Intro
Ryukyu were forced once more to play in some rather poor conditions, but it wasn’t rain that they were fighting this time, it was some strong wind. Both teams struggled with possession and chances yesterday as they tried to navigate the high winds from both ends of the pitch. However, it was Ryukyu who came out on top when they used the shifting winds to their advantage in the second half. Ryukyu have now opened the season with 3 wins in a row, and sit near the top of the J2 table for the first time since the start of 2019.
- Match Highlights
- Man of the Match
- Reviewing the Keys to Victory
- Talking Points
- Prediction
- Match Day 3 in J2
- Conclusion
1. Match Highlights
2. Man of the Match
Takuma Abe FWD FC Ryukyu: Abe scored his second goal in as many games and was the catalyst behind the second Ryukyu goal on Sunday. Abe was quiet in the first half while the Ryukyu attack was struggling for possession but asserted himself on his goal when he out hustled the Gunma defender to get to the loose ball and struck the ball on a bounce with his left foot. It was a great effort to get into a position to score and provide the spark that led to the FC Ryukyu breakthrough. He almost added a second from what would have been a spectacular goal when he changed directions mid air to get to a header that clanked off the post, but luckily fell right to the streaking Akamine who slotted home FC Ryukyu’s second goal.
3. Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu
1. Start Fast, Finish Stronger. Likelihood 3. FC Ryukyu had to battle some poor wind conditions early on and were unable to get anything going in the first half. However, they did finish strong with 2 second half goals, also the first time they’ve scored in the second half of any game this season, to see out the win.
2. The unsung hero. Likelihood 4. Nope, but that is OK. It was our talisman and one of our best, Abe, who propelled this side to a victory.
4. Talking Points from Match Day 3
1. The wind was a major factor yesterday. Neither team really knew how to play under those conditions, either playing into or against the wind, which severely impacted both sides ability to generate or sustain any possession and attacks. Ryukyu made the right choice to play “with” the wind in the second half, though according to Higuchi, Gunma made it quite difficult on Ryukyu with their pressing play as Ryukyu couldn’t utilize the long ball in the prevailing winds to break that press.
You also saw the hesitation on the part of the goal keepers when balls were sent into the box. They were unable to fully commit to balls in the air, and there were plenty of examples where the flight path of the ball changed direction at the last second. Gunma nearly scored when a shot, that may have been sent high and wide under normal conditions, ended up becoming a very dangerous cross that Taguchi was able to get to the back post to stop. Abe’s goal can also be attributed to the wind as the Gunma keeper hesitated to come out, got a slight touch to the ball, but all that did was drop the ball into a dangerous area for Abe to pounce on. Granted, the darting runs into the box by both Ikeda and Kiyoatake probably kept the keeper back slightly, as well as disrupted his movement when he did decide to come off his line.
It was one of those games where Ryukyu came out on top of the first half by not conceding a goal and then played well enough through the elements in the second half to grab the win.
2. A change to the lineup. Yu Tomidokoro made his debut at CM in place of Koki Kazama, but he was replaced at half time by Koki. Not sure what to make of the move, and it was a difficult opening half for Ryukyu so we couldn’t really see anything from Yu. Assuming that Higuchi is looking at things from the perspective of, “if isn’t broke, don’t fix it,” then we should not expect any real changes to the starting 11 or reserves on Saturday.
5. Prediction
I predicted a 2-1 win for Ryukyu, and it it could have been had Gunma not hit the post in the first half. Still, a win nonetheless. Season Record 2-0-1.
6. Match Day 3 in J2
Niigata and Ryukyu remain unbeaten and atop of the J2 table for another week. Iwata grabbed their first win of 2021, Omiya and Kyoto was called off after some heavy rains (rescheduled for the 24th of March), and there were some surprising results from the newly promoted sides as well as Ehime FC against V-Varen Nagasaki. I think most of us expected the Yamagata and Yamaga, Verdy and Zelvia, matches to end in draws.
7. Conclusion
Job done, 9 points from 9 and now it is time to turn our attention to V-Varen Nagasaki this week. The fast start by Ryukyu mean they enjoy a nice 7-9 point cushion over the bottom four sides in the league. But anything could happen over the course of the next few weeks to shrink that total. Still, it is better to be in this position with these points compared to some of our opponents at the bottom.
FC Ryukyu didn’t win their third game last season until Match Day 12, and they never had a winning streak greater than 2 games in a row that year. You would have to go back to the start of the 2019 campaign to find a winning streak of greater than 3 games, and we all remember how FC Ryukyu started out with 4 wins from 4, followed by 2 draws, which also provided a nice buffer from relegation that year. I think we can also recall how we couldn’t buy a win on the road until the final month and half of that season, as well as the mid-season collapse that seems to be coming a regular occasion for Ryukyu.
Right now, all of us Ryukyu fans need to be enjoying the moment for what it is, a string of great results based mainly on good defense, goal keeping, and a bit of luck. That is not meant to take anything away from what the side has achieved, but we are not even at the quarter mark of the season and shouldn’t be focusing on anything other than survival at this point. But man it has been great and I hope the streak can continue on Saturday as well as through the following weeks.
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