J.League 2023 Season So Far: Some quick thoughts on every team!
March International Break Edition
We're still very early into the season but I think we can at least get the discussion rolling on a lot of the questions I had for all the J1 teams in the season previews I wrote back in February.
Notes:
While I’ve taken notes on most games by now, I haven’t caught up in terms of making the tactical diagrams, they only go up to around Matchday 3. They take up a lot of time/effort to create.
There will most definitely be things I skip over or not elaborate on because there’s just way too much going on. I am also still mulling over certain teams/ideas/concepts so I’ll hope to be a bit more coherent in later overviews.
Remember, we’re only five (5!) games in!
Let's get started!
Yokohama FC (18th, 1 point): 0 W, 1 D, 4 L
Home vs. Nagoya Grampus: 0-1 L
Away vs. Shonan Bellmare: 2-2 D
Home vs. Kashima Antlers: 1-3 L
Away vs. FC Tokyo: 1-3 L
Home vs. Kyoto Sanga: 1-4 L
Season Preview:
Shonan Bellmare vs. Yokohama FC tactical review:
Can Koki Ogawa keep up his finishing streak against J1 level opposition?
Yep, 4 goals (including 1 penalty) in 5 games so far is pretty darn good.
In tandem, can Yokohama FC as a team continue to funnel their passes to Ogawa against J1 level opposition?
Sorta, kinda? They're still just whacking it up to him from the back-line or as crosses but hey, it works! Just not very efficient way of playing but they can still squeeze goals out of him. It's... the defense that's been the problem for Yokohama FC.
Are the new signings in attack enough of an improvement to provide other non-Ogawa/Hasegawa avenues of threat?
Caprini has looked good in short bursts but surprisingly he still hasn't started in any of the 5 league games yet. Koki Sakamoto just seems very below average while Shion Inoue has played quite a lot deeper as part of a double pivot. Cong Phuong Nguyen hasn't made an appearance and neither has Mizuki Arai nor Kaisei Ishii.
Can this defense hold up against J1 teams? Or will Brodersen be called upon the make big saves to keep them in games again?
No. Not only are they unable to defend well but they don't help themselves either by making some really foolish mistakes in building up from the back-line. Yokohama FC have gone with Kengo Nagai in goal for his "ball playing ability" but I still don't think it's been worth it to replace Brodersen… who is injured? Left out? No idea.
Who will fill the Right Wing Back/Wide Midfielder role left by Zain Issaka? Will it be Yamashita/Kondo rotating like last season or will one of the new attackers like Caprini be converted there?
It's mainly been Tomoki Kondo or Towa Yamane. As I talked about in the Yokohama FC - Shonan match, Kondo's looked good at times but then got injured. Ryoya Yamashita isn't very good... Caprini has sometimes played on the Right Wing and as I've said before he looks dangerous.
Summary
My pre-season opinion of Yokohama FC hasn't really changed. I am surprised by Koki Ogawa being able to really step up to the J1 level but the rest of his team is pretty awful with the exception of maybe 2~3 others.
Even with Ogawa's goals, they ship way too many at the other end for that to even matter so they'll need to start being able to tighten things at the back and hold on for 1-0 or 2-1 type wins if they want to stay up this season...
Next 5 games:
Home vs. Avispa Fukuoka
Away vs. Yokohama F. Marinos
Home vs. Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Away vs. Gamba Osaka
Home vs. Consadole Sapporo
Kashiwa Reysol (17th, 2 points): 0 W, 2 D, 3 L
Home vs. Gamba Osaka: 2-2 D
Home vs. FC Tokyo: 1-1 D
Away vs. Avispa Fukuoka: 0-1 L
Home vs. Kashiwa Reysol: 0-3 L
Away vs. Sanfrecce Hiroshima: 0-1 L
Season preview:
Avispa Fukuoka vs. Kashiwa Reysol tactical review:
Can Reysol improve their build-up from the back without sacrificing their defensive solidity?
... No. And seemingly they have given up on it already which is really disappointing since it's clearly something that could be improved upon with time as the ingredients are clearly there. Not to mention they spent an entire transfer window shuffling the squad to play like this so it’ll be a massive financial waste as well.
Can Masato Sasaki continue to improve? Will this open avenues for him to get selected for the national team?
No. A few blunders in the opening games has meant that Tatsuya Morita has come in to replace the young Sasaki in goal.
Despite Mao Hosoya's all-around game outside of goal-scoring, as a striker it was still disappointing that he wasn't able to reach double figures. With more support and hopefully some tactical tweaks to allow him to preserve more of his energy for attacking, can he aim for top goalscorer this season?
Unfortunately no, after the first couple of games where he was getting a lot of support from midfield, he's slowly become isolated again, forced to go on the counterattack by himself or just with Mateus Savio. With Jay-Roy Grot in the squad, the hope is that he can provide a useful foil for Hosoya but like against Sanfrecce Hiroshima where the new signing was quite anonymous, it's still something that needs to be improved upon as right now Reysol aren't using Hosoya effectively at all.
After a horrid injury and a rather tame comeback in 2021, Matheus Savio exploded in 2022... even if he petered out a bit in the 2nd half of the season. Can the Brazilian re-kindle his great form in 2023?
He looked pretty good against Gamba and FC Tokyo but in more recent games (and this isn't his fault in particular, more just Reysol as a team), he just looks very much isolated, forced to do a whole lot of defending, and/or dropping very deep to touch the ball instead of attacking.
There has been a lot of turn-over, especially in defense. Will all the new signings gel quickly enough?
I am very ... unenthused by Reysol's defense and they usually only have this facade of looking competent because they defend with a lot of people, especially when they switched back to a Back 3/5.
Summary
Kashiwa looked OK, not great but just about OK in the games against Gamba and FC Tokyo as you could see a little bit of what they were trying to do in their attempt to become more of a possession-oriented side. But whether it's just because they faced Grampus and Sanfrecce in back-to-back games, Kashiwa have since reverted to a Back 3/5 and the long counter attack style which has been their M.O. over the past several seasons... However, with the new players they've got in now it doesn't nearly quite work as well and it's a bit of a stylistic whip-lash.
Over the off-season, Reysol clearly identified that their hold-and-counter style wasn't quite beneficial to Savio or Hosoya so they tried to change that through massive squad turnover, but they seem to have lost their nerve a bit due to not getting immediate-results which is quite disappointing. Things have just been downhill after switching back as they've increasingly shied away from facing up to their "new challenge".
