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Shimizu S-Pulse 0-5 Vissel Kobe

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Vissel Kobe ended the first day of the 2nd Stage atop J1 after a convincing five goal away victory over 1st Stage cellar dwellers Shimizu S-Pulse. With goals coming from all over the field, it was a total victory that can only bring confidence for the coming stage.

Leandro – rejoining Vissel from Kashiwa Reysol – and, of course, teaming up again with manager Nelsinho, was thrown straight into the starting line-up and repaid that faith with hard work, creation of chances, and an easy finish to get on the score-sheet himself.

An interesting team selection from Nelsinho – with most of the squad available to him after a 1st Stage beset by injuries – saw nominal defensive midfielder Masatoshi Mihara return to the line-up, although just behind the strikers, while Ryota Morioka seems to have settled into his defensive midfield role, while previously accepted as an attacking player. Marquinhos was selected as a supporting striker/attacking midfielder to Leandro, the lone forward – technically – in a 3-2-2-2-1 formation.

The opening goal came from Morioka, in the 7th minute, who poked home a loose ball after Leandro had controlled a Takahito Soma cross, then created space from nowhere for an excellent shot that the keeper couldn’t hold.

Shunki Takahashi was next on the mark, volleying home another excellent far post cross from Soma in the 19th minute, with Leandro getting his goal four minutes before the break, after having a 22nd minute effort blocked by the desperate home defence. The returning Brazilian’s goal was simplicity itself, as a pinpoint pass from Jung Woo Young found Shunki Takahashi on the right wing. He sprinted to beat Mitchell Duke – no slouch in the speed stakes himself – to the ball and crossed it first time where the unmarked Leandro poked it home from close range.

In the 55th minute it was Soma yet again racing forward to send in a low, early cross for Marquinhos to stab home from close range. 4-0, and Vissel were cruising.

The final goal was, perhaps, the best of the day, and a personal victory for Shohei Takahashi. The central defender won the ball, found Leandro and sprinted off behind the Brazilian forward. Leandro sent the ball long and wide to Marquinhos in the right channel and the Vissel number 18 timed his run to perfection, reaching the ball for a first time cross to Takahashi for the defender to head home the final goal of the game after completing his 70 yard dash.

And so, Vissel end the day on top of J1 and looking forward to a successful 2nd Stage. A win against Shonan Bellmare on Wednesday night is next on the cards!

Team – Yamamoto, Iwanami, Masukawa, Sho.Takahashi, Morioka, Jung, Shu.Takahashi, Soma, Marquinhos, Mihara, Leandro

Vissel Kobe goals:
7′ Ryota MORIOKA
19′ Shunki TAKAHASHI
41′ LEANDRO
55′ MARQUINHOS
75′ Shohei TAKAHASHI

Attendance: 14,037

Previews

J1 Preview Nov.7th 19.00 – Shimizu S-Pulse vs Albirex Niigata at Outsourcing

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Team News
Shimizu S-Pulse – FW Kim is suspended. No reported injuries but FW Omae and DF Jong-a-Pin not 100%.
Albirex Niigata – DF Kawaguchi will miss the game on Japan U-19 duty. MF Uchida is out long term.

Head to Head – 9 wins for Albirex, 8 for S-Pulse and 5 draws over 22 matches since 2004.

Match Preview – It seems many games in these final weeks will be must-win for one team or the other, none more so that Albirex Niigata in this battle of the orange! A loss for Niigata will see them fall further back in the race for safety, but they will find it hard against a team smarting from a Nabisco Cup Final defeat! Albirex are also without their ace keeper Higashiguchi, who has been the lynchpin of an excellent defensive record this season (if only they could score goals, too!).

As noted, Shimizu S-Pulse will want to bounce back from their cup final defeat and home advantage will only help them regain confidence. The team was an average age of just 23 in the Nabsico Cup Final, but the experience will only help them grow. They know that an ACL place is up for grabs and they are on form. They may even feel, if results go their way, a 2nd place or even the Champinship is still within reach. They won’t let that chance go. The fitness of Calvin Jong-a-Pin may be an issue, but they have the players to get around that if he doesn’t make it. They are starting games with many youngsters, but the experience they are gaining can only be good (average age of starting XI in the Nabisco Cup FInal was exactly 23!). EXPECT a WIN for SHIMIZU S-PULSE!

Previews

J1 Preview Aug.25th – 18:00 Shimizu S-Pulse vs Urawa Reds at Ecopa

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Shimizu S-Pulse – LB Lee and CB Jong-a-Pin are suspended, while DF Yoshida is undergoing fitness tests.
Urawa Reds – all players seem to be fit for selection except Naoki Yamada who is out for the season.

Head to Head – ten wins each and four draws over the last decade – very even. Reds won the encounter earlier this year, but you have to go back to 2008 for Reds’ last League win before that!

Shimizu S-Pulse have begun a revival, as predicted here and this game is a major test of their credentials. A win for S-Pulse will put them within one point of Urawa Reds, while a win for Reds will dent Shimizu’s confidence and send them 7 points adrift of their opponents. Both teams have had problems scoring this season, though S-Pulse have finally started finding the net in the last few weeks and new signing, Korean Olympic forward Kim Hyun Sung will be looking to score his first for the team, while Omae and Takagi are hitting goals again, ably supported by Alex Brosque. So, while the forwards may be on song, the team will be without at least two of their regular defence and so may consider curtailing the attacking tendencies to concentrate on keeping it tight at the back – or maybe not! Coach Afshin Ghotbi is a swashbuckling type and while his players are confident he may just hope to score more goals than Reds!
As noted, Urawa Reds are not scoring many goals, so may not trouble the depleted S-Pulse defence as mush as they should… Ugajin has been scoring from midfield recently, and Haraguchi is gaining confidence up front. If the likes of Tanaka, Popo and Despotovic can give help from the bench Reds may hit the net today.

I am going to stick my neck out and go for a highscoring WIN for SHIMIZU S-PULSE!

Reports

Shimizu S-Pulse 1-0 FC Tokyo – April 28th

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S-Pulse came out of this with the win that I had predicted, even though they made it hard for themselves. The winning goal came after the home team found themselves down to nine men, when the two substitutes – Takahara and Takagi – combined, with Takagi blasting the ball from 15 yards or so with the keeper unable to move. Up to that point referee Nishimura had stuck to the letter of the law – not always a good thing, but a professional referee with a living to make can not be criticized for adhering to the rulebook – and a succession of orange shirts went into the book for varying offences, from kicking the ball away after the whistle that Franca picked up very early on (unnecessary, deserves to be fined) to the “take one for the team” cynical foul on the half way line from Shinji Ono. Brosque’s 2nd yellow card was another moment of madness when he intentionally delayed a quick free kick right under the referee’s nose and too his early bath.

Franca’s 2nd yellow card was a little more debatable, one of those that could go ewither way, depending on the referee, the opponents reaction, the crowd, and the view of the officials. Franca went up for the ball with arm swinging, caught his opponent in the face, who went down as if he’d been shot. The officials discussed it and a card was dispatched. Those go either way, today it went against S-Pulse. Until the goal (and his red card) FRanca had surely had the best chance as he found himself though on gaol with no defender in sight, but he delayed so much that by the time he was ready to shoot, he had defenders around him, and his shot was weak.
Tokyo sensed blood when S-Pulse went down to nine men but the home defence held out and then Takahara launched the counter attack that had Afshin Ghotbi and his bench dancing a jig, and gave S-Pulse maximum points!