Intro
Albirex Niigata came from behind to defeat FC Ryukyu 2-1 to regain the pole position in J2. Ryukyu started the fireworks in the first half with a very nice goal from Ren Ikeda following a Keita Tanaka cross just behind the Niigata defense. Unfortunately, Ryukyu were only able to maintain that lead for sixty seconds before Takagi’s equalizer put Niigata level. Without the services of one of their better defenders, Okazaki, Ryukyu conceded an ‘ugly goal’ halfway through the second half and were unable to find an equalizer of their own. This was Ryukyu’s second loss in a row, the first time this has occurred for Ryukyu this season, whereas Niigata were able to arrest their two game slide and grab an important victory in the race for promotion.
- Match Highlights
- Man of the Match
- Review of the Keys to Victory
- Prediction
- Talking Points
- Round 16 in J2
- Conclusion
1. Match Highlights
2. Man of the Match
Albirex Niigata CAM Yoshiaki Takagi: Scored the opening goal for Niigata on a really nice one-time touch inside the Ryukyu 18-yard box and was involved in the set up play for the second Niigata goal.
3. Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu
1. The offense must carry the day. Likelihood 2. FC Ryukyu started out strong by grabbing the early lead but they couldn’t sustain the lead as the offense tapered off when they needed it the most.
2. Win the battle of set pieces. Likelihood 2. This one is a push for me as though Ryukyu didn’t concede, they didn’t score either. Uesato came close to equalizing in the second half but Niigata’s goal keeper made a fine save to keep their lead intact.
3. Exploit Niigata’s turnovers. Likelihood 3. I didn’t see many turnovers from Niigata yesterday so credit to them for cleaning this up in the week leading up to this match.
4. Prediction
I thought Niigata would take this 2-0 but Ryukyu bagged the opener so I’ll award myself a draw for predicting the winning sides goal tally. Season Record 6-4-6.
5. Talking Points from Round 16
1. Ryukyu did not play poorly; they just fell victim to Niigata’s ability to see out tough games for wins. Neither side was that explosive yesterday with a majority of the top passing players being of the defensive or central defensive midfielder types. There were long stretches of the game where there was little to no action with both sides seemingly not wanting to lose this match. Ryukyu out shot Niigata in the second half but the only serious threat on net was the Uesato free kick when Ryukyu could only manage one corner kick in the final 45’ minutes. Ryukyu also did well to limit the impact of both Shion Homma and Koji Suzuki but in the end, like they’ve done so many times this year, Niigata found a way to