Intro
Welcome Back! I apologize for the lengthy gap but we all have commitments outside of FC Ryukyu right?. Anyways, in the time that I’ve been gone we’ve seen FCR lose twice and then win an all-important 6-point match against Kagoshima at home. The win brings FC Ryukyu within 8 points of the relative “safety zone” of 42 points that I’ve been touting the past few weeks. But make no mistake, those are going to be the toughest 8 points FC Ryukyu need to earn all season. This is a tall task for FC Ryukyu as they play 7 of their remaining games this season on the road.
Weather Forecast
Absolutely gorgeous. See the picture below.
Zweigen Kanazawa
Kanazawa come into this match having lost their last 2 matches in a row. Prior to these losses they had reeled off 6 straight matches without a defeat. An accomplishment FC Ryukyu haven’t achieved since their opening 6 matches of the season. When these two sides last met three months ago at the Tapista, FC Ryukyu earned a draw off the back of a Koji Suzuki 69’ minute goal (tears) after conceding an early goal to Zweigen. Zweigen are certainly looking to avenge that draw and aide their chances of promotion by moving within 3 points of the playoff zone with a win over FC Ryukyu. And as we all know as FC Ryukyu fans, targeting a win against FC Ryukyu when they visit your stadium is very bankable these days.
In Kanazawa’s last 5 matches they earned 3-2 wins over Machida and Niigata; a 2-1 victory over FC Gifu; and then suffered 2-1 and 3-1 defeats to Kagoshima and Mito. The run of sloppy play for Zweigen really began in the Niigata match where they were awarded their second PK in as many matches but also surrendered 2 PK opportunities to Niigata. Fortunately for Zweigen, Niigata were unable to score on the very late PK attempt by Leonardo that would’ve tied the game. Probably due to the ridiculously slow and elongated run up to the ball by Leonardo that was followed up by a rather poor shot on net.
Despite escaping the Niigta match with a win, the run of poor play by Kanazawa was just beginning. Please note, that when I mention poor play, it is not to the degree or scenes we’ve witnessed from FC Ryukyu the past few months. I am simply stating that things have become a little undone for Zweigen the past few weeks. This offers the smallest glimmer of hope for the traveling FC Ryukyu side who have been awful on the road all season but this is not an easy match by any means.
Kanazawa lost 2-1 to Kagoshima after taking an early 1-0 lead and though they were tied with Mito at one point, they never really looked on the front foot for much of the match. What better way to break out of a 2-game losing streak than by welcoming a side that boasts the worst away record in J2.
FC Ryukyu
Let’s get the obvious out of the way first. FC Ryukyu have only earned 6 points from a total of 42 possible points on the road this season. They haven’t earned a positive result on the road since a draw against Kyoto way back in June. FC Ryukyu have lost 9 out of their last 10 road games and suffered some heavy defeats along the way. And the most worrying sign heading into the last quarter of the season,, it has been 195 days since FC Ryukyu last won on the road. With so many road games ahead of FC Ryukyu, and the fact that we need to take our destiny into our own hands and not rely on our opponents losing beneath us, FC Ryukyu desperately need some points on the road.
There have been some sweeping changes to the FC Ryukyu lineup the past few weeks. Some good and some interesting. Most notably are the changes to the defense and mid-field. Torikai has replaced Nishioka at RB and Shinji Ono has slotted in next to Uesato in the CDM role to sure up, or provide direction, to the back line. Also, Uejo has moved into the CAM role behind the newly acquired striker, Yamada. The lineup produced the 2-1 victory over Kagoshima so I’ll reserve judgement for after this match. I hope to see the return of Kawai to the reserves as I feel his speed, along with Ramon’s, could really trouble defenses later on in games.
Team Injuries
Zweigen Kanazawa: #24 DF Hasegawa Takumi looks to have torn his ACL late in August and may be one of the reasons why Zweigen has conceded so many goals the last 2 matches.
FC Ryukyu: None.
Keys to FC Ryukyu Victory
1. Maintain a steady presence at the back. The last road game saw FC Ryukyu come apart rather quickly after taking an early 1-0 lead. 6 straight goals from Vortis was inexcusable but these things happen from time to time. Mark the runs of opposing attackers, clear the garbage from the front of the net and for god’s sake, close players down near the edge of the box.
2. Minimize the mental mistakes. We could insert this one every week but I haven’t been able to watch the team the last few weeks to know if they’ve overcome the numerous mistakes from games past so we’ll leave this one right where it is.
3. Cover the back line. Hopefully we can prevent long balls over the top that catch Fukui and Okazaki out and force them into rash challenges or mistakes. This means FC Ryukyu in turn need to play a bit of long ball themselves and allow players with speed to run underneath the passes. I hope that either, or both, Uesato or Shinji sit a little deeper and try to pick apart the Zweigen defense from afar while not allowing them to break against our back line.
4. Exploit the confusion and poor run of form in the Zweigen back line. Kanazawa often conceded some rather soft goals due to confusion and the best way to attack that is with speed. Does FC Ryukyu have enough speed in the lineup to round the Zweigen defenders that will create some space and time for Uejo and Yamada to shoot?
Match Prediction
Much like the last time I wrote a preview article when FC Ryukyu were on the road, I cannot sit here and say that FC Ryukyu will come out on top this week because the away record speaks volumes. I, along with all of you, would love to be pleasantly surprised at an FC Ryukyu victory and/or draw at this point. There is a chance that could occur tomorrow but I have said that way too many times to believe it anymore so we’ll go with a 3-1 defeat. The prediction aligns with the average amount of goals that FC Ryukyu score and concede during road games this season.
Conclusion
11 matches remain in the J2 season. FC Ryukyu will need to earn at least 8 more points to feel relatively comfortable about their chances of avoiding relegation. They will need to earn these 8 points from 7 road matches against some pretty strong sides. It is both as simple and as difficult as that. Good luck to all that attend and to FC Ryukyu, we need it.
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