Intro
FC Ryukyu enter match day 39 after suffering a 3-2 home defeat to Omiya Ardija. Despite the loss, FC Ryukyu looked very good in the match and it was a shame that the second largest crowd we’ve had all season, couldn’t see the side pull out a positive result. Renofa Yamaguchi enter match day 39 undefeated in their last 5 and looking to end the season on a positive note. It seems Renofa is finally earning points as many suspected they would’ve to start the season. It matters not, as they are too far from the promotion playoffs to get into the conversation. FC Ryukyu on the other hand, have secured themselves J2 football in 2020 thanks in large part to Kagoshima United FCs win over FC Gifu mid-week.
Yamaguchi Weather Forecast
Renofa Yamaguchi
As mentioned earlier, Renofa re undefeated in their last 5 games. 4 of those matches were against teams near the bottom of the table but they did have a nice 1-0 win over Kyoto on the road a few weeks ago. Renofa easily swept aside Fukuoka 2-0 and followed that up with a 1-1 draw against FC Gifu where Yamaguchi scored very late to break the hearts of the FC Gifu fans in attendance. They played surprisingly well against Kyoto and really choked out their opponents attack in that match. They then somehow allowed Kagoshima to dictate large parts of their match in which it ended in a goalless draw. Finally, Renofa defeated JEF 3-2 due the JEF Goal Keeper having another famous “JEF Howler” that proved to be the difference in the score line.
Really hard to scout a team that plays to the level of their coemption each week. This means they will play well against tougher sides but allow those beneath them in the table to stay in matches with a chance to defeat Renofa. I guess that’s the very definition of a mid-table side.
FC Ryukyu
FC Ryukyu are guaranteed J2 2020 football as they are 13 clear of the bottom 2 sides, Tochigi and FC Gifu, with only 4 games, and 12 possible points, remaining. FC Ryukyu should take a hard look at their reserves over the next 4 weeks to see what they have before entering the J League window transfer window in a few weeks. This will require some hard decisions and I am not sure the club is going to execute all of the following but here are my suggestions.
First, with Dany hurt and Ishii on loan from Mito, it is time we Inose and Tsumita playing time. Chances are that one of them is likely #2 in 2020. Match day experience will go a long way for goalies. Second, we need to get starting time for all the non-loan players in the side and that includes those that haven’t dressed in a match this season. There is no where to go for FC Ryukyu this year. We will likely finish around 15-17 in the table and while position is nice, it is not important. Instead, focus on trying to win the last home match against Kyoto next week and end the season in Okinawa on a high note for the fans and community.
But back to the matter at hand. We need to see more of Kim Song Sun, Kozumi, Ramon, Sanches and Gibo during the remaining fixtures. They have appeared periodically and then disappeared for even longer stretches of time.
Injuries
FC Ryukyu: Several; Dany, Shinji Ono and Torikai are all done for the season.
Renofa Yamaguchi FC: Reporting none of any significance.
FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory
1. A win is nice, but I’d rather see players who rarely dress for FC Ryukyu feature in the squad this week.
2. Play your game. There is no secret to beating Yamaguchi.
Match Day 39 Prediction
Yamaguchi 2-1
Important Fixtures in J2 for Match Day 39
Seeing how I published the blog late this week, there were already some big games that took place. Omiya defeated Reysol, Mito beat Yamagata and FC Gifu are truly done with a 7-0 defeat to Vortis.
Conclusion
The season is winding down and while there is always pride to play for in the final games of the season, it is important to get those players who rarely feature the all-important match day experience. This will aide in lining up transfers for 2020 and allow the club to see the strengths and weaknesses of their bench. I will not be able to watch the game as I am traveling and unable to access DAZN so the match day report will based solely on the highlights I can watch on YouTube. Good luck to all that travel to Yamaguchi.
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