@GambaOsakaPride

There were changes aplenty for Gamba this off-season, with most of them arguably being an improvement on the treble/winning side. The main incoming – Shohei Ogura and Shingo Akamine – will not only add steel and experience to the side but also a different dimension. Adding four youth products that include goalkeeper Mizuki Hayashi and midfielder Shota Yomesaka makes the blend of youth and experience as good as ever. Brazilians Patric and Lins were retained and absolutely deserved to be. Juggling ACL and J.league duties will be tough but Gamba have the squad to field two competitive teams’ worth of players. This campaign will be nothing short of exciting.
The strangest part of pre-season was the goalkeeper situation. Kohei Kawata moved to Ventforet Kofu – being too good as a number two – and Atsushi Kimura shockingly announced his retirement at the tender age of 30 after Kawata’s transfer. With just two youngsters backing up Higashiguchi, Yosuke Fujigaya was brought back in from Iwata. Given the situation, it’s hard to say we could have done better – I can only hope Fujigaya does the simple
things right when called upon.
All players that had been out on loan in 2014 made their moves permanent while youngsters Yuto Uchida, Kenya Okazaki and Naoki Ogawa have been loaned out this season in order to get some first-team football. The saddest transfer was that of Akihiro Sato, a massive player for us in 2012 until a year-long injury which he never really recovered from, although he still gave us vital goals against Cerezo Osaka and Urawa Reds.
The season after winning the domestic treble will no doubt be a tough one for us but it is also an excellent opportunity to start an era of domestic domination whilst challenging on the international front.
I expect nothing less than a top four finish and the team to be re-established as one of Asia’s top sides. In Kenta Hasegawa we have a man who can be the driving force of what could be an exciting age.