Round-Up by @sushi_football

This year’s J2 is not following the two stage lead of J1, but that doesn’t mean that there won’t be anything of interest in Japan’s second tier. In fact, it is shaping up to be quite the opposite with
big names, big games, fallen giants and young upstarts all competing in what could be a highly competitive league.

Title Challengers

Most talk of J2 title contenders starts with Cerezo Osaka. The club from the pink half of Osaka somehow produced an absolute disaster of a 2014 season despite having a squad loaded (on paper at least) with talent, and ended up being comprehensively relegated. This year, captain Hotaru Yamaguchi, coming back from a serious injury, will look to lead Cerezo back to J1 at the first time of asking, and they certainly have the firepower to do it. Diego Forlan will remain at the club, as will fellow big name forward Cacau. As if they needed any more star power, the club brought in Keiji Tamada after his release from Nagoya Grampus. Cerezo did lose Takumi Minamino and Kai Hirano (to Austria and Thailand respectively) but this team should have more than enough quality to be considered favourites.

Omiya Ardija should provide some stiff competition at the sharp end of the J2 table this year. After finally succumbing to relegation, after years of threatening it, the Squirrels have done well to retain Serbian forward Dragan Mrdja (nine goals in 18 games last year) and Akihiro Ienaga. Those two should give J2 defences plenty of problems and, even with the loss of Slovenian striker Zlatan, should be good enough to challenge.

Play-Off Hopefuls

Consadole Sapporo have been busy this off -season with the club making some eye catching signings. Most notable is the signing of veteran midfielder Junichi Inamoto from Kawasaki Frontale, but two new players that could have a significant impact are Nildo and Nazarit. Nildo impressed for Tokyo Verdy last year, while Nazarit banged in 17 goals for FC Gifu. With Shinji Ono providing the chances, and with Ken Tokura as their spearhead, Consadole look set to provide a tough test for anyone that comes their way and are my dark horses for promotion.

Both JEF United and Jubilo Iwata were in the play-off s last year, and look like they won’t be far away this year. JEF have lost the experience of Satoshi Yamaguchi and Kempes, but have brought in veteran forward Takayuki Suzuki to offset some of that. Paulinho, a Brazilian midfi elder who excelled last time he was in J2 should prove a good signing. Takayuki Morimoto started to show signs of becoming a very good forward last year and coach Takashi Sekizuka will look to him to take on the goalscoring burden.

Jubilo, under Hiroshi Nanami, flattered to deceive last year and have lost talisman Ryoichi Maeda to Yokohama F•Marinos for the coming
campaign. But they still have Daisuke Matsui and they’ll hope that Yasuhito Morishima, brought in from Kawasaki, can score enough goals to keep them competitive.

Kyoto Sanga managed to sign Masashi Oguro, last year’s top scorer in J2 with 26 goals, on a permanent basis and that means they’ll always be difficult to play against. Underrated Brazilian Daniel Lovinho has arrived from Thespakusatsu Gunma and those two players should form a decent partnership.

There, or Thereabouts

Fagiano Okayama, in their first season under the stewardship of Tetsu Nagasawa, have bolstered their defence with the big name acquisitions of former internationals Akira Kaji and Daiki Iwamasa.
However, they’ll be weaker for the loss of Kota Ueda, who has returned to parent club Omiya Ardija.

Another team who might push for the playoffs is Oita Trinita, who will again be well-drilled by coach Kazuaki Tasaka, although goals could still be hard to come by.

Mid-Table Mediocrity

Tokushima Vortis will hope to avoid shell shock resulting from their disastrous season in J1.

After their stellar 2014, I’m seeing a return to the mean for Giravanz Kitakyushu. Tomoki Ikemoto will be incredibly hard to replace, although coach Koichi Hashiratani always seems to have a shrewd plan up his sleeve.
FC Gifu are a difficult team to read. The defence should be better than last year with the additions of Yuki Fuji (Kitakyushu) & Kazumichi Takagi (Oita), but the departure of Colombian forward Nazarit leaves a huge void in terms of goals. Whatever happens, it will be entertaining under the management of the flamboyant Ruy Ramos.

