Intro
The fourth consecutive loss in a row to Ventforet Kofu was a bitter pill to swallow last night. The fact that many of the top teams show little respect to FC Ryukyu, and why should they, by playing “second stringers,” coupled with our inability to produce any results against these weakened squads, is tough to deal with as a fan.
Ryukyu survived an early barrage (and by that I mean Dany Carvajal) from Kofu but ultimately, the deciding goal in the second half came off a deflection from both Yong Jick and Suzuki (befitting of this team I guess). After the Kofu goal, FC Ryukyu pressed hard but the closest they would come to an equalizer was a shot off the wood work by Numata.
Match Day 31 Highlights
Man of the Match
FC Ryukyu: Dany Carvajal. Dany was far and away our best player last night and once again rose to the challenge put in front of him. He was pressed into service very early on and made three nice saves to keep the score level. He got a bit of luck when a shot rifled past him and hit the post but was not so lucky when a series of deflections, which he got his toe too as well, made it into the net. His play has really elevated since that random benching 3 games ago and is so crucial if FC Ryukyu wish to surpass their point tally from 2019.
Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu
1. Have some early Success. Likelihood 3. Indeed we did as we frustrated Kofu’s attack early and created a few chances of our own outside of the large spells of possession by Kofu in the first half.
2. Ruffle the Feathers of Kofu. Likelihood 2. There were some visible cracks but no major breaks in the emotions of Kofu. Dudu got a little worked up in the second half and it was refreshing to see the referee wave off Dudu’s dive near the end of the match.
3. Catch Kofu Napping. Likelihood 4. We did not as some of the players that Kofu started yesterday were of the reserve caliber which meant they were giving it their all to impress the manager.
4. Score from Dead Ball Set Pieces. Likelihood 2. Well we didn’t score so it is a big no for this one. Though Ryukyu did have plenty of opportunities to score from set pieces yesterday.
Match Day 31 Prediction
I said 2-0 to Kofu so I have to be somewhat pleased that it didn’t reach that score line but still disappointed that FC Ryukyu did not get their first ever point against Kofu.
Match Day 31 Takeaways
1. The play of Yong Jick. There were the inexcusable turnovers in our own end in the early part of the game when Kofu was pressing hard for a goal and dominating the possession. And then there was the lackadaisical effort throughout much of the match when it came to putting in challenges and then recovering back to his spot after he missed the challenge and was out of position. I started to hone in on Yong Jick after I saw him gingerly jogging back to the box after he whiffed on a challenge and then so many more incidents like that came to light.
It is not fair to Dany to have to endure Yong Jick playing in front of him, and not fair to this team with 10 other players giving it their all. Talent can get you so far in this game, but so can effort. The perfect example is Tanaka who never played RB in his life and has transformed himself into an integral part of this team within a short span by simply giving maximum effort.
I hope these remaining 11 games are the last we see of a player who is solely relying on name brand recognition to maintain employment.
2. Koizumi’s introduction late in the game swung the momentum in the direction of Ryukyu. Maybe Higuchi realized that Kofu were going to press us early and that Koizumi’s fresh legs would take advantage of some tired Kofu legs late on. Whatever the case, Koizumi was electric on the ball and should have been apart of the first substation in the 62’ minute instead of the 77′ with so little time left to play and assert his influence.
3. Tanaka made a welcome return to the lineup. It is good to see one of our better players get some limited action so he can get back to full match fitness for a brutal November slate of games.
4. Kawai is struggling for form. There is no way to sugar coat this, he hasn’t looked like the player we saw last year or even at the start of the season back in February. It is possible that he doesn’t fully trust his body after a lengthy spell away with an ankle injury but whatever the case, we are not seeing that sudden burst and blistering pace we’ve become accustomed too from Kawai. It maybe time to start Motegi at LM, but seeing how Motegi didn’t even feature last night, I am starting to believe the effects of CV19 are lingering on for this talented player.
Match Day 31 in J2
V-Varen Nagasaki was unable to make up any ground on leaders Tokushima and Fukuoka as all 3 of the tops sides won this Wednesday.
- For all you international readers, check the J-League International Channel in a few days for all the goals of Round 31 in J2.
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmQp6ZaAejJKKkXc_Y_lh1A
Conclusion
Ventforet Kofu have now become the fourth team this year to defeat FC Ryukyu twice, joining JEF UTD Chiba, Albirex Niigata, and Montedio Yamagata. I thought that FC Ryukyu had a good shot at earning at least a point yesterday, and nearly did if not for thee woodwork, but those are the breaks sometimes. Time to shrug this one off and regroup for the match against 21st place, Renofa Yamaguchi, this Sunday so as to avoid Renofa becoming the fifth team this year to defeat FC Ryukyu twice.
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