead.
However, Bellmare refused to throw in the towel just yet, responding moments later with a goal of their own, This kept the outcome in suspense for a bit longer, but Tokyo retained the upper hand, and created several dangerous chances on the counterattack as Shonan were forced to press further and further forward in search of another goal. In the end, neither side managed to add to their tally, and Tokyo coasted to a comfortable win
|
1
3 - 1 
When Vissel Kobe hosted a visit from Omiya Ardija, on Sunday evening, it marked the first time that Vissel coach Toshiya Miura has faced his old club since Ardija fired him, in 2007. When he was in charge of the Mighty Squirrels, Miura played a style of football that is not greatly different from the tactics Jun Suzuki seems to be using, since he took over the helm at Omiya earlier this year. When two teams of similar quality both adopt cautious, counterattacking strategies, the advantage usually falls to whoever gets the first bit of luck, because an early goal forces the condering team to play more aggressive tactics, while allowing the team that scores to sit even deeper, and look for opportunities to charge into the passing lanes.
That description pretty well characterizes the opening half of this contest. Vissel benefitted from an early bit of good fortune which gave them the lead, and the Crimson Tide then used their counterattacking opportunities effectively to extend the lead. In the 8 minute Ryosuke Matsuoka provided the opening tally with a long-range blast, and Gakuto Honda extended the advantage in the 20 minute. Another counterattack almost sent Kondo into the clear for a third goal, shortly before the break, but Yoshito Okubo's pass was just slightly too strong, and the ball ran out of play before Kondo could catch up with it.
After the break, however, the momentum began to shift slightly, and ten minutes aftre the restart Omiya pulled a goal back on a free kick that Norio Suzuki blasted into the top left corner, marking his first goal in an Omiya uniform. The Mighty Squirrels began working the ball forward with greater patience as the second half wore on, but despite long spells of possession, they had difficulty working the ball into position for a shot. A corner kick in the 70 minute offered the best chance, but Mato Neterlijak headed wide of the right post. Thereafter Kobe prefented Ardija from getting any easy shots, and lured them further and further forward in preparation for a final counterthrust. As the clock moved into injury time they finally sprang the mousetrap, with Matsuoka launching a clearance to Okubo. The National Team striker dashed away for an easy one-on-one with the keeper, putting the final touch on their victory.
|
3
1 - 0
Last . . . and certainly least . . . . Kawasaki Frontale and Kyoto Sanga played out a scoreless draw for 89 minutes, which did not reflect well on either team.However, just to emphasize their superior pussilanimity, Kyoto - who had the advantage in posession throughout this contest - suddenly decided to start "protecting the draw". As if to reward this invitation, Juninho marked his return to action by charging through the Sanga defence and scoring a goal in the final strains of injury time.
|
1
