Intro
FC Ryukyu will host their third mid-week match of the season tomorrow when they welcome in Ventforet Kofu. If you recall, it was Kofu who ended FC Ryukyu’s 36 game home unbeaten run last year and then defeated us 2-0 at their place on the final day of the 2019 season. Both teams enter the match with winning streaks with each looking to get their first home (FC Ryukyu), and first road (Kofu), win of the season. One note, this game will be played behind “closed doors” as the CV-19 virus continues to rage here in Okinawa.
- Weather Report
- Match Day 10 Recap: FC Ryukyu
- Match Day 10 Recap: Ventforet Kofu
- Team Previews & Injury Report
- Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu
- Match Prediction
- Match Day 11 in J2
- Conclusion
1. Weather Report
A very pleasant evening to watch football. Too bad there will be no fans there to enjoy it.
2. Match Day 10 Recap: FC Ryukyu
3. Match Day 10 Recap: Ventforet Kofu
4. Team Previews & Injury Report
FC Ryukyu: The boys showed some grit and determination last week against Verdy where they were able to earn a win thanks in part to a foolish penalty in the box by a Verdy defender late in the game. Ryukyu had plenty of chances to take the lead in this game with the most notable being the Ren Ikeda header that hit the post from a corner kick.
FC Ryukyu made a switch back to the 4-1-4-1 after sustaining injuries to Ono and Koki in addition to Shunsuke Motegi testing positive for CV-19. The change really allows FC Ryukyu to develop forward thrust but they need to be better with their finishing. Oddly enough, Higuchi opted to bring only two attacking players with him last week in Kawai and Uehara as he dressed three defenders that went as unused substitutes. Perhaps he is giving a break to Koizumi for the short week where he can maximize his speed but that is Ryukyu’s only other healthy mid fielder in the reserves at the moment.
Abe started the match a bit off his game as he was guilty of several missed passes and turnovers but quickly turned things around in the second half. Another player displaying excellent work rates and skill is Keita Tanaka who has been simply on fire after his switch to Right Back.
After two matches as a substitute, I think we may see Kawai make his first start since the opening round back in February. It is time Higuchi allows Kawai, Koizumi and Ikeda to start together for the first time all year. And by that I mean, “to turn ’em loose” on the opposition. But with five games in fifteen days for Ryukyu it is anyone’s guess as to how Higuchi will rotate the squad.
FC Ryukyu Injuries & Suspensions: Lengthy spells on the sidelines for Shinji Ono and Koki Kazama who are dealing with injuries to their knees as well as Okazaki who tore a tendon in his leg. No indication that Motegi or Chinen have been cleared to resume training after their positive CV19 tests.
Ventforet Kofu: The best way I can sum up Kofu is that you know what you’re going to get every time. They will have their peaks and valleys that include some beautiful goals and breakdowns at the back. They seemed to display a penchant for this last year before finally turning it on late in the season for the playoff push.
They completely came apart against Verdy last month, which happened to be the last time they lost, before defeating Omiya and JEF at home the following weeks. They have since gone on to draw against Mito, Yamaguchi, and Fukuoka. Their most recent three games were without one of their most important players, Dudu, who did not feature. To be honest, they should’ve lost to Mito but were saved by an incorrect offside call before finally surrendering the equalizer shortly thereafter.
A majority of the goals that Kofu scored the past six matches stemmed from set pieces or broken plays resulting in favorable rebounds. That is not to say they didn’t score any goals from open play but that is what stuck out to me when watching their highlights. In defense, the trend seems to be exposing the back three defenders when the two wing backs/mid fielders fail to track back or mark players properly thus leaving gaping holes for attackers to exploit. It often results with a look of confusion on the faces of the defenders, rather than anger, as they cannot fathom how things transpired to lead to an opponents goal.
While I fully expect Kofu to come to Okinawa and curl the back of our net once, maybe twice, they can get caught out in the counter attack by the speed of the Ryukyu players.
Ventforet Kofu Injuries & Suspensions: There are no injuries to any of the starters or players that have featured this season though strangely enough Dudu hasn’t made an appearance the past three games for Kofu. There is no word that he is dealing with an injury and this same phenomenon happened last year leading up to the final match day of the year against Ryukyu before he made a miraculous recovery and appearance.
5. Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu
The Scale: 5- An almost certainty it will occur 4-Fairly-Certain it will happen 3-Somewhat Certain it could happen 2-Very Unlikely it happens 1- Requires a Miracle to happen
1. Own the Flanks. Likelihood 4: Ryukyu need to get the edges of the Kofu defense and follow it up with quality runs into open spaces from the central mid fielders. There is plenty of open space between the Kofu defenders when you stretch them laterally as the wingers/outside mid fielders for Kofu are not great at defending or closing down attackers. That should allow some space and time for Tanaka, Numata, Kawai, and Koya to deliver some quality crosses into the box.
2. Defend set pieces with some tenacity. Likelihood 2: Kofu are lethal on corner kicks and from dead ball kicks. Ryukyu need solid performances out of the two CBs and two full backs tomorrow. We really need Yong Jick and Suzuki to shut down all runs into the middle by getting to the ball first and we need not let our guard down on any short corners/low crosses.
6. Match Prediction
Kofu has drawn and lost their two Wednesday matches this year. Both of those were also away games whereas FC Ryukyu have drawn at home both times they’ve played on a Wednesday against far better competition. Factor in the short week and associated travel for Kofu and I can see FC Ryukyu pulling this one out 2-1.
7. Match Day 11 in J2
(2) Omiya Ardija hosting (6) Jubilo Iwata features two teams inside the top 6 as most of the other games pit top teams against those in the middle and bottom of the table. The (3) Giravanz Kitakyushu versus (11) Zweigen Kanazawa could be a feisty one as well. In any case, if you are a neutral, there is a solid 3 hours of football for you on Wednesday if you can manage to flip back forth with the three staggered kickoff times in this round.
8. Conclusion
FC Ryukyu are in the first meat grinder session of the new J2 2020 schedule with matches every three days for the next two weeks. These weeks will definitely test the depth of the squad and the skill of the coaching staff to rotate players as Ryukyu are dealing with several key injuries and CV-19 suspensions. There has been no indication that Ryukyu will dip into the summer transfer market for reinforcements, or recall Ramon from his loan spell at Gainare Tottori, so they are simply going to have to make do with what they got and hope to avoid any future injuries or suspensions due to CV-19.
On that note, I hope that many of you continue to take precautions as you go about your daily lives and continue to do your part in stopping the spread of CV-19. While it is easy to become overwhelmed in these times, especially when the prefecture you live in decides to reopen schools during the largest amount of infections to date; I for one am glad that we can take a break from all the stress and enjoy a game we love. Stay safe.
And…………………..
Go get it boys!
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