Next 5 games:
Home vs. Urawa Reds
Home vs. Kashima Antlers
Away vs. Sagan Tosu
Away vs. Cerezo Osaka
Home vs. Kyoto Sanga
Gamba Osaka (16th, 3 points): 0 W, 3 D, 2 L
Away vs. Kashiwa Reysol: 2-2 D
Home vs. Sagan Tosu: 1-1 D
Away vs. Vissel Kobe: 0-4 L
Home vs. Sanfrecce Hiroshima: 1-2 L
Home vs. Consadole Sapporo: 2-2 D
Season Preview:
Can Dani Poyatos bring the necessary changes to Gamba's possession game that Katanosaka struggled with last season? It may be rough seas at first so will Gamba's hierarchy stay calm even if results aren't going their way?
A resounding yes. The results obviously haven't come but it's very clear how Gamba have changed in possession with Neta Lavi, Riku Handa, and Takashi Usami in particular being exceptional pieces in this side so far.
After a long injury layoff, will we see the best of Takashi Usami once again?
Still very early in the season but yeah, he's been quite good in his new role as both an "interior" box-to-box midfielder while also doing his defensive duties when moving up top next to the striker.
Kosei Tani vs. Masaaki Higashiguchi: it's a long season and both players will definitely play but who will come out on top by the end of the season?
Kosei Tani started the season off without too much trouble but Higashiguchi has started the last two games... Not quite sure what to make of it as Tani hasn't really done anything wrong.
With other youngsters such as Isa Sakamoto and Harumi Minamino away on loan, out of Hiroto Yamami, Jiro Nakamura, and Dai Tsukamoto who will be the one to usurp the bigger names in the squad to gain meaningful playing time? Or will it be someone like Ibuki Konno?
Okuno has been sent away on loan as he hasn't been able to break into the (admittedly, stacked) midfield. Rihito Yamamoto regularly comes off the bench and Yusei Egawa has slowly won the right to partner Genta Miura in the center of defense. Hiroto Yamami has been playing a fair amount of minutes as part of the rotation in the wide areas.
Summary
I am far more confident in Gamba Osaka despite the results than I have been for the past few seasons because it's very clear what they are trying to do but the execution just isn't there ...yet. On top of unfortunate mistakes happening at crucial moments in games (conceding within a few minutes vs. Vissel Kobe, conceding stupidly in the dying minutes vs. Sanfrecce), the results just haven't come despite the fact that they do look fairly good at times, especially on the ball.
Their problems are coming from lots of defensive errors, whether they are from lax passing from the back or just defenders switching off, but those can be improved upon (or those players shuffled out of the starting XI...). From Gamba we've also seen the usual problems of defending in a 4-4-2, i.e. getting spread out and passes being found in the half-spaces or gaps between players.
I am still concerned about them actually enough scoring goals though (especially to paper over their not-great-defending in the meantime) and we'll need to see a lot more from not just Suzuki and Jebali up top but their other attacking players to finish off some of the chances they are creating.
Next 5 games:
Away vs. Shonan Bellmare
Home vs. Kawasaki Frontale
Away vs. Kyoto Sanga
Home vs. Yokohama FC
Away vs. Kashima Antlers
Sagan Tosu (15th, 4 points): 1 W, 1 D, 3 L
Home vs. Shonan Bellmare: 1-5 L
Away vs. Gamba Osaka: 1-1 D
Home vs. Nagoya Grampus: 1-0 W
Away vs. Cerezo Osaka: 1-2 L
Home vs. Sagan Tosu: 0-1 L
Season preview:
Can they continue their streak of building/re-building year-on-year to (eventually, if ever) push higher up the table consistently? ...or will one day, Tosu won't be able to replace enough of their talents and things start to get dicey like in 2019?
They look fine but I don't think this team is nearly as good as previous seasons, especially in defense. I think Kosuke Yamazaki has actually fitted in quite well at the J1 level but the rest aren't that great in my opinion. They also have had to move Fukuta down into Right Center Back which isn't optimal either.
Will Fuchi Honda and Taichi Kikuchi continue improving? Will having seen Taichi Fukui leap-frog them both by (mostly) skipping the J.League and going straight to Europe light a fire under them?
Both have been alright but it looks like Jun Nishikawa has usurped one of the attacking midfielders spots for himself so far this season.
Who will take up the midfield spot next to Akito Fukuta? So Kawahara is coming off a fantastic season with Roasso Kumamoto while Kohei Tezuka has already spent the 2nd half of the 2022 season getting accustomed to Tosu's playstyle following a summer move from Yokohama FC.
As mentioned before the premise of the question is invalid now with Fukuta being forced into defense due to poor form of other defenders and injuries. Nevertheless, I have been very impressed by So Kawahara and he looks right at home in J1. His passing range allows Tosu to take advantage of transitional moments but also speed up attacks when building up more slowly from the back.
Summary
Getting absolutely demolished by Shonan sent alarm bells ringing but if you actually watched the game, Tosu had a fair few chances themselves in the 1st Half and had two goals disallowed... Sometimes stuff like this happens! In their other games they've been just about OK but it's their usual problem of not having just enough quality to really break through tight games and take the initiative. I still think they play good football but their defense isn't as good as last year and their new attackers are still trying to gel so their slow start makes sense. The manager has been making certain tweaks to Tosu's system throughout last season after taking over from Kim Myung-hwi and this season so far as well, so I expect more changes as Kenta Kawai mulls over recent results.
Next 5 games:
Home vs. FC Tokyo
Away vs. Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Home vs. Kashiwa Reysol
Away vs. Kyoto Sanga
Home vs. Yokohama F. Marinos
Kawasaki Frontale (14th, 5 points): 1 W, 2 D, 2 L
Home vs. Yokohama F. Marinos: 1-2 L
Away vs. Kashima Antlers: 2-1 W
Home vs. Shonan Bellmare: 1-1 D
Away vs. Albirex Niigata: 0-1 L
Home vs. Cerezo Osaka: 0-0 D
Season preview:
Kawasaki Frontale vs. Yokohama F. Marinos tactical review:
Can Taisei Miyashiro become the main striker as Damiao and Kobayashi start out injured and are also yet another year older? In the meantime, can Ienaga (with or without his penalty-taking) and Marcinho continue their goal-scoring form in 2023 to compensate? How will Shin Yamada figure into the turmoil up top?
It's been Taisei Miyashiro so far and he's been fine. His movement and good close control has led to some decent shots but unfortunately, Frontale really need somebody who has the exact skill-set that Miyashiro doesn't have: being strong with his back-to-goal and settling long balls under pressure. With all of Frontale's build-up problems this season, they are really missing Damiao's ability to hold up the ball and give time for Frontale to push up the field (especially since Kei Chinen has left the squad too).