Avispa Fukuoka will be an interesting case this year. New manager Masami Ihara has, seemingly, the nucleus of a decent squad – but they seem to have always have had this, and it will be up to
ex-Japanese international Ihara to succeed where Marijan Pusnik failed: motivating a talented group of individuals.

Yokohama FC are also under new management, with Slovenian Milos Rus at the helm. I don’t really see anything better from them this year, and given a few injuries they could potentially struggle – as they did for a while in 2014. But don’t worry, “King” Kazuyoshi Miura is still in the squad – at the tender
age of 48.

Roasso Kumamoto fans will have been downbeat at losing young forward Takashi Sawada to Shimizu S-Pulse, but they can be heartened by the arrival of the vastly under-appreciated Ryuichi
Hirashige from Gunma as his replacement. He, along with Satoshi Tokiwa who has arrived from Tokyo Verdy, should help Roasso become more dangerous this year.

V-Varen Nagasaki will look to Stipe Plazibat and Koichi Sato to spark them after a rather moribund 2014.

Looking Over Their Shoulders

No one quite knows what kind of shape Tokyo Verdy will turn up in this year, but what is for sure is that they’ll be weaker with the loss of Naoki Maeda and Niall Killoran as the pair have left for newly promoted Matsumoto Yamaga.

Mito HollyHock will look to Tsuyoshi Miyaichi, brother of Arsenal’s Ryo Miyaichi, to spark them into life this year.

Tochigi SC started and finished the 2014 season well, but there was a long period of blandness in the middle. Money is still tight in Utsunomiya, and while they should have enough to stay clear of any relegation dramas, the squad looks pretty thin. The
loss of Yusuke Kondo and “Jumbo” Okubo leaves Tochigi a bit thin up front, and they’ll have to rely (again) upon Koji Hirose to help see them through.

In For a Long, Hard Season…

Kamatamare Sanuki survived by the skin of their teeth by winning a two-legged play-off with J3 runners-up AC Nagano Parceiro, but their squad still looks like bottom-of-the-table fodder.

Zweigen Kanazawa will have to adjust quickly to life in J2, but they do have goals in their team – and they’ll have to hope that their defence, which was excellent in J3 last year, holds up to the greater scrutiny and pressure at a higher level.

Ehime FC have had a torrid off-season with investigations into financial irregularities threatening their place in J2. They might find it tough going since talented midfield pair Riki Harakawa and Yuki Horigome have left – although the signing of forward Yuji Senuma will help them.

One team I fear for this year is Thespakusatsu Gunma. They’ve lost Daniel Lovinho and Ryuichi Hirashige and they’ll find those two, and their goals, very difficult to replace on their budget.

It’s good to remember that J2 is always a marathon, as opposed to a sprint (despite what Shonan Bellmare tried last year!) and it has always been highly entertaining and competitive. Hopefully
2015 proves no different.

Here’s a closer look at some of the teams through the eyes of experts, fans, and expert fans! Do you agree with the assessments? Tweet @JSoccerMagazine or the individual writers with your comments.

