“S.O.S.” Match Day 5 Preview: (21) FC Ryukyu vs. (2) V-Varen Nagasaki 7/14/20 #FC琉球 #vvaren

Q: Nagasaki are coming three straight wins to open the season over some pretty good opponents. What has changed at the club from last year to now?

D: Last year was mostly a rebuilding year for the team as so many key players, and the manager, Takuya Takagi now with Omiya, left the club and it was hard to replace that type of quality. Many supporters expected V-Varen to make it back to J2, and were flirting with the playoff spots for quite a while, but in the end, the quality was missing and the new manager, Makoto Teguramori, struggled as well. However, in the 2019 summer transfer window, the club made some good loan signings and those players either extended their loan spells or made their moves permanent at Nagasaki this year. Additionally, the club added several good defensive players during the winter and our defense looks much improved from last season. Also, Teguramori moved away from his conservative 4-4-2 and the team looks much more comfortable holding the ball and controlling the midfield this year.

Q: Who are the players to watch out for on Wednesday? Tell us a little about some of the signings that Nagasaki brought in as well as about some of the foreigners that feature in the squad.

D: There are many players to watch out for, but I have been most impressed with Hiroki Akino and Masaru Kato, who have dominated the central midfield the past few games. Akino joined last summer on loan from Shonan Bellmare then made a permanent move to Nagasaki this year, and is now the team captain while Kato arrived in the summer on loan from Albirex Niigata. Offensively, Luan was a huge signing for Nagasaki. He is a Brazilian midfielder/forward who was a starter for Atletico Mineiro for many years and won the Copa Libertadores in 2013. Ronaldinho was on that team, too. Then you have Victor Ibarbo who arrived last summer on loan from Sagan Tosu and I could not believe that he opted to stick around on a permanent deal this season. He has one goal and three assists in 78 minutes of playing time this season and should become a starter soon. The other two foreigners are CB Freire, who joined from Shonan Bellmare as well and midfielder Caio, who is on loan from Kawasaki Frontale. Both have been on the bench the last couple of games, but are more than capable of filling in for the starters.

Q: With the crammed fixture schedule soon to be upon us, do you feel that Nagasaki have the depth in their squad to continue piling up the results and make a serious push at promotion in 2020? And, how often has Makoto Teguramori rotated players these past few games?

D: I think V-Varen must have one of the deepest squads in J2 in terms of quality. Especially in midfield and in the attack. There are multiple players that the manager can use without sacrificing quality. His tactics have been quite interesting since the restart. He kept several top players on the bench and when he brought them on in the second half, they delivered decisive results for Nagasaki. I am referring specifically to Ibarbo, Togashi, Caio and Yoshioka. Also, players like Yohei Otake and Keiji Tamada, two of Nagasaki’s best players last season, have not made the matchday squad since the restart despite being fit. Teguramori also made use of the increased number of substitutions and has used all five subs against Giravanz and Ehime with four against Avispa Fukuoka. It will be interesting to see how he continues to utilize the squad in the coming weeks. He said that Ibarbo will start sooner or later as he is just too good, but V-Varen have been winning, so he is not in any hurry to change his approach.

Q: What is your take on the way the J-League handled re-opening the season as well as bringing fans back into the stands?

D:  I think they have done pretty good and I was impressed by how well the supporters followed the rules. Obviously, it is not easy to; go to the stadium, have your temperature checked, maintain social distancing, wear a mask for the entire game, and remain silent, but those are the rules the J-League put in place. Everyone can decide whether they want to go to the games and follow the rules or watch from home. It is very important that the supporters at the stadium are careful and also considerate. I can’t help wondering how that would work here in Europe?

Q: Last one. What is your prediction for Wednesday’s match?

D: I think FC Ryukyu could be a dangerous team, but they seem to have a lot to figure out at this point, especially on defense. V-Varen, on the other hand, looked very comfortable defensively in the past few games and have many players who can create chances. So, my prediction is FC Ryukyu 0-2 V-Varen Nagasaki. Good luck for the game!

You can also read Daniel’s preview of the match here: https://nagasakiblueorange.wordpress.com/2020/07/13/preview-j2-matchday-5-with-geoff-osborne/

V-Varen Nagasaki Injuries & Suspensions: None to any of the incumbent starters or reserves.

FC Ryukyu. Eight goals conceded with only two scored over the past 270 minutes for FC Ryukyu. For FC Ryukyu fans, this is an all too familiar site as we had to endure long spells of this last summer which ultimately led to FCR tumbling down the J2 table. For now, there is nowhere to go but up as we are only 1 point above Gunma in the standings.

So where do we begin? First, we need to keep Koizumi and Koya in the starting 11 as they’ve added a nice element to our much maligned attack. Second, we need a change in defense and this could be in the form of both Daisei Suzuki at CB and Felipe Tavares at RB. Or, we may also see a change with Chinen and/or Fukui replacing Yong Jick.

Third, start Shinji Ono in place of Koki and see if FC Ryukyu can start out on the front foot for a change by generating some larger early leads. Fourth, We cannot afford to play a high defensive line when pressing in the attack, or chasing deficits, as this creates too much space for other teams to operate. I am not sure if there is a way to conduct a balanced approach to the match, despite being behind, but when we press, the flood gates really open up.

While all of this could happen, with the crammed fixture schedule, it is likely we see more changes and more combinations than we normally would have. This will make “getting into a groove” a difficult prospect for Ryukyu but it is what it is at this point under these circumstances. In any event, change is needed in both personnel and tactics as whatever we have been doing up to this point, has simply not worked.

FC Ryukyu Injuries & Suspensions: LM Shuto Kawai is still recovering from an ankle injury and possibly set to return to training in the coming week(s).