How well will Ominami integrate into the team? Will he start off as a Right Back and gradually move to Center Back or vice-versa?
Takuma Ominami has been thrown in at the deep end, as the rest of his fellow Center Backs continue to either get injured or sent off! A lot of Frontale's defensive problems are not his fault as he's had to switch partners in every game. His passing is fine but again, a lot of Frontale's problems are collective rather than on any particular individual.
Will Frontale have a much better Asian Champions League campaign this year and reach at least the Quarter Finals (or more!) for the first time since 2017?
Champions League won't start until summer/fall 2023 so can't say anything at the moment. Will Frontale be able to get their act together before the campaign starts?
Summary
It's been a really bad start of the season for Kawasaki Frontale and they aren't further down the table because they somehow managed to win with 10 men against Kashima in matchday 2. A lot of the creaks and cracks I've mentioned in past season reviews regarding Frontale have only exacerbated. Their small or unbalanced squad has not weathered the constant injuries and suspensions in the back-line to the point where they've had to bring Shuto Tanabe back from loan and also throw in the teenage Matsunagane. Jesiel is out with yet another (probably long-term) knee injury so things seem pretty dire at the back (defensive depth in particular has been something I and many many other people have been complaining about for a long time).
The back-line problems also extend to their build-up as despite trying different things like having Yamane moving inside, it's not going to work against every team (like vs. Kashima who play with a midfield 3 // diamond) but in the first place, they've just been very lax and giving away the ball to cheaply to the opposition who can gain some reward with even a modicum of pressing (like Marinos, Shonan, and Niigata).
Next 5 games:
Away vs. Consadole Sapporo
Away vs. Gamba Osaka
Home vs. Nagoya Grampus
Home vs. Urawa Reds
Away vs. Avispa Fukuoka
Cerezo Osaka (13th, 5 points): 1 W, 2 D, 2 L
Home vs. Albirex Niigata: 2-2 D
Away vs. Avispa Fukuoka: 1-2 L
Away vs. Urawa Reds: 1-2 L
Home vs. Sagan Tosu: 2-1 W
Away vs. Kawasaki Frontale: 0-0 D
Season preview:
Following consecutive final defeats in the League Cup and going far in other competitions Cerezo have come mightily close but will this be the season they finally win their first title under Akio Kogiku?
I can't even begin to answer this yet, obviously. Not been a great start to the 2023 season for Cerezo though...
Can they find their way past teams who are completely happy to give Cerezo the ball and can withstand their barrage of crosses? Maybe it'll be up to Shinji Kagawa to come on as a sub to magic them out of a deadlock? On that note, how many minutes will Shinji Kagawa play?
Ermm... kind of? Shinji Kagawa has definitely been an asset but they are still struggling for goals as Leo Ceara hasn't both not been at his best but also Cerezo can't seem to get the ball to him in the box to actually take shots...
Can anybody on this team, whether it's a striker or otherwise get double-digits in goals? Can Leo Ceara turn his efficient production in limited playing time to someone that can contribute week-in-week-out more regularly?
Yeah, no one yet. All 5 of Cerezo's non-own-goal goals have come from 5 different players. Funnily enough the player with the most shots on this team so far is Seiya Maikuma with 10... Then it's Kagawa with 6, Ceara and Tameda with 5 apiece.
Summary
Cerezo have been working hard to build up from the back involving Kim J.H. as well as shifting to a back 3 in the build-up phase at times but it's when they get past the opponent's first line of defense and into the middle 3rd of the pitch that they've had some problems. With the variety of passing patterns from the back, Cerezo can usually get the ball up-field but from there… it's usually just bombarding crosses into the box through Yamanaka or Jordy Croux and not much else (and the occasional under-lapping runs from Maikuma into the box). Hopefully Shinji Kagawa can improve things as he looked promising against Tosu in his first start but the Frontale game was a match absolutely devoid of any creativity from Cerezo.
Next 5 games:
Home vs. Yokohama F. Marinos
Home vs. Consadole Sapporo
Away vs. FC Tokyo
Home vs. Kashiwa Reysol
Home vs. Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Shonan Bellmare (12th, 5 points): 1 W, 2 D, 2 L
Away vs. Sagan Tosu: 5-1 W
Home vs. Yokohama FC: 2-2 D
Away vs. Kawasaki Frontale: 1-1 D
Home vs. Kyoto Sanga: 0-2 L
Away vs. Avispa Fukuoka: 1-2 L
Season preview:
Shonan Bellmare vs. Yokohama FC tactical review:
Yusuke Segawa is a big loss, can Kosuke Onose fill his creative boots? Or will somebody else like Taiyo Hiraoka or Masaki Ikeda improve themselves two-fold to pick up the slack?
Yes and yes! Both Kosuke Onose and Taiyo Hiraoka have been very good so far this season, for more details see the tactical review I wrote up for Shonan vs. Yokohama FC as well as their performance in the game vs. Kawasaki Frontale.
Can Shuto Machino keep up his great finishing streak of the past 12 months? And/or maybe Keita Yamashita will take his FC Tokyo frustrations out on goal?
Funnily enough it's Yuki Ohashi who's been getting the goals (and otherwise just playing quite well in general) but now he's injured. Even so, Yamashita hasn't gotten a start yet as Hiroyuki Abe and Tarik have been picked to start next to Machino ahead of him...
As for Shuto Machino, too early to tell if he'll replicate his exploits in front of goal but his overall play-making skills (which is the thing that I've always had an eye on rather than his goal scoring ability) has been good as he's been one of the most creative players in the league so far.
With Kosei Tani gone back to Gamba, lots of pressure will be on Song Bum-Keun after a big move from Korean champions, Jeonbuk Hyundai. Will he be able to impress enough at Shonan to earn a starting berth on his national team as well?
Song has been very good, to the point where I'm surprised better teams in the J.League or even abroad weren't even in for him! Good shot-stopping and very good in the air.
Was the good bit of form in the final months of the season a fluke? Or is it a sign of gradual improvement with Satoshi Yamaguchi at the helm?
There’s been some good performances like vs. Tosu on the opening day but still same old Shonan problems reared their head in games against Frontale and Yokohama FC as they couldn't finish their opponents off when they had them on the ropes. Shonan started off their season with a bang but their defeats to Kyoto and Avispa in recent weeks before the international break will leave a sour taste but I think they'll be fine.