Consadole Sapporo

by @PedroIriondo

Since 2012 relegation Consadole Sapporo has always been considered a serious contender for promotion, if not directly, at least via play-offs. However the most northern J.League club has not recently been able to live up to these expectations. Last season, Consadole’s performance was once again irregular and in the first half of the season, after a series of draws and defeats, the team found themselves in the middle of the table. At this point, the club decided to replace Keichi Zaizen with Croatian manager Ivica Barbaric (ex-Ehime FC). Barbaric, who will stay on the staff for the upcoming season, managed to improve Consadole’s performance but still not enough to reach a play-off position.
The main problem in 2014 was that Consadole failed to make Sapporo Dome a fortress, winning only nine out of 21 home games, not scoring enough goals in the process. Missing Uchimura’s goals (only three scored in 2014) the attack lacked bite and it was already late in the season when Ken Tokura (eight goals) found his rhythm. Tokura’s beautiful goal (J2 goal of the season) against Shonan Bellmare may remain as the most remarkable moment of the season for Consadole’s fans.
In 2015, he will have the added pressure of wearing Consadole`s number 9 shirt. Still, with J1 as a target, the club has made a decent job of strengthening the squad. The versatile Junichi Inamoto will join Shinji Ono in Sapporo’s midfield (although Ono has garnered an injury just as the season is about to begin), and, to reinforce the front line, Consadole has also signed Colombian striker Cristian Nazarit and Indonesian international Irfan Bachdim.While the former had a decent 2014 campaign with Gifu (10 goals), the latter still needs to demonstrate his skills in Japan. Consadole may, though, struggle to cover the gap left by centreback Tatsuki Nara’s move to FC Tokyo.
Due to recent disappointments, it is difficult to know what to expect from Consadole for the coming season. The target of promotion is a must but it will be harder than ever with the addition of Cerezo Osaka and Omiya Ardija to the existing
competition. Without a big improvement Consadole may well be condemned to a mid-table finish but if the experienced players like Ono and Inamoto manage to gel with key men such as Nazarit or
Tokura, anything is possible.
Hokkaido misses J1 and the team has a debt to its fans.

JEF United

by @J2KantoBites

As usual, JEF go into a new season hoping to cast aside last year’s disappointments, and finally achieve the goal of promotion back to J1. After joining the team midway through 2014 following Jun Suzuki’s sacking, current boss Takashi Sekizuka has retooled his squad during the close season. In a much-needed change, the team has a more youthful look, especially in defence. Old-timers Satoshi
Yamaguchi and Akira Takeuchi have left, and several youngsters have been promoted from JEF’s junior ranks.There have also been some eye-catching moves in midfield, where veterans Akihiro Hyodo
and Kei Yamaguchi have been shipped out. Incoming are Brazilian midfielder Paulinho, formerly of Tochigi SC and Kawasaki Frontale, and club legend Koki Mizuno, who famously left JEF to join Celtic in
2008. This season should also see some of the club’s highly-rated young midfielders, particularly Yamato Machida and Haruya Ide, step up to become regular starters. There is an interesting blend of youth and experience in the centre of the pitch for JEF in 2015, which should make the team fascinating to watch.
Two of the more surprising departures are in the forward positions. After 38 goals in two seasons at Fukuda Denshi Arena, Brazilian target man Kempes has moved on. Furthermore, one of his regular understudies, Shohei Otsuka, has joined J2 rivals Giravanz Kitakyushu. Incoming is Slovenian striker Nejc Pecnik, a somewhat nomadic player who counts Sparta Prague, Krylia Sovetov, Sheffield Wednesday and Red Star Belgrade among his former clubs. It will be fascinating to see how Pecnik adapts to live in the Japanese second tier, and whether he can take game time away from Takayuki Morimoto and Ado Onaiwu.
JEF finished third last season, but they were a full 15 points adrift of the top two. Fans will expect, and demand, improvement this year.

