Category Archives: In the Mix

Here will be JFL (non-league) and CUP tournaments

In the Mix, Previews

J1 Preview Nov.7th 19.00 – Nagoya Grampus vs FC Tokyo at Mizuho

Leave a comment

Team News
Nagoya Grampus – MF Taguchi is suspended. MF Tanabe and DF Sato will miss the game on Japan U-19 duty. FW Kennedy has recurrence of back injury and not expected to be fit. MF Isomura is back in training after long injury break.
FC Tokyo – MF Hasegawa is suspended, MF Hashimoto will miss the game on Japan U-19 duty. DF Ota and MF Kaga are back in training and could be selected. DF Hiramatsu and MF are long term injuries.

Head to Head – Since 2003 it’s 10 wins for Tokyo, 6 for Nagoya and 4 draws. FC Tokyo won the home leg of this fixture earlier this season.

Match Preview – A mid-table match-up? Or a couple of teams still with slim chances of ACL qualification? Either way I am not expecting too much from this one! Both teams have had injury-hit, inconsistent seasons with big wins and unexpected defeats and will be happy to start afresh in 2013, I am sure. The return of Kennedy seemed to boost Grampus, and he certainly creates space and chances for Nagai, but the Australian is injured again – a big loss, perhaps. Home advantage and the wrath of manager Stojkovic over recently lost points may well be the catalyst that gives Nagoya this match?

FC Tokyo – a win and a draw after some bad results recently have given FC Tokyo some impetus as the season draws to a close. They are safe from relegation and, who knows, a few wins in the final month could see them challenging for that 3rd ACL spot – a long shot but worth considering, and well worth them doing their best to win this as it would take them above today’s opponents, and there is some cash at stake too, depending on the finishing position in J1! Hasegawa is missing, suspended, but their injury list is clearing up. Players fighting for a new contract, perhaps, after injury-hit seasons, could pull them through this one – I’ll go for A DRAW though!

In the Mix, National Team, Reports

Kuwait 0-1 Japan AFC U19 Championship – Iwanami (45+3)

Leave a comment

Superb Ronaldo-esque back heel flick from a free kick by Iwanami gives Japan the points in a game that they were barely out of 2nd gear in, on a pitch not conducive to the passing game. Were those things connected, were Japan “taking it easy”? I certainly believe they could have easily given more, or should have and there’s plenty in reserve for their match against the hosts – UAE – on Wednesday night. The group is poised to go down to the last minutes of those games on Wednesday with UAE, Iran and Japan fighting it out. A win is what is needed by the Young Samurai Blue!

In the Mix, National Team, Previews

Japan Squad announced for Oman match – Wed. 14th November

Leave a comment

Japan squad for Oman match:

GK – Kawashima, Nishikawa, Gonda

DF – Komano, Konno, Kurihara, Inoha, Yoshida, Nagatomo, Uchida, H.Sakai

MF – Endo, Nakamura, Hasebe, Hosogai, Honda, Takahashi

(registered as) FW (but mostly attacking MF!) – Okazaki, Maeda, Havenaar, Inui, Kiyotake, Usami

Great to see Usami get another chance and “interesting” to see the likes of Konno and Inoha, and arguably Kurihara still in there when they are not having the best of seasons at club level – quality rising to the top at NT level? Desperation because no-one else coming through? Bit of both?

Two “reserve” keepers always the same – does another keeper deserve a chance to earn a little experience and sit on the bench for NT – let’s face it, they won’t play, so give someone else a feel for it?

What do you think of the squad? And who is in your starting XI?

Archives, In the Mix, Previews

J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup Final Preview

Leave a comment

Saturday, November 3rd, 13.00 – National Stadium, Tokyo

Shimizu S-Pulse v. Kashima Antlers

This weekend sees Shimizu S-Pulse – trophy-less for a decade – take on the holders of the Nabisco Cup – as it is conveniently known in its shortened form, for the first trophy of the season. In 2011 the tournament was cut short after the Tohoku Tragedy of March 11th, with group games abandoned and a knockout format installed that commenced in June.

Kashima were one of the teams given a bye to the quarter finals, due to ACL commitments, and they took care of Yokohama F.Marinos and Nagoya Grampus in their two matches to get to a final against Urawa Reds, which they won by the solitary goal from Osako in extra time.