Next 5 games:
Home vs. Gamba Osaka
Away vs. FC Tokyo
Home vs. Yokohama F. Marinos
Away vs. Nagoya Grampus
Away vs. Vissel Kobe
Consadole Sapporo (11th, 6 points): 1 W, 3 D, 1 L
Away vs. Sanfrecce Hiroshima: 0-0 D
Home vs. Vissel Kobe: 1-3 L
Away vs. Albirex Niigata: 2-2 D
Home vs. Yokohama F. Marinos: 2-0 W
Away vs. Gamba Osaka: 2-2 D
Season preview:
Who starts at Left Center Back? The incumbent Akito Fukumori? Or will Toya Nakamura or Seiya Baba take over sometime during the season? Daiki Suga has been used there in the past but that negates his strengths for not much in return so while it may happen I don't think it's a good idea.
Yeah... it's still... Akito Fukumori... Thankfully Suga has been kept as a wing-back where he belongs while Seiya Baba has been used as a midfielder. Even now in 2023, both my praises (good passing!) and criticisms (lack of mobility in defending spaces!) of Fukumori haven't changed compared to previous seasons so it's kind of the same old, same old here...
Gu S.Y. vs. Sugeno for the starting goalkeeper spot? The Korean pushed Sugeno out of the team before having to leave for military service back in 2020, during which Sugeno went to have some of his best (individual) years at Sapporo with save after save guarding them against relegation troubles.
Sugeno started the first game of the season, where he performed another of his miracles by keeping Hiroshima at bay (regardless of the "ghost goal" that VAR inexplicably didn't give...) but since then it's been Gu S.Y. all the way through to the March international break.
Who starts up top? Will there be a clear top goalscorer this season like Tsuyoshi Ogashiwa or Kim G.H. or will everybody pitch in a little bit like last season? Or will Ryota Aoki somehow magic out double figures?
Oh boy, Mischa's thrown a curve ball by starting Takuma Arano or Yuki Kobayashi for quite a few games this season... As per his post-match comments it's mainly due to the need for "mobility" on the front line (making runs behind, pressing like a maniac, the usual Sapporo things) but the manager has also used Kim G.H. (a proper #9) up top as well as the Korean is much better at being able to hold the ball up. As you might have expected, it looks quite likely that the goals will be spread around the team this season once again with Ogashiwa, Kobayashi, Aoki, and Asano all getting in on the goals so far.
Summary
As wonderfully inconsistent as usual! A highlight has been Ogashiwa and Kaneko's partership on the Right Wing so far. If Sapporo can keep both injury-free this season then they'll see a lot of goals! For best performance by the team in general it's clearly the Marinos victory. They put a lid on Marinos' build-up play and Okamura was very solid defensively when Marinos were forced to go long as well.
Next 5 games:
Home vs. Consadole Sapporo
Away vs. Cerezo Osaka
Away vs. Urawa Reds
Home vs. Avispa Fukuoka
Away vs. Yokohama FC
Kashima Antlers (10th, 7 points): 2 W, 1 D, 2 L
Away vs. Kyoto Sanga: 2-0 W
Home vs. Kawasaki Frontale: 1-2 L
Away vs. Yokohama FC: 3-1 W
Home vs. Avispa Fukuoka: 0-0 D
Away vs. Yokohama F. Marinos: 1-2 L
Season preview:
It was a brutal half-season in charge for Daiki Iwamasa as his Antlers team put up a relegation-team-like record and fans consistently booed him in particular. Can he turn things around in 2023 or will he be the first J.League manager casualty of the season?
So far... yeah, it's been fine - at times "good" even. On the other hand, their two major victories have come up against bottom teams and while they played OK-to-decent against Frontale and Marinos they still came up short (especially against Frontale where they were a man-up and leading in the last 7 minutes of the game...).
Can Kei Chinen or Yuki Kakita provide the goals that dried up after Ayase Ueda left?
Well, not really. On the other hand, as Chinen showed throughout his time at Frontale, he's been fantastic at settling and holding the ball up field and creating time for his teammates to support the attack. Chinen has been playing this Left Wing-ish position that he swaps around with Yuma Suzuki throughout the game and both players are usually able to physically dominate opponent Full Backs to good effect to gain territory. Yuki Kakita has barely played due to the form of the aforementioned duo so far.
With Gen Shoji out for possibly the first few games, can Ikuma Sekigawa and Naomichi Ueda quickly form a solid Center Back pairing?
Yes. Ueda in particular has been very good and is giving Sekigawa the leadership and direction he's sorely lacked since Machida and Inukai left.
It seems Tomoki Hayakawa will continue to keep his place in goal that he earned at the tail-end of last season but can Yuya Oki or veteran Kwon Sun-tae win back the spot during the season?
So far, Hayakawa has been fine... not excellent or anything but still more than good enough to keep his position ahead of Oki or Kwon. I don't really have a whole lot to say about him though.
Summary
It's still the same ol' Kashima we've come accustomed to in the past few years... Overload the wide areas after one of their big strikers (Yuma Suzuki, now joined by Kei Chinen playing wide) have settled the ball and then cross it back inside.
Kashima have conceded 5 goals, which isn't a great record but most were not really from "bad" defending. Generally Ueda and Tsunemoto have been quite good defensively (Tsunemoto's weird own goal vs. Marinos aside...).
The real highlight though, has been how well Kaishu Sano has been playing as the shield in front of defense. On the other hand, their aggression in defending can be a bit too much at times as they've wracked up the foul count and have had 3 players sent off already, which is a bit of a concern. Tomoya Fujii looks very much a fit for how Antlers want to play while Ryotaro Araki is slowly getting back into form. My big doubts about them may not be coming to pass but it's still too early in the season to really say anything conclusively.
Note: While I have seen most Kashima games, as the above section showed I haven't been able to create diagrams for anything besides their 1st game. I'll probably try to find an interesting Kashima game in the next couple of matchdays to write a tactical review on them.
Next 5 games:
Home vs. Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Away vs. Kashiwa Reysol
Home vs. Vissel Kobe
Away vs. Albirex Niigata
Home vs. Gamba Osaka
Sanfrecce Hiroshima (9th, 8 points): 2 W, 2 D, 1 L
Home vs. Consadole Sapporo: 0-0 D
Home vs. Albirex Niigata: 1-2 L
Away vs. Yokohama F. Marinos: 1-1 D
Away vs. Gamba Osaka: 2-1 W
Home vs. Kashiwa Reysol: 1-0 W
Season preview:
Squad depth is still a concern. Can this team handle the Asian Champions League? On one hand they won't have to worry about it for quite a while due to the scheduling changes... and means they can still sign more players in the summer depending on form/injuries in the squad when Sanfrecce get to that point in the season.