Tokyo Verdy
by @Verdy_eng

With all the reported problems behind the scenes and the team struggling on the pitch, there’s nothing new in Tokyo Verdy’s world at the moment, The team finished 20th in J2 last season, but I am hoping for a mid-table finish in the coming campaign.
That would be considered a good season in my view.
Verdy start the 2015 J2 season against relegated Cerezo Osaka at Ajinomoto Stadium on the 8th March, and it will be very interesting to see how they show against the obvious J2 favourites.
The club has made a few signings over the close season. Players like Alan Pinheiro – on loan from Esporte Clube Vitória (Brazil – Campeonato Baiano Serie B) – Bruno (from SZ FC, China), Weslley
(from SC Sagamihara), Abuda (from Operário Ferroviário Esporte Clube – Campeonato Paranaense in Brazil), as well as promoting two players from the youth system – Masaomi Nakano and Kento Misao.
Verdy have also signed Ko Kyung-Joon from South China AA in Hong Kong and he will be wearing shirt number 37. I wish all the very best to the players who have left Tokyo Verdy and wish them all the success in the world, while hoping that manager Koichi Togashi and this season’s squad will make 2015 way better then 2014 ever was! Let’s hope that the Verdy fans will support the
team no matter what happens in 2015!

Avispa Fukuoka

by @perogies_gyoza

Avispa Fukuoka, who finished 16th in J2 last season, are going back to the past in their quest for promotion. Their midfield duo of Jun Suzuki and Tetsuya Sueyoshi will be reunited. Suzuki has
played a few games for Tokyo Verdy but Sueyoshi has warmed the bench for Sagan Tosu, Avispa’s biggest rival, since he left. The two were last paired in 2012, and both are local boys. Welcome home!
One returnee who does look like an improvement in the squad is full back Hokuto Nakamura. A Nagasaki native who has been playing for FC Tokyo and Omiya Ardija, a lot of hopes are pinned on Nakamura as he returns to J2. He was one of the reasons Avispa won promotion in the 2006 season and may well be able to provide leadership in another promotion run, if he can remain off the injured list.
There are two new players who are generating a lot of excitement in the pre-season. Mizuki Hamada from Urawa looks like a centre-back who can run, which Avispa has been lacking. Forward
Takayuki Nakahara has come from Vegalta Sendai, which hopefully means more goals for Avispa, as he pushes the remaining forwards, including Noriyoshi Sakai – Gotoku’s younger brother – and fan favourite Hisashi Jogo, to do more to earn the forward position.
The biggest gamble taken by Avispa this year is appointing former Japan National Team member Masami Ihara as manager. This is Ihara’s first management position although he has coached in J1 at
Kashiwa Reysol. Does he have what it takes to deal with Avispa’s continual issues and will he have the support of the organization? We can only hope.
Avispa’s main problems in recent years have been twofold – one is that they were hemorrhaging cash after their disastrous return to J1 in 2011 when they dumped almost all the players that actually
got them to J1. A new financial backer and a large infusion of cash seems to have helped with this as they aren’t threatened with losing their J1 license as in previous years, and they have been able to bring in a couple of new “J1” players.
The second issue is that the players seemed as if they had stopped
caring about halfway through last season. Last June it looked like they could go straight to the play-offs as keeper Ryuichi Kamiyama, the best keeper in J2 for the second season in a row, kept a clean sheet for the whole month. But when summer was over it seemed Avispa were done as well. This happened in previous years but we could chalk that up to players wondering if they would get paid for the last few months of the season after Avispa ran out of cash in the autumn, but in 2014 they were financially
solvent so the lack of passion for playing was all internal. Will Ihara be able to keep the team’s will alive all season long?
The return of forward Daisuke Sakata and U-21 National Team member Takeshi Kanamori, along with shot stopper extraordinaire Kamiyama give me hope for 2015. Along with the new players they should be able to build a strong defence and an aggressive front line. But with the same old issue in midfield I am not sure how far they will go.
The team’s goal for this year is a return to J1, but I think that is a few years off. I would settle for a run in the play-offs, but I think a more realistic finish is 10th place.