For Antlers, a victory would be their 5th in this tournament, following on from 1997, 2000, 2002 and last season’s tragedy-affected tournament.

After losing the first two finals of this competition, in 1992 and 1993 – both against Verdy Kawasaki – they were victorious in the 1996 tournament, finally beating Verdy in that final, on penalty kicks, after a 3-3 draw after extra time. S-Pulse fans will be hoping to make up for ten years of bare cabinets with the Nabisco Cup 2012 to add to the sole Emperor’s Cup in 2001, an Asian Cup Winners’ Cup in 2000 and two Xerox Super Cups (2001/2002). The team also won the 1st Stage of the J.League – in a Two Stage season – in 1999 – losing to Shizuoka rivals Jubilo in the Championship Play-Off.
Kashima Antlers are well ahead of their opponents in the trophtystakes, of course, with seven J.League titels, the four aforementioned Nabisco Cups, four Emperor’s Cup and five Super Cups to their name, but a gloried past has not helped them this season as they fight relegation with just four games to play and an Antlers fan who would prefer a Nabisco Cup and a J2 place will be hard to find, which may well give S-Pulse an advantage this weekend, as Antlers coach Jorginho and his team will have one eye on a Wednesday night tie with Omiya Ardija to contend with. A loss at Omiya would put the Kashima team in deep trouble, while a victory would see them all but safe.

Of course, a win in the Nabisco Cup might gloss over the problems that have faced Antlers this season and perhaps a change in coach is on the cards right now, but a cup win might placate the powers-that-be and fool them into thinking all is OK? That’s another story!

Shimizu S-Pulse are probably in a completely different boat, with Afshin Ghotbi having worked his magic on the team, despite losing, quite literally half a team AFTER he had signed on in early 2011! The departures of Japan internationals Shinji Okazaki and Jungo Fujimoto, as well as Norwegian talisman Frode Johnsen was bad enough. He also saw experienced players like Teruyoshi Ito and Daisuke Ichikawa move on before the ink on his contract had dried. He molded a new team around young talent, brought in some experience and easily fought off the expected relegation fight that many expected, and has continued the improvement into this season.

It’s not all been plain sailing, of course, and the team’s ups and downs – though very much in the up as the season comes to a close – have been due to the careful phasing out of players who, while being favourites of some of the hierarchy at the club, were not necessarily the right mix for the team. Whether the likes of Tsujio, Edamura and Iwashita will return better players remains to be seen, while the loss of Alex Brosque to the riches of Qatar came with a high compensation, which I was assured by Afshin Ghotbi himself would go a long way to developing more of the young talent that the club has seen break through this season. The no.9 shirt has been a complete saga in itself – with Freddie Ljungberg departing early in the year, his replacement Jymmy Franca not settling in and being farmed out to Tokyo Verdy, and, finally, perhaps, Kim Hyun-Sung – though wearing the no.35 shirt – finally becoming the no.9 that the fans were looking for? Maybe that’s premature, but a vital goal against Kashima Antlers in league play last weekend has put S-Pulse in the driving seat toward an ACL place, while surely giving them the psychological advantage going into this final, also!

It would be remiss not to mention Shinji Ono, who moved to Western Sydney Wanderers in Australia’s A-League. He had become a fringe player with the club and when the chance to broaden his horizons came along, the club did not stand in his way and allowed a free transfer, wishing the player all the best.

All the outgoing action has almost, but not quite overshadowed the breakthrough of such talent as Ryohei Shirasaki and Hideki Ishige – who will be training with Manchester City in the close season, it seems – the maturing of the likes of Genki Omae and Toshiyuki Takagi, the fight for a goalkeeping spot between two international class keepers in Kaito Yamamoto and Akihiro Hayashi, and the development of a defensive leafer in Calvin Jong-a-Pin, all of which has helped Shimizu S-Pulse become a team that sees them – in the final weeks of the season – still in the hunt for all three trophies in the Japanese game, plus that 2013 ACL spot, of course.

Kashima Antlers, of course, are not without their developing talent – from Koroki and Osako, the talented duo up front, the trio of Endo, Nishi and Masuda all approaching their prime, and Shibasaki and Yamamura making the breakthrough – to mention a few – but perhaps the difference in these two teams is just that – the word team! S-Pulse seem to have become a team under Afshin Ghotbi, while Antlers have struggled under Jorginho. Saturday afternoon will see one team triumph, another disappoint. Who do you fancy?

