by @tgR_tsuru

By far the most significant change at the club over the winter took place off the field, when the club announced that manager Yasuhiro Higuchi was standing down. His three seasons at the helm saw mixed results – memorable was the high of an Emperor’s Cup win, of course. Higuchi finished his stint with a respectable 45 wins, 31 draws and 26 losses to his name.
So, in comes 59 year-old Frenchman Erick Mombaerts, with something of a mixed record. In addition to bringing in a more positive, proactive brand of football and managing generational change in the F•Marinos squad, Mombaerts must navigate the challenges inherent in working in a different culture, both on and off the field.
On the transfer scene, F•Marinos have been very quiet in the off -season compared to other J.League clubs. One absence that will be particularly felt is that of Shohei Ogura, who left for Gamba Osaka. The aggressive central midfielder had been unfortunate with injury over the last three seasons, but marked his return to the starting eleven last year with some superb performances, particularly in the period from July through September.
Incoming? Well, with rumors of F•Marinos old boy #194cmHavenaarMike returning to the nest having come to nothing, the club’s player recruitment for the 2015 J1 League amounts to a high school student, a university student, and a youth
team goalkeeper. That is it!
The youth team goalkeeper, Junto Taguchi, replaces Rokutan as F•Marinos’ number three keeper. Teruhito Nakagawa, graduated from Senshu University in Tokyo as the number one ranked university-level striker in Japan last year. Standing at only 1.61m, Nakagawa is small, and known for his dribbling in addition to his finishing in front of goal. Currently in rehabilitation for an anterior cruciate ligament injury, he is unlikely to figure in team plans
in the first half of the 2015 season.
High school student, Kensei Nakashima, is another ‘number one ranked’ player in his age group, the Under-18 Japan representative being accorded the ‘number one high school playmaker’ moniker. We saw some of his ability for Higashi Fukuoka in the All-Japan High School Soccer Tournament over the Christmas and New Year period. With an eye for a pass, quick feet and a touch of audacity, many are hoping that he will prove to be ‘the next Shunsuke’.
If Rafinha can manage a full season and be among the goals, and if Manabu Saito fi nds the form that saw him selected for Japan’s World Cup squad, F•Marinos have the talent to once more contest for a place in the top five. Whether it comes together
or not remains to be seen.
Having said that, the reluctance over the past two off -seasons of F•Marinos to spend money on the squad, no doubt linked to concerns that the J.League would revoke the club’s license, may well
come back to haunt them. If the gamble of a foreign manager at this critical juncture doesn’t pay off and Mombaerts fails to adjust to the local culture, and the squad fails to adjust to his methods and requirements a troubled season is in store.