Yokohama FC

by @J2KantoBites

It has been a relatively low-key winter break at Mitsuzawa. By far the biggest change has been the departure of manager Motohiro Yamaguchi, who was removed despite leading the team on a fourteen-match unbeaten run in the middle of the 2014 season. However, Yokohama frequency lacked pace and dynamism outside of this impressive unbeaten streak. The man charged with rejuvenating the side is slightly-obscure Slovenian Milos Rus. The 52-year-old has spent his entire managerial career in Europe, bar one season on the coaching staff at Brummel Sendai (the JFL precursor to Vegalta) in 1997. Yokohama’s hopes of a successful campaign could hinge on how quickly Rus can get to grips with his new challenge in J2.
A lack of goals will be one potential issue for the new coach to address, with only four recognised strikers in the squad for 2015. In the current climate, Yokohama’s key player may prove to be Tetsuya ‘Jumbo’ Okubo. After falling out with Yamaguchi in 2013, Okubo spent last season in exile at J2 rivals Tochigi SC, but starts the new campaign with a clean slate. Supporters will be hoping that Okubo can replicate, and improve upon, his performances at Mitsuzawa in 2012 and 2013, where he scored 24 goals in 69 appearances.
Elsewhere, Brazilian defender Douglas has moved on. He was a first-team regular in 2014, so it remains to be seen who takes his place under the new regime. Park Tae-Hong, who has returned to
Japan after a year at Yokohama FC’s satellite team in Hong Kong, seems a likely candidate. In midfield, the squad is bolstered by the returns of Masaaki Ideguchi and Takahiro Nakazato.
After missing out on the play-offs by nine points last season, Rus will be aiming to lead the team to a top-six finish this term.

After Sanfrecce Hiroshima’s first J1 Championship three years back, they were picked apart by Urawa Reds, and then won another Championship. They won J1 again… and were picked apart by Reds again. Finally, the losses told and Gamba Osaka took over the J1 reigns last season but, just to be consistent, Reds have picked up Naoki Ishihara for 2015, as Sanfrecce continue to hemorrhage players.
2015 begins with talisman left (wing) back Hwang Seok-Ho (scorer of some very important goals last season) jumping ship to Kashima Antlers and Yojiro Takahagi leaving for Western Sydney Wanderers.
The biggest transfer news of the new campaign is possibly that Tsukasa Shiotani is still with the club and, with Hiroki Mizumoto, Kazuhiko Chiba will look to keep it “tight at the back”.
With the aging – and rarely seeing-a-full-90-minutes – Hisato Sato as the main fulcrum up front, accompanied by (dare I say it, or perhaps give it inverted commas?) “Japan international” Yusuke Minagawa looking for goals, Sanfrecce are looking short up front. Tokushima Vortis have sent over Douglas, but there’ll need to be a huge improvement from him to make Sanfrecce a top team.
In midfield, Kyoto Sanga have been raided and Kohei Kudo has joined the team, but the squad is definitely looking a little shallow. Toshihiro Aoyama, Shiotani and Sato may feel the pressure of keeping this team on course… manager Hajime Moriyasu
is a tactical genius in this writer’s opinion, and Sanfrecce
will in no way be struggling in the relegation zone (famous last words?), but anything better than a mid-table finish may be a stretch.

Sanfrecce do have the Number One (as voted pre-season) mascot on their side, though – at least until Urawa Reds move in and sign him too!

By @JSoccerMagazine for JapanFooty.com

LAST SEASON:

Nagoya Grampus manager Akira Nishino told me early last season that he had a long-term plan to rebuild the team and that 2014 would be successful if he managed to lose some dead wood, bring in some youngsters and a add a couple of key players, while avoiding relegation. He had the backing of his board/owners and it seems the supporters also understood that it would be a season of consolidation and didn’t give the team a hard time, despite their flirting with the relegation zone at times during the campaign.

They finished with a goal difference of minus one, a reflection on Nishino’s approach to football that saw Gamba Osaka score goals galore in a decade of his management, while conceding by the truckload, also. Nishino’s approach has not changed and Nagoya are another team where he seems to have instilled the philosophy of “they score three, we’ll score four (or at least try to). Boredom is one thing that did not set in when watching Nagoya Grampus in 2014.