Archives, In the Mix

Ishige – from S-Pulse to Manchester City? The Real Exclusive Story

Leave a comment

As noted on the latest JTalk Podcast, also, I spoke to Afshin Ghotbi about the rumours of S-Pulse youngster Hideki Ishige “moving to Manchester City”. When these rumours first surfaced, many were outraged. We at JSoccer Magazine did not believe it so, but wrote that IF he should make that move, it should be at a very high price, and that cash be invested very wisely in the future of a team that already seems to have a bright future.

In my exclusive talk with the S-Pulse coach he assured me that Ishige would not be leaving the Shizuoka team any time in the near future and this was merely part of a long-term plan to broaden the horizons of his young players. A plan that would bode well for the near and long-term future of the team he us building at S-Pulse. His young, and even some of the not-so-young players, depending on timing and availability, would be encouraged to spend “down time” at other clubs, with experienced players and coaches, and learn their craft with the best. It’s something that Ghotbi feels strongly about and is doing all in his power to help develop the members of the Orange Revolution taking place at S-Pulse.

Ghotbi noted that he had specifically chosen Ishige for this time at Manchester City – making use of his extensive contacts throughout the football world, and noted that the schoolboy J.Leaguer would not be the last of his team to be given this chance, also naming forward Ryohei Shirasaki as someone he would like get similar experience. The S-Pulse coach has been assured by Roberto Mancini himself that the versatile Ishige would be training with the first team squad in January, if all goes to plan – the only problem on the horizon is convincing the player’s school teachers that he should be allowed time off from his studies!

When asked if Ishige would be sold, if Manchester City came in with a bid after the player’s session with the Premier League, Ghotbi replied that, while it was unlikely, yet, if Ishige ever decided he wanted to move on, the club would not stand in his way, but would make sure they were well compensated and the money would be put to good use improving the S-Pulse family and giving more promising youngsters the chance that the likes of Ishige and Shirasaki are getting.

Alan Gibson, JSoccer Magazine

In the Mix, Reports

J1 Round-Up Matchday 30, Saturday October 27th.

Leave a comment

Six out of nine games were drawn in the last weekend of J1 play, including Gamba 1-1 Sanfrecce and Urawa Reds 0-0 Cerezo Osaka. The top three teams drawing, then, allowing Shimizu S-Pulse to take advantage and move to within one point of Reds in that 3rd ACL spot.

Working from the top down, Gamba went ahead against Sanfrecce but were pegged back from the win they desperately needed by the top team, while 2nd-placed Vegalta Sendai were denied a win by Jubilo Iwata. Gamba’s goal was a gem from the fancy footwork of Yasuhito Endo, a goal truly deserving of a win, but Kazuyuki Morisaki earned the away team a point.

Urawa Reds, in 3rd place continued their run of games without a home win, and failed to take advantage of the team above them dropping points, allowing S-Pulse to move within a point of them in 4th spot. Nagoya Grampus are now in 5th, and must have thought they’d won the match with a late goal from Tamada, but Nakamura did what he does best – scoring a 95th minute free kick to secure a point for Yokohama F.Marinos. Marinos lie in 7th position, still with hopes for that ACL spot.

In between Grampus and Marinos lie Kashiwa Reysol, who were put to the sword by Omiya Ardija – who annihilated the Sun Kings 4-1 to earn three very valuable points in their fight against relegation. Grampus coach Stojkovic is almost getting used to dropping points late on?

FC Tokyo made their final four games relatively pressure-free with a 5-0 win over relegated Consadole Sapporo, while Sagan Tosu pushed Albirex Niigata further into trouble, dispatching the relegation-threatened club by a 2-0 scoreline, leaving Albirex trailing Gamba Osaka, and with a five point gap to the safety of Omiya in 15th place.

Only just above the relegation zone, Vissel Kobe and Kawasaki Frontale fought out a 3-3 draw sharing the points and leaving Vissel in 14th, just goal difference separating them from Omiya Ardija. Frontale are not much higher and not yet safe – 40 points not seeming to be a safe total for this season, yet!

At the bottom, as at the top, J1 looks to be going down to the final day – enjoy J.League with JSoccer.com and JSoccer Magazine.

