by @joebroadfoot

I am a great believer in momentum. Over the years I have seen teams plummet down the divisions because they couldn’t reverse their decline. I hope this will not be the case for Vissel Kobe, as four straight defeats in their last J1 outings indicate tough times ahead. However, a new broom can sweep clean, which must be why Vissel appointed Nelsinho as their new boss.
The 64-year-old Brazilian has a wealth of experience at this level, although it has to be remembered that when he took over Kashiwa Reysol they got relegated shortly afterwards; Vissel fans will hope lightning doesn’t strike twice. Having said that, in Nelsinho’s second season, Reysol won promotion back to the top fl ight and followed that by lifting the J1 title. Quite a rollercoaster ride!
How fitting it is that Vissel’s first game of the season is against Nelsinho’s old employers at the Noevir Stadium. In fact, the fixture list has been almost kind to Vissel with three home games in the month of March and just one away trip to Kawasaki Frontale (who finished sixth and beat Vissel in the final game of last season).
So what can possibly go wrong? Nelsinho should know all about his former charges, so you’d expect Vissel to get off to a flyer against Reysol. Points may be dropped at Kawasaki Frontale, but a home win against an out-of-form FC Tokyo would put that right.
Finally in March, the likely new whipping boys of J1, Montedio Yamagata, should be dispatched easily enough in the J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup. Imagine how optimistic Vissel fans will be with three wins out of four in March!
Obviously, a lot depends on how well the new signings bed in. Nelsinho has brought in Kazuma Watanabe from FC Tokyo to bolster the attack. Although the 28-year-old scored 17 goals in 2013, double figures tend to be an exception rather than the norm for him and last season he finished with a paltry three league goals. Nevertheless, his signing will allow the new manager to rest 38-year-old top goalscorer Marquinhos more often. Not only that, there needed to be an injection of new blood upfront, given the barren run of Pedro Junior, who hasn’t scored since September 2014.
Despite the comparative lack of goals at the end of last season, Vissel’s main problem was conceding them at the other end. To rectify that issue, Kobe start this season with two new names at the back: Michihiro Yasuda comes in from Sagan Tosu with Shohei Takahashi signing from relegated Omiya Ardija. The former is a 27-yearold left (wing) back who had the honour of being the first Japanese player to play at Vitesse Arnhem, while the latter is a versatile defender who may have huge boots to fill with centre-back Hiroyuki Komoto moving in the opposite direction to Ardija.
Clearly though, something had to be done about Vissel’s leaking defence: to concede a half century of goals is relegation form. Indeed, only three teams in J1 let in more. Nelsinho will hope his changes plug the holes in what could otherwise be a sinking ship. The Brazilian manager may have his work cut out, which is why I’m predicting a season of consolidation and another mid-table
finish for Vissel.