Jury is still out but the injury problems they had at the start of the season really strikes home their squad depth issues in my opinion. Shichi's injury on the Left meant that they had to shift players around and play Mitsuta as a Wing Back on the Right as well as Nakano who hasn't been that great, thrown into the deep end. Kawamura has then been forced to play out of position as one of the attackers when he's really a guy who likes to orchestrate play from deeper positions.
In the winter transfers post: I talked about how thin their back-line is but I suppose they are very confident in Shuto Nakano and Taichi Yamasaki being able to fill in straight out of university?
The Back 3 has continued to chug along fine with Araki, Sasaki, and Shiotani playing all 450 minutes in the 5 league games so far. Jelani Sumiyoshi hasn't played league minutes so far but he's still also the only "established pro" as back up in the back-line...
Is there a more regular goal scorer who can reliably get in the double-digits? Will Sanfrecce keep spreading the goals around the team like last season or will Pieros Sotiriou live up to his promise?
Pieros Sotiriou still continues to flatter to deceive. He spends as much time fouling and complaining at the referee as he does taking shots. On the other hand, Nassim Ben Khalifa continues to be quite good, but he's more of a creator/facilitator rather than a true goal-scoring #9.
Summary
It's getting silly how little they've scored off the amount of chances they've created. Also, with the mini injury crisis they had at the start of the season their squad issues have really been clear to see. I thought with the Champions League not starting until much later in the season and a much more relaxed schedule, this would really be Sanfrecce's season to get a big head start but that hasn't been the case, although if the goal against Sapporo was awarded then they would be tied for 2nd/3rd on 10 points so I guess it's not a completely disastrous start...
I think they are clear issues that need to be addressed but despite that this is a team that is still producing a lot in attack, still relatively solid in defense as long as the usual Back 3 remain fit, and their pressing remains sharp and aggressive. So in the medium-long term I don't think I should be too concerned about them but there are these nagging worries that just won't go away.
Next 5 games:
Away vs. Kashima Antlers
Home vs. Sagan Tosu
Away vs. Yokohama FC
Home vs. FC Tokyo
Away vs. Cerezo Osaka
Albirex Niigata (8th, 8 points): 2 W, 2 D, 1 L
Away vs. Cerezo Osaka: 2-2 D
Away vs. Sanfrecce Hiroshima: 2-1 W
Home vs. Consadole Sapporo: 2-2 D
Home vs. Kawasaki Frontale: 1-0 W
Away vs. Urawa Reds: 1-2 L
Season Preview:
With Ryotaro Ito filling in for Takagi on a slightly more regular basis, how will he fare against J1 level opposition?
...enough said!! I don't think you need me to show or tell you how well he's been playing.
Can the new Brazilian signings (Gomes and Nescau) give Albirex a bit more quality/variation to their already good attack?
They have barely appeared, mainly making late sub cameos so the jury is still out on them. The likes of Mito, Matsuda, and even most surprisingly Shusuke Ota have all been playing well out wide so it's been hard to make room for the Brazilians so far.
How will Niigata's build-up cope with the intensity/intelligence of J1 pressing schemes? Will their positional play principles break down tougher J1 low blocks?
It's been ... relatively fine. They had a hard time against Sanfrecce and Consadole Sapporo who are notoriously some of the most aggressive pressing teams in the league but even then, after 10~20 minutes of hardship Albirex slowly started to be able to figure out ways to move the ball around. It's not perfect and they definitely have been caught out and not punished but they have also been so good at sucking teams into their defensive 3rd, then quickly bursting up the pitch in a handful of touches through Ryotaro Ito's excellent close-quarters ball control or simply knocking it up for Suzuki to lay it off to a supporting midfielder.
Can Niigata's relatively untested defense from last season cope with J1 attackers and just generally being forced to defend in their own half for longer duration in games?
Yup, this is still my biggest worry about this team. They can't afford to press up high too much for long durations of the game due to Chiba and MJ not being fast enough to cover or track back in a high line. Against J1 opposition they are definitely feeling the heat for longer periods and not having access to their "possession as a form of defense". Against Hiroshima they were able to keep the quality of shots down because they had so many people back in the box to block or close down the angle to make it easy for Kojima to save but in their more recent games they've been given away a lot more dangerous chances so their defense does bear scrutiny.
How will they cope when Takahiro Ko is suspended or injured?
Thankfully for Albirex, this hasn't happened yet so the jury is still out. Akiyama and Shimada have been more than decent though next to him so it may not be too much of an issue if it does happen at some point in the season.
Summary
They've looked flashy and even when they look in trouble hemmed inside their own defensive 3rd, they are just so quick to transition whether on short or long counterattacks so it's hard to pin them down in their own defensive 3rd because they can flip that situation on you in a flash.
Much like Marinos, even when facing a particularly aggressive or new kind of press Niigata are able to eventually find a way to evade it and get the ball up to pitch which is impressive. So it's even more important that their defense can hold on in the beginning parts of games like these or Niigata will find that they have a mountain to climb that even their excellent attack can't surmount. This is especially when you consider that they've been a bit profligate and not finishing games off so far when they've had the chances to (vs. Frontale, Sanfrecce...).
They've been relying a lot on Ryotaro Ito being in the form of his life (and Shusuke Ota's fantastic finishing) but if he cooling off even a smidgen both in chance creation or shooting, then I think Niigata will be in a bit more trouble.
Next 5 games:
Home vs. Nagoya Grampus
Away vs. Vissel Kobe
Home vs. Avispa Fukuoka
Home vs. Kashima Antlers
Away vs. FC Tokyo
FC Tokyo (7th, 8 points): 2 W, 2 D, 1 L
Home vs. Urawa Reds: 2-0 W
Away vs. Kashiwa Reysol: 1-1 D
Away vs. Kyoto Sanga: 0-2 L
Home vs. Yokohama FC: 3-1 W
Away vs. Nagoya Grampus: 0-0 D
Season preview:
This is the season where FC Tokyo really need to make a run for the ACL spots if not at least be involved in the title race in some capacity, can they do it?
We're 5 games into the season so I can't answer this. Next!
The manager has used cup competition for youth players to gain experience but with results more in focus for 2023, will we see some deeper cup runs?
Ditto above.