JSoccer Magazine on Twitter: JSoccer Magazine on Twitter.
JSoccer Magazine on Facebook: JSoccer Magazine on Facebook

In the Mix, Reports

J1 Round-Up from JapanFooty

Leave a comment

Here’s how JapanFooty saw J1 Matchday 30
Original at http://www.japanfooty.com/apps/blog/entries/show/19599640-zlat-ll-do-nicely-

Matchday 30 of J.League Division 1 saw more draws than a Clint Eastwood epic, with only three of the nine games played resulting in three points being awarded. Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Vegalta Sendai remain deadlocked at the top of the table after 1-1 draws away to Gamba Osaka and Jubilo Iwata respectively, while at the bottom end of the table Slovenian forward Zlatan Ljubijankic netted a stunning hat-trick to help boost Omiya Ardija’s survival hopes in a monster 4-1 win away to Kashiwa Reysol.

Vegalta Sendai found themselves frustrated at the Yamaha Stadium against Jubilo Iwata. Ryang Yong-Gi, Wilson and Shingo Akamine all went close for the visitors, but Jubilo also had several chances and Vegalta ‘keeper Takuto Hayashi was again forced to produce a number of top drawer saves before Akamine finally opened the scoring in the 77th minute with a simple tap-in from a Naoki Sugai square ball across the six-yard box. Jubilo battled back however, and were able to draw level with what seemed an almost perfect replica of the Sendai goal when Hiroki Yamada’s low cross went through several Vegalta defenders and found substitute Kosuke Yamamoto at the back post.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima were also unable to find the desired win on their trip to face Gamba Osaka. Japan legend Yasuhito Endo was unlucky not to open the scoring for the home side in the first half with a looping shot headed off the line by Sanfrecce’s Hiroki Mizumoto. The midfield ace got sweet revenge in the second half when an amazing piece of trickery saw Mizumoto and team-mate Ryota Moriwaki crashing into each other as the Japan star dribbled past them to fire Gamba into the lead. While Endo was the hero of the day for Gamba, fellow Japan international Yasuyuki Konno was the villain after a poor clearance delivered the ball directly into the path of Kazuyuki Morisaki who graciously fired Sanfrecce level. Sanfrecce and Sendai both have 55 points, with Sanfrecce edging the lead on goal difference.

Urawa Reds were unable to take advantage of the top two dropping points, as they drew 0-0 with Cerezo Osaka at the Satiama Stadium. A frustrating day for Reds fans saw Marcio Richardes hit the post and Yosuke Kashiwagi had a goal rightfully calked off for offside. While Cerezo have not lost in their last five league games and are looking increasingly likely to avoid relegation, Reds title hopes now hang by a thread after have not won a poor run of form. Mihailo Petrovic’s side have failed to win a home league game since their 2-1 victory over Kashima Antlers in mid-August, and find themselves six points off the leaders in third, with a total of 49 and only four more games remaining.

Shimizu S-Pulse moved up to fourth place and within a point of Urawa Reds with a 2-1 win over Kashima Antlers in a dress rehearsal of next weekend’s Nabisco Cup final. Kim Hyung-Sung opened the scorer for visiting S-Pulse with a spectacular turn and shot on the edge of the six-yard box before Antlers’ Daiki Iwamasa leveled from a corner on the 44th minute. An almost instant reply from Genki Omae, who has now scored seven goals in his last nine games in all competitions, gave the visiting S-Pulse a priceless three points in their push for ACL qualification. Meanwhile, Antlers are still not entirely safe from relegation, with a total of 38 points in 13th place.

Nagoya Grampus moved up to fifth place on 46 points after a 1-1 draw at home to Yokohama F. Marinos. Nagoya seemed to have had done enough to secure the three points when Keiji Tamada netted in the 87th minute, but former Celtic star Shunsuke Nakamura delivered a punishing trademark free-kick in the 95th minute to leave coach Dragan Stoijkovic once again struggling to contain his anger. Marinos are now seventh on 44 points, ahead of Sagan Tosu and FC Tokyo on goal difference.

