Intro
In the midst of a four game home stand, and coming off one of their most emphatic wins of the season, FC Ryukyu will try and keep the good times rolling when they face Zweigen Kanazawa on Match Day 38. Kanazawa got the better of FC Ryukyu the last time these two sides met thanks to a goal deep in stoppage time by Rodolfo.
The win came during one of Kanazawa’s best runs of five games unbeaten, whereas the loss was the third in a row for FC Ryukyu. Zweigen are a shell compared to the team that at one point registered 2 games with 5 goals scored, as they’ve are now one of the worst teams when it comes to conceding. However, FC Ryukyu are only slightly better off in the goals conceded category yet still trail Kanazawa by one total goal scored for the season.
Match Day 37 Recaps
FC Ryukyu vs Tokyo Verdy (4-0)
Zweigen Kanazawa vs Tokushima Vortis (3-4)
Team Previews
FC Ryukyu: Easily their best month this season, FC Ryukyu notched four wins and one draw from the eight games in November. The four wins are impressive as it nearly matched their season win total (6) up to the start of that month. FC Ryukyu’s home form has also been quite good the past five rounds as they are undefeated, winning 4 out of 5, with the lone draw coming against Giravanz Kitakyushu.
The fact is FC Ryukyu navigated a very treacherous slate of games this past month that not only included games against 3 out of the top 4 sides in the table, but also 2 sets of back-to-back road games, with 3 midweek matches. The easing of the fixture list, coupled with 4 out of their remaining 5 games to be played at home, now puts FC Ryukyu in a position to make a nice end of season run.
So will it be Dany or will it be Taguchi this game? Dany seems to have lost his spot to the reserve keeper the past four games for no apparent reason. If there was an injury to Dany, we would never know it, but Higuchi seems to favor the “hot hand” approach as of late. Despite the fact that Taguchi, like Dany the game prior to his demotion, surrendered 3 goals yet Higuchi has stuck with him. You have to believe Dany is the long term answer at GK for FC Ryukyu, so it is best we get him back in there before the season comes to a close.
It will be some combination of Suzuki, Yong Jick, and Okazaki at CB moving forward as Fukui has made way for Okazaki in the reserves. I do not believe Chinen is fit enough to return but Okazaki’s inclusion, along with that of Shinji Ono, Kazuki Yamaguchi, and now Takuya Hitomi, has meant that promising fullback, Makito Uehara’s development, has taken a back seat. This is unfortunate as Uehara needs more games to develop before being thrust into the lineup when relegation is a real possibility in 2021.
We may classify Tanaka and Numata as defenders in the 4-2-3-1 formation that Higuchi deploys, but in all reality, they are wing backs who are more involved in the attack than defense. It works really well when FC Ryukyu controls large swaths of the game, aided by talent we possess in the mid-field, but leaves us very vulnerable at the back when their is an ill-timed, poorly executed challenge from one of our central defenders.
Koizumi was simply unstoppable this past game but I fear the knock he took to his right foot may prevent him from featuring this round. He could be replaced by either Ikeda or Yamaguchi, who will likely be flanked by Koya and Kawai. Uesato and Koki Kazama should take up their normal starting positions at CDM.
It would be nice to see Abe return to the lineup, which would allow Ren Ikeda to drop back to the CAM role in the event Koizumi is out, but if Abe and Shinya Uehara are not match fit, than FC Ryukyu do have a few options. They could start Ren or Hitomi at FWD, and then make a switch to Yamaguchi or Ono later on. Everyone would like to see Shinji Ono score his first ever goal for FC Ryukyu, and this game presents one of the best, last, chances to do just that.
Zweigen Kanazawa: We’ve been on a poor run for most of the last two months, with some occasional flashes of good play.
In the attack, we don’t really have any big worries as indicated by our goal scoring record. Mutsuki Kato is edging towards the Zweigen single-season goal record of 16 – currently sitting on 13 – and Towa Yamane has been doing quite well up front after missing the first half of the season. Rodolfo and Taiki Watanabe have formed a nice combination down the left side of our attack as well.
