Intro
This was a painful match to watch last night as FC Ryukyu were pipped for 3 goals while failing to score one of their own. FC Ryukyu were without a true striker last night as both Abe and Uehara were left off the team sheet.
The first two goals FC Ryukyu surrendered were a bit fluky but Taguchi should have fully committed to the first one if he was going to come that far off his line. The same cannot be said about the third goal by Lulinha as it was absolutely spectacular.
The loss means nothing in the grand scheme of things as FC Ryukyu remain 19th. But the fact that we couldn’t muster any offense last night, only 2 shots on target, is more concerning heading into the final six games of 2020.
Cover Photo courtesy of @DAIZAKI_
Match Day 36 Highlights
Man of the Match
Jubilo Iwata FWD Seiya Nakano: He bagged his 7th goal of the campaign and was wreaking all sorts of havoc on the Ryukyu back line last night.
Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu
1. Exploit the space in the central defense of Iwata. Likelihood 4. Um, no. In fact, it was Iwata who exploited the gaps in our central defense.
2. Do not give any hope to a team that is down on their luck. Likelihood 3. We did the exact opposite last night. Iwata’s luck finally took a turn for the better as their opening 2 goals were semi-busted plays were the rebounds fell favorably to the Iwata players in the attacking area.
Match Day Prediction
Went with 3-1 to FC Ryukyu and failed miserably.
Match Day 36 Takeaways
1. There weren’t just holes in our defense last night. There were massive canyons. You can see acres of space between our defenders on every goal in the highlights that Iwata exploited. FC Ryukyu played a bit of high line and when asked to recover, they didn’t have the pace to close down the Iwata attackers.
The third goal saw Yong Jick come up for another mistimed, misjudged, challenge on a pass that left Fukui and Uehara all alone on an island. Defending is a real issue here at FC Ryukyu and can no longer be ignored for sake of the attack if they ever wish to move out of the bottom third of the table.
2. Higuchi’s system requires a true striker up top. If we don’t have one, the attack fizzles out. Koizumi was listed as the FWD but dropped back into the CAM role forcing Ikeda to move up. Koizumi did his best to try and unlock the Iwata back line but couldn’t quite find the last pass to do so. There was one play in which he slotted Kawai through on goal, but Kawai couldn’t separate from his marker.
Match Day 36 in J2
Tokushima Vortis moved 4, and 7, points clear of Avispa Fukuoka and V-Varen Nagasaki with their win over Machida Zelvia. Fukuoka and Nagasaki both drew 1-1. Fukuoka were saved by a Tokyo Verdy own goal just one minute after Verdy had scored. The draw for Nagasaki was heartbreaking as they conceded in the 5th minute of stoppage time which still keeps them 3 points shy of second place Fukuoka.
Conclusion
If you look at the cover photo this entry it paints a very accurate picture for what is occurring at the club. Some players are displaying visible frustration. Others look like they’ve lost hope as they’ve given it their all and cannot seem to get this team over the line on a consistent basis. Not what you want to see from your side, and something that needs to change heading into the 2021 season.
Now, I’d like to end this on a more positive note. Today is the American Holiday known as Thanksgiving and whether or not you celebrate this holiday; agree with the holiday in the first place; or just use it as an excuse to partake in some gluttony; I think we can all agree that coming together every once in awhile to show our appreciation for others is a good thing.
I am personally grateful for all of you who read this blog and show your appreciation by communicating with me over social media as you make watching, reading, writing, and tweeting about football very enjoyable for me. I am also thankful that the season has been able to progress to this point when it seemed all but lost in early March.
Though we can all voice our frustrations about our club when they are not performing well. I think we all should recognize the sacrifices these people go through everyday that allows us all to enjoy our passions, and we should thank them whenever and wherever we can.
Enjoy some Turkey if you can, and I’ll see you all on Friday with the Match Day 37 Preview.
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