After a very good season (not without its ups-and-downs in form of course), can Kuryu Matsuki continue to improve to get himself into the Paris Olympic squad picture or even in the main national team squad?
Kuryu Matsuki was good for the first 2 games of the season then earned himself a call-up to the U-20 Asian Cup squad.
FC Tokyo haven't scored over 50 goals since 2013... Who besides Adailton can come up with the goals in this team? Will Diego be able to pitch in more even though he as many other responsibilities? Or will it be one of the new signings like Perotti or Nakagawa? Can the midfielders contribute a bit more too?
Yeah, this is still a problem. Diego does have 2 goals already (last season he only scored 3) and the other usual goal scorer in Adailton has slowly been relegated to the bench. I've said this a million times in the past few years that FC Tokyo needs Diego for a lot of other things beside goal-scoring, but then the team actually needs other people to take up the slack. Teruhito Nakagawa has looked quite dangerous so hopefully he starts scoring more on top of some excellent creative work he's been doing so far. Otherwise a lot more focus will be on guys like Matsuki, Abe, and Tsukagawa to chip in with a few more goals from midfield (another point I made last year and I sound like a broken record at this point...).
Summary
This FC Tokyo team are still just very inconsistent and it still feels like for every step or two this team takes forward under Puig, they take steps backwards in the next.
1. Lack of progress in building out from the back... (not without successful attempts too, of course)
2. Pressing high has consistently failed in the 1st Half of games and have needed tweaks at half time to get things to work...
On the other hand, FC Tokyo have been really good at suppressing the number of shots against them and therefore are relatively solid defensively to the point where they can turn a lot of games into very drab affairs when combined with the fact that their attacking play can be very lacklustre at times.
My big concern comes from the most recent game against Nagoya, where Albert Puig went with the surprising choice to match up against the opponent with a 3-5-2ish formation of their own. The reason given was the lack of available midfielders... which is not a bad excuse but at the same time, if Albert Puig doesn't think this team can function the way he wants with Higashi, Koizumi, and Tsukagawa available in a midfield 3 (all established pros and/or with significant game time under Puig already) then that should send alarm bells throughout the fan-base...
This is the second season under Albert Puig, the time for "mixing our ideal style with a realistic need to get some points on the board" was something you could at least forgive last season with the squad still in need of dire turnover but this season...? Especially when you consider that only 1 team will be relegated at the end of the season...? If FC Tokyo don't actually take time to test themselves in a season like this, then when are they? In this game vs. Nagoya there was also the option to start with the usual 4-3-3 and then shift to something else if one of the midfielders absolutely had to come off, especially since Puig has generally been very good at making in-game adjustments! brgacha - an FC Tokyo supporter, took a deep look at the possible reasons for these changes, see his blogpost here (in Japanese).
Of course, my worries may be exacerbated because this was an exceptionally bad game, it was the last game before the international break so I have had way too much time to mull over it, and this might just be a temporary thing... However, even in games where FC Tokyo are playing the "ideal" way, the players themselves I feel aren't challenging themselves enough and being more bold in playing it out from the back due to a fear of mistakes. Optimistically, things may simply just naturally look better with Shuto Abe and/or Kuryu Matsuki back in the team, so we’ll see…
Next 5 games:
Away vs. Sagan Tosu
Home vs. Shonan Bellmare
Home vs. Cerezo Osaka
Away vs. Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Home vs. Albirex Niigata
Urawa Red Diamonds (6th , 9 points): 3 W, 0 D, 2 L
Away vs. FC Tokyo: 0-2 L
Away vs. Yokohama F. Marinos: 0-2 L
Home vs. Cerezo Osaka: 2-1 W
Away vs. Vissel Kobe: 1-0 W
Home vs. Albirex Niigata: 2-1 W
Season preview:
There is already a good foundation of playing-out-of-the-back from Ricardo Rodriguez's time but can new manager Maciej Skorza build on top of that to coach better attacking 3rd patterns for Urawa to score more (open-play) goals?
There is a bit of that so far but also it seems Skorza's football is much more "vertical" and a lot more quick to get up the pitch compared to Rodriguez.
Can Bryan Linssen come through to become the double-digits goal scorer that Urawa sorely need? Will Toshiki Takahashi elevate his performances to excel at the J1 level? Or will Shinzo Koroki roll back the years to become top scorer? Will Urawa rue not being able to sign an additional striker in the winter transfer window?
Bryan Linssen hasn't been doing too well, not just goal-scoring wise but other aspects of his game haven't been up to scratch and it's Shinzo Koroki coming back out to start games for Urawa again...
Will this be the season that Zion Suzuki usurps Nishikawa's place between the sticks? Can his future performances push him into the national team picture for the Asian Cup or the next World Cup?
Zion Suzuki hasn't played in the league yet but he is still getting called up to the youth national team setups.
Summary
Quite a rough start to the season which had Urawa fans very restless and worried but since then it's been 3 wins on the bounce now with the game against Cerezo being the real turning point for them. That was the game where they were finally able to play more like how Skorza wanted for the first time this season, mixing passes out from the back with more direct vertical play.
It's been a very tough schedule for them so far but these games against a lot of the top teams from last season out of the way, they're in a good position to continue winning more points as the fixture difficulty eases up on them...
Next 5 games:
Away vs. Kashiwa Reysol
Away vs. Nagoya Grampus
Home vs. Consadole Sapporo
Away vs. Kawasaki Frontale
Home vs. Sagan Tosu
Kyoto Sanga, 5th place (9 points): 3 W, 0 D, 2 L
Home vs. Kashima Antlers: 0-2 L
Away vs. Nagoya Grampus: 0-1 L
Home vs. FC Tokyo: 2-0 W
Away vs. Shonan Bellmare: 2-0 W
Away vs. Yokohama FC: 4-1 W
Season Preview:
A new group of strikers have come in to replace Peter Utaka. Can at least one of these guys get the goals that Kyoto sorely need? Not just goals but general creativity and holding the ball up too? On paper, they should all be an upgrade on Ryogo Yamasaki...
Both Kinoshita and Patric have been quite good!
It's also interesting that they are playing two strikers up top + a winger in a front 3. Patric is in the middle and Kinoshita starts nominally as a "Left Winger" but he's playing more like a inside-forward/#10-ish type who tries to show-and-receive in the half-spaces or pockets of space in the front-line as a passing option for Kyoto's players further back.
On top of their work in deeper areas, both players have been getting on the end of good chances in the box and finished them too. Still early days but compared to their awful opening game vs. Kashima Antlers, Kyoto look much more coherent now.