Ending the season very much mid-table – 10th position, 13 points off relegation and 12 points off an ACL spot – the team seem poised to improve upon the steady rebuilding that has taken place.

TRANSFER ACTIVITY:

Last season saw Grampus bring in two players mid-season who will, hopefully, be key THIS season. Kengo Kawamata and Leandro Domingues should now be more settled and ready to improve on last season’s placing. They will be joined by Novakovic from Shimizu S-Pulse and buoyed by the news that Kensuke Nagai’s loan move from Standard Liege has been made permanent. Akira Takeuchi returned from JEF United – he spent 2006 to 2011 with Nagoya and will be a familiar face to the fans. Shun Obu – a central defender from Fukuoka University will be pushing for a place and hoping to learn from Tulio.

2015 HALF FULL:

Future Japan international Kengo Kawamata, and midfield general Leandro Domingues arrived during the last campaign and should have now fully settled in, while Kensuke Nagai is back fully on board the Nagoya Express; three players who could make the difference between a top-three finish and being also rans again. They’ll certainly expect to be among the goals. The aging and injury prone pair of Kennedy and Tamada have been released, a good chunk of cash to invest in more players mid-season, perhaps? Could the missing link be just a transfer away? Mid-season moves were decent enough last season, could there be more in 2015? With forwards gelling, an injury-free season and a tightening up of the backline we could see some two-stage play-off action for Nagoya this season.

2015 HALF EMPTY:

While defense has never been a priority for Nishino, the back line does seem a little threadbare with just a university rookie and a returning “reject” from a J2 outfit coming in, and the fans may have to allow either another season of rebuilding/consolidation OR accept the fact that they may well leak goals, before starting to show any impatience. If the goal scorers don’t gel or suffer injuries there does not seem to be strength in depth in this squad (yet) and, if the forwards don’t produce – for whatever reason – but the goals are still conceded it may well be difficult for Grampus to mount a serious challenge for the top four place they should be going for this season.

KEY PLAYER:

It’s time for Taishi Taguchi to step up. Kawamata MUST prove why many observers want(ed) him in the national team. Novakovic could well be yet another shrewd Nishino signing – he makes a habit of going for foreign players who already have experience in Japan, and improving their output. But, as I have noted, that goals should be there this season. The key point is going to be less goals conceded. With that in mind, I feel that Tulio will be the key man. Not necessarily for his actual performances, but more for the leadership he will need to show to bring through the less-experienced members of a team that has a future. If Tulio fails to lead from the back – Nishino’s “coach on the field”, Nagoya will struggle to reach their potential.

Another view from @heavy_stereo_

Nagoya Grampus, who rarely seem to make big changes between seasons, added only three players to the squad, but all seem to be key changes.
In goal, nothing has changed from last year, with Seigo Narazaki appearing to be the number one choice, ably backed up by Yoshinari Takagi. With Koji Nishimura and Masataka Nomura also on board, plenty of competition for places. If Narazaki manages 30 more games, he will reach a magical 600 J1 games – a feat unmatched after two decades of J.League play.
In defence, Shun Obu, coming in from Fukuoka University, is a tall central defender who will make the competition for places more heated. Obu actually played in some J1 games as a “special case” player last season and has already already proved that he has potential. Also incoming, from JEF United, is Akira Takeuchi, who previously played for Grampus from 2006 to 2011. One also can not miss the development of Yusuke Muta and Yuki Honda. With the incoming youngsters It goes without saying that the experience of Tulio is very important, as Grampus blood the next generation.
In midfield, there will be a noticeable absence of Naoshi Nakamura, who retired after 14 years with the club. His number 7 shirt has been handed to Taishi Taguchi. In central midfield, the combination of Taguchi and Danilson looks to be the first choice for manager Akira Nishino. With Yoshizumi Ogawa – our number 10 – Leandro Domingues, and up-and-coming young players like Asahi Yada
there will be plenty to choose from and a healthy competition for places.
Up front the club said sayonara to Josh Kennedy and Keiji Tamada but Kensuke Nagai, Kengo Kawamata and Novakovic – signed from Shimizu S-Pulse are regarded as a potent trio who should be able to be among the goals.