Omiya Ardija were the day’s big winners in more ways than one, with a stunning 4-1 victory over reigning champions Kashiwa Reysol at the Hitachi Stadium. A Daigo Watanabe flick on found summer signing Zlatan Ljubijankic to open the scoring with a powerful shot that beat Reysol ‘keeper Takanori Sugeno on his near post on the 21st minute. Shortly after half-time Watanabe again found the Slovenian forward, allowing him to drag Sugeno out of his goal, going round the outside of him and slotting home from a tight angle to make it 2-0 to Omiya. Ljubijankic completed his hat-trick on the 49th minute with a shot that bounced in off the inside of the far post, after Watanabe threaded another through ball into his path. The Slovenian was later able to return the favor with a neat through pass of his own to allow Watanabe to add a fourth goal on the 79th minute, leaving Reysol with no way back. A long-range strike from Neto Baiano in the final stages of the game held little significance for the disgruntled home support, which had seen their side well and truly torn apart. While Reysol are now in sixth place on 45 points, 15th placed Omiya are now three points clear of the relegation zone with a total of 36.

While Omiya’s win makes life look increasingly difficult for Gamba Osaka in 16th place on 33 points, Albirex Niigata now appear to have a mammoth task in front of them if they are to avoid joining the already relegated Consadole Sapporo in next year’s J2. A 2-0 home defeat to Sagan Tosu leaves them five points behind Omiya in 17th with a total of 31. Two goals from Yohei Toyoda gave the visitors their first win on the road since their victory over Kawasaki Frontale on August 11, as Albirex failed to find the net for the fourteenth time this campaign.

Vissel Kobe gained what could be a vital point in their home tie against Kawasaki Frontale. A spectacular long-range effort from Renato gave Frontale a first-half lead before Ken Tokura pounced on some defensive hesitancy to prod home an equalizer for the home side in the 56th minute. Frontale again took the lead with goals from Yu Kobayashi and Jumpei Kusukami to make it 3-1 to the visitors, but a spirited fight-back saw Kobe’s Yuzo Tashiro claw one back before Tokura headed home to make it 3-3 on the 82nd minute. Vissel have not won in their last eight league outings, and are now at serious risk of slipping into the relegation zone. They are currently in 14th place, ahead of Omiya on goal difference alone. Meanwhile, Frontale are in 12th place on 40 points, behind Cerezo Osaka on goal difference.

In the only other match of the day, FC Tokyo dismissed any notion that they would become the latest club to fall foul of a post-relegation confirmation burst of form from Consadole Sapporo by systematically dismantling the Hokkaido side in an impressive 5-0 demolition. Naoki Ishikawa put in a stunning performance for the home side, netting two goals in the process, with Hyun Soo-Jang, Sotan Tanabe and Nemanja Vucicevic also getting on the scoresheet. Tokyo are now in ninth on 44 points, one point ahead of Jubilo Iwata in tenth, but, amazingly, only five points behind Urawa in third.

See more at http://www.japanfooty.com/

JapanFooty on Twitter: Japan Footy on Twitter.

In the Mix, Reports

Kashima Antlers 1-2 Shimizu S-Pulse – from Afshin Ghotbi's Point of View

Leave a comment

Ahead of the J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup Final on Saturday S-Pulse were victorious in the home of their Cup Final opponents . . . here’s what the man himself, Afshin Ghotbi has to say . .

Taken from http://www.afshinghotbi.com

Another great result in a gutsy performance from our orange men secured an important three points. Inspired by earlier results around J1, we started sharply and were rewarded by an early goal in the 7th minute. Hiraoka sprang Yoshida free behind the Kashima defense, and his first touch found Kim Hyun Sung free in the danger area. Kim showed his class scoring from short range after taking three delicate and precise touches, blasting the ball high into the net from close range. Kashima came back into the game scoring off a corner kick in the 43rd minute. After Hiraoka got blocked, Iwamasa got free and his volley bounced off Sugiyama’s body, deflecting past Hayashi into our net. We reacted brilliantly to this setback by scoring immediately from the kick-off at the 44th minute. This time Kim became the provider, finding Omae’s head for the winning goal. With a one-goal lead, we defended well in the second half, weathering Kashima’s attacks and securing a deserved victory marking an undefeated month of October.

All the results favored us, and we are within seven points of the top spot and only one point off the ACL spot. With four games to go, our dream lives on.

We will face Kashima again in the final of the Nabisco Cup on Saturday November 3rd. Join me at Tokyo National Stadium and let’s make history together.

JSoccer Magazine on Twitter: JSoccer Magazine on Twitter.