As a side-note, Kazunari Ichimi was playing Kinoshita's role as well before he got injured so it's a clear game plan by manager Cho Kwi-jae this season.
Who will replace Kamifukumoto? Tomoya Wakahara was decent in Kyoto's promotion season... or maybe it'll be Warner Hahn?
It's been Tomoya Wakahara, he's been fine. Any mistake though and I'm sure Warner Hahn will step in immediately.
Can they work out a way to press more effectively and not completely exhaust themselves before the end of the game while doing so? Can Kyoto find a way to keep the ball longer whether it's in their own half or the opponent's to give themselves some breathing space?
Kyoto attempted a 4-3-3 vs. Kashima and got walloped so had to revert to their back 3/5 in the 2nd Half for added security and more passing options in the back line. Since then they've mixed and matched depending on their opposition but also, as mentioned in a question above, playing two strikers in a 4-3-3 has definitely helped Kyoto's build-up by creating more passing options further forward. Sota Kawasaki has continued to be very good and I'm still annoyed that FC Tokyo didn't try to get him during the past transfer windows.
Summary
They've already won against two of their relegation rivals so far in Yokohama FC and Shonan Bellmare so after a rough start with two straight losses against Antlers and Nagoya, things are looking a bit better for Kyoto.
Next 5 games:
Home vs. Vissel Kobe
Away vs. Avispa Fukuoka
Home vs. Gamba Osaka
Home vs. Sagan Tosu
Away vs. Kawasaki Frontale
Avispa Fukuoka (4th, 10 points): 3 W, 1 D, 1 L
Away vs. Vissel Kobe: 0-1 L
Home vs. Cerezo Osaka: 2-1 W
Home vs. Kashiwa Reysol: 1-0 W
Away vs. Kashima Antlers: 0-0 D
Home vs. Shonan Bellmare: 2-1 W
Season Preview:
Avispa Fukuoka vs. Kashiwa Reysol tactical review:
Avispa have consistently lost key pieces in the past few seasons in Emil Salomonsson, Jordy Croux, Juanma Delgado, and Takaaki Shichi. Are their latest replacements good enough to plug the gaps on a now-struggling team?
Kazuya Konno has been good so far, his chemistry with Yuzawa down the right wing has been a good source of chance creation or at the very least, ball progression for Avispa so far this season. Unfortunately Masashi Kamekawa has been injured (?) and has barely played this season while Itsuki Oda has been just about okay. Ryoga Sato has mainly been coming off the bench and I can't fully judge him yet.
Oh and Yosuke Ideguchi…
Masaaki Murakami suffered a big dip in form that resulted in him being dropped for a number of games last season, can he return to his 2021 form?
Not quite sure, manager Shigetoshi Hasebe has again swapped Nagaishi and Murakami around this season...
Despite what the stats might say (check my 2022 season review for the xG stuff), I really wasn't nearly as impressed with Avispa's defending in 2022 compared to 2021. It's a worrying trend considering their attacking output, which was never great to begin with, fell off a cliff last season. Attacking and defending are different sides of the same coin, will improving their defense also start the engine on a stuttering attack?
I think their back 3 has made them far more solid defensively and they are better able to plug the gaps in the half-spaces with their wider CBs being able to step up. Intercepting the ball in these spaces has allowed them to transition quickly into attack on the counter but their attack is still... very mediocre (I go into this in quite a bit more detail in the Reysol tactical review). So it's still too early to come to any conclusion with any conviction.
Summary
For a good summary of their season thus far I point you over to the Avispa vs. Reysol tactical review I wrote back in matchday 3. Avispa so far are in the head-spinning (for them at least) heights of 4th place through a mixture of good defending and riding their luck. They could've been even higher up in the table if they had actually pressed their 1 man advantage against Kashima Antlers! So Avispa have gotten a lot of the breaks going for them so far, it may not continue but the fact that they have these 10 points in the bank already bodes well for them in any relegation battle, even if their performance starts to trend downwards in the coming weeks.
Next 5 games:
Away vs. Yokohama FC
Home vs. Kyoto Sanga
Away vs. Albirex Niigata
Away vs. Consadole Sapporo
Home vs. Kawasaki Frontale
Yokohama F. Marinos (3rd, 10 points): 3 W, 1 D, 1 L
Away vs. Kawasaki Frontale: 2-1 W
Home vs. Urawa Reds: 2-0 W
Home vs. Sanfrecce Hiroshima: 1-1 D
Away vs. Consadole Sapporo: 0-2 L
Home vs. Kashima Antlers: 2-1 W
Season preview:
Kawasaki Frontale vs. Yokohama F. Marinos tactical review:
Can Marinos withstand the loss of 2 key players (Iwata and Takaoka) that formed a big part of their spine? Who among the new signings (Kamijima?) or the squad (Kota Watanabe? Obi?) will step up to the challenge in their place?
... kind of? Well, Obi was looking fine, if not good even, in the first few games of the season but then Marinos brought in Ichimori to immediately start games. Kamijima hasn't played a whole lot and when he has, it's usually been at Right Back. Kota Watanabe has definitely become an integral part of the side now but that's been apparent since last season after he came into midfield as Iwata had to shift down a line to Center Back. Kenta Inoue hasn't been bad as the future-to-be Mizunuma replacement while on the other hand, Yan Mateus hasn't dislodged the usually-excellent Elber on the Left Wing. The player that absolutely has stepped up to fill the Center Back void is Ryotaro Tsunoda as he's taken over the Left Center Back position for himself ahead of the experienced Eduardo and even earned himself a call up to the Japan national team.
For all of Marinos' success, they have never been able to assert their dominance across multiple competitions in a single year, can Marinos stretch their squad to not just win the league but possibly win a domestic or continental cup as well?
Can't talk about this yet, obviously, as we've only just started the League cup fixtures and Marinos haven't played in the Champions League nor the Emperor's Cup yet...
Summary
Marinos are another team that's had quite a difficult schedule. Marinos would be pretty disappointed with their performance against Sapporo but against a team that likes to man-mark like they do, it's a bit unfortunate Marinos didn't have their first choice Full Back pairing that are far more well attuned to figure out ways to progress the ball during a game compared to Kamijima or Yuta Koike. Compare that performance to the game against Sanfrecce where Marinos came under heavy pressure early on but as time went by they were able to figure things out (on top of Hiroshima putting their foot off the gas too of course). Even if performances haven't been quite vintage Marinos, the optimist should take those 10 points already on board as a good sign and you'd hope that the clear deficiencies seen in the first 5 games of the season can be improved upon. As the fixture difficulty eases up, Marinos will want to batter the teams from lower down the table in the games to come so that they can really take the driving seat in another title race.