by Angus MacLeod of JapanFooty.com

Given the poor goal return from Albirex in 2014, one might have expected them to go after an established striker in the off season, but judging from the lack of investment in that department, it would seem that Hiroshi Ibusuki (who arrived at the club last summer) and possibly Japan U23 star Musashi Suzuki will be the men manager Masaaki Yanagishita is most looking to in terms of coming up with the goods in front of goal this campaign.
Versatile attacker Ryohei Yamazaki, who joins from Jubilo Iwata, could prove a useful addition to the side, and one would expect him to chip in with a few goals irrespective of whether or not he is played as an out and out forward.
Hideya Okamoto, who looked particularly impressive when playing alongside Kawamata in 2013, has somewhat surprisingly been allowed to join Oita Trinita, while fan favourite Atomu Tanaka left the club for HJK Helsinki. Defender Shusuke Tsubouchi (Jubilo Iwata) and Isao Homma (Tochigi SC) have also left the club.
Defensively, Albirex once again begin the season looking in good shape, with the loan signing of once-capped Brazilian left back Bruno Cortes in particular being one of the more eye-catching J.League imports over the winter. As impressive as the coup of Cortes is though, Albirex’s biggest achievement over the close season would seem to be the retention of midfield general Leo Silva, despite strong interest from Urawa Reds. I see him as the key player for the team this season (picture taken from JSoccer Magazine’s interview with Leo Silva – see separate post or JSoccer Magazine issue 15 for the interview by Tiago Bontempo).

It would seem very unlikely that Albirex has the capability of challenging for the title over the course of a 34-game season, particularly given the lack of fire power at their disposal. However, with the two stage format coming in to play, there is always an outside chance that a good run of results in either half of the season sees them scrape into the new end-of-year championship play offs, but it is difficult to visualise them being able to score enough goals to do that. While Ibusuki has the potential to get in among the goals, I just cannot really see him carrying the team to the extent that Kawamata did in 2012, and there does not seem to be another player in the side who you would really fancy to hit double figures this campaign.
Albirex’s ‘defence first’ policy has served them well in the past, and, although it could be argued that the squad is now weaker than it was 12 months ago, they have not hemorrhaged players to the extent that I would be tipping them for a relegation battle.
Despite the signing of Bruno Cortes getting attention, the underlying message the list of incoming talent suggests is that we can probably expect more of the same from Albirex in 2014. They are likely to be a tough team to break down and get the better of, and we can expect them to once more prove capable of occasionally outsmarting and defeating supposedly more talented sides using a combination of well rehearsed counter-attacking moves and set pieces. While I do not think they will struggle over the season’s duration, unless of course key players are either injured or transferred out, I do not really envisage
anything more than a solid upper mid-table finish, and again, that will most likely come down to an inability to carve teams open in the last third and convert draws to wins.
The real worry for Albirex this campaign is the familiar threat of players being poached away mid-season. We saw last summer what a huge loss the departure of Kim in particular was, with the side’s counter-attacking ability severely diluted as a result of his departure. Should key players such as Leo Silva or Hiroshi Ibusuki be prised away from the club mid-campaign, or fall victim to long-term injury, it will be very difficult for Albirex to sustain any early season momentum that they may have built up.
The lack of prowess in the last third of the pitch is a major worry, and it would not be surprise if Albirex struggled badly in patches as a result. I cannot imagine them being so bad across the campaign that they wind up going down, but they could be a mildly more entertaining version of what we saw at Ventforet Kofu last season, whereby the team smothers the opposition without really asserting themselves in a creative capacity thorough much
of the campaign.