Our problems are mainly at the back. We have a terrible goals against record, and we conceded 4 goals in a game 4 times in the month of November. Center Back, Ryoga Ishio, has played every minute of every game and taken several knocks to the head along the way. He clearly needs a rest, despite being a very good defender, because his form has dropped off compared to the high standards he set early in the season.
The manager, Masaaki Yanagishita, seems to be trying out different combinations and players in different positions with an eye on next season. He seems to have a prominent role in mind for midfielder Toshiya Motozuka.
The main player to watch tomorrow is Yota Shimokawa, who has been by far our best player this season. He can play left, or right, wing/back, and has even had a go in the central midfield spots. He is deadly accurately with either foot on crosses, and also leads the team in assists. If he’s in the lineup tomorrow, expect most of our attacks to funnel through him.
Even though we lost 4-3 to Tokushima this past match. Our comeback from down 0-3, to level at 3-3, versus arguably the best side in J2 right now, provides some hope that we maybe able to end this current slump, and finish the season on a high note.
Thanks again to our man over at @Kanazawadreamin for putting this Zweigen Kanazawa preview together for us on such short notice.
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 that it happens 1- Requires a Miracle for it to happen
1. Possess and Press: Likelihood 4. Kanazawa are hemorrhaging goals at the moment whereas FC Ryukyu are coming off one of their largest wins to date. If FC Ryukyu can play their preferred, possession based style of football, they should have ample opportunities to score on Wednesday. The slight worry is that FC Ryukyu will be without their top playmakers in Koizumi and Abe. But they still have enough firepower in Koya, Kawai and Tanaka to light up the scoreboard.
2. Get Koya Firing Again. Likelihood 4. The veteran was in fine form just a few matches ago, but the combination of some easy misses and bad luck may have caused a slight drop in confidence. It is just one of things that players go through from time to time, and Koya is in the midst of an unlucky stretch right now. He missed a chance to put FC Ryukyu up early last week before having another shot saved from point blank range. He has formed a nice partnership with Keita Tanaka this year, and it was working well the last time these two sides met, so hopefully Tanaka can spring Koya for a goal in order regain some of the confidence that was lost the past few weeks.
Match Prediction
@Kanazawadreamin outlined the fact that Zweigen conceded 4 goals inside of 4 games this month. Maybe FC Ryukyu don’t have all the pieces to make this a convincing victory on Wednesday, but I think they have enough to push the score line to 2-1 for the win.
Match Day 38 in J2
This pressure to close out the promotion race seems to be increasing each game. Match Day 38 presents the best, and possibly only, remaining chance for (2) Avispa Fukuoka and (3) V-Varen Nagasaki to make up some ground on leaders (1) Tokushima Vortis. Vortis host (4) Giravanz Kitakyushu in the premier matchup this round as both Fukuoka, traveling to (15) Fagiano Okayama, and Nagasaki, traveling to (10) Kyoto Sanga FC, have easier matchups on paper.
Nagasaki has the toughest remaining schedule of the top 3 as they will face Kyoto, Yamagata, Verdy, and Kofu before the final match day. Fukuoka has the easiest schedule of anyone and Vortis may have the league wrapped up by Match Day 40. While the final game looms large for both Avispa and Nagasaki, Vortis may rest some players ahead of their Emperor’s Cup match if they win the league, thus allowing Fukuoka a cake walk into the J1.
Conclusion
Just your typical, end of the year, teams at the bottom of the table, tilt tomorrow. Both sides have experienced their fair share of ups and downs this year while looking nearly equal on paper heading into this one. A slight advantage is afforded to FC Ryukyu as they are at home on the short week, but they could be devoid of much of their playmaking ability due to injury.
Still, being undefeated at home with 4 wins out of 5, and 10 goals scored compared to only 2 conceded in that time, it sure is good to be “home sweet home.”
Nothing to it, but to do it boys!
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