Next 5 games:
Away vs. Cerezo Osaka
Home vs. Yokohama FC
Away vs. Shonan Bellmare
Away vs. Vissel Kobe
Home vs. Nagoya Grampus
Nagoya Grampus (2nd, 10 points): 3 W, 1 D, 1 L
Away vs. Yokohama FC: 1-0 W
Home vs. Kyoto Sanga: 1-0 W
Away vs. Sagan Tosu: 0-1 L
Away vs. Kashiwa Reysol: 3-0 W
Home vs. FC Tokyo: 0-0 D
Season preview:
Who will support Mateus in creating chances and scoring goals? Will Kasper Junker (if he can remain fit) thrive with a steady supply from the Brazilian? Can Kensuke Nagai chip in with a few more goals again?
Kasper Junker has been fantastic so far, not just as a goal scorer but as a creator as well - he's so good at holding on to the ball and picking out the right moment to release it like vs. FC Tokyo or Tosu.
So far, the Mateus-Nagai-Junker trio is working very well and I imagine they'll only improve from here on out.
Who fills in at Left Wing Back now that Yuki Soma is gone? From pre-season training, reporters have remarked on Takuya Uchida and Thales being played there but to me they don't seem to be great direct replacements for what Soma offered on the left... Ryuji Izumi has emerged as an option and Morishita can play on either side as well.
It's been Ryuji Izumi. He's been fine there but clearly this is sub-optimal as he's clearly an asset playing in the midfield 3 or one of the attackers in the forward trident whenever he's filled in there in the 2nd Half shuffle.
Summary
I've liked Nagoya so far but I'm still also a bit skeptical as they are finishing their low amount of chances really well. While a lot of their games have been close shaves or narrow 1-0 victories, on the optimistic side of things in more than a few of these games, Nagoya clearly could've had more goals to make it more comfortable... so maybe it evens out? On top of that their defense has been very good (even if opponents may not have punished Nagoya as hard as they should have in certain moments...like in the Kyoto game). Haruya Fujii has really cemented his place in the side, but unlike last season he's taken up a wider Center Back role to better take advantage of his good on-ball skills on top of his good defending. He's since earned himself a call-up to the national team as well after Tsunoda had to pull out due to injury.
Even their possession play from the back is improving ever-so-slightly: compare their game vs. Kyoto Sanga with the Reysol or the Tosu game! Yuki Nogami's addition to the back 3 has done a lot to improve their passing from the back, as long as Hasegawa isn't playing him at Wing Back...
While their build-up has improved, it's not perfect yet and Nagoya can spend a bit too much time than they like stuck in their own half and frustrating their attacking trio by not giving them touches of the ball. Nevertheless, it's been a very good start for Nagoya and Hasegawa will want to keep the momentum going from here.
Next 5 games:
Away vs. Albirex Niigata
Home vs. Urawa Reds
Away vs. Kawasaki Frontale
Home vs. Shonan Bellmare
Vissel Kobe (1st, 12 points): 4 W, 0 D, 1 L
Home vs. Avispa Fukuoka: 1-0 W
Away vs. Consadole Sapporo: 3-1 W
Home vs. Gamba Osaka: 4-0 W
Home vs. Urawa Reds: 0-1 L
Away vs. Sagan Tosu: 1-0 W
Season Preview:
Will Takayuki Yoshida keep going with the fairly successful 4-4-2 or will the return of the star Spanish duo of Sergi Samper and Andres Iniesta from injury prompt the manager to switch back to a 4-3-3? This team is really at a crossroads, considering Andres Iniesta's contract runs out after this season (allegedly, according to Transfermarkt).
A mix of both actually, and all without neither of the Spanish stars as well. It's usually been any 3 of Saito, Ide, Yamaguchi, and Osaki with Saito capable of playing as a #10 (well, more to man-mark the opponent's #6 rather than being a play-maker) or as a #6 when Osaki isn't playing. It's worked well so far with a very tough no-nonsense midfield but how will things work when the Spaniards rejoin the team?
Can Kobe rely on Yuya Osako's fitness? Alternatively, Stefan Mugosa has flattered to deceive so far despite the quality he showed in the K-League, but will he get more chances? Where does Yoshinori Muto fit into this conversation, will he simply play out wide even more next season?
So far, Osako has been very good. Muto has also been fine and also playing both out wide or as a striker. Mugosa has been non-existent, to the point that Vissel Kobe have even brought back Lincoln (yes, remember him?) to fill out the squad numbers up top.
How many minutes will Andres Iniesta play? Especially considering his injury problems in the past season and the fact that Kobe have to do a lot of accommodating (especially defensively) for him when he's on the pitch.
Zero, 0, so far and counting (in the league at least, he’s just recently appeared in the Levian Cup…).
Will Vissel Kobe formulate a medium-to-long term plan to consistently be a top 3 or even just a top 6 J.League team in the next few years? (Any problems to Rakuten's finances would also cause reverberate to Vissel Kobe as well...)
Still wait-and-see, too early to tell. It really depends on how they handle Samper and Iniesta coming back into the first team picture. On top of any transfers they do in the summer. Worth keeping a close eye on as they could easily screw up a very good start to the season here...
Summary
Surprise! Kobe lead the table after 5 games. On the one hand, the fixture list has been kind to them but nevertheless, they have points on the board and it's a much better start compared to their awful 2022 season. They've conceded the 2nd least amount of goals despite their first choice Center Back pairing being injured for most of the season (and Kikuchi will be out for the rest too). Kept going with the solid and aggressive midfield set up and are completely fine with launching it long to Osako and Muto if they can't find a way to build-up cleanly from the back-line. This looks very much a continuation of a coherent strategy from the time Takayuki Yoshida took over last summer.
Next 5 games:
Away vs. Kyoto Sanga
Home vs. Albirex Niigata
Away vs. Kashima Antlers
Home vs. Yokohama F. Marinos
Home vs. Shonan Bellmare
Conclusion
Here’s the league table, straight off FBref (annoyingly, I can’t embed HTML or share it in any other way that FBref actually wants me to due to Substack’s editor):
This was supposed to be a quick write/quick read but as usual I wrote too much! Still, I hope y’all got some idea of how teams are doing so far. I’ll continue to write tactical reviews sporadically, mainly focusing on specific teams I haven’t given the spotlight to so far.
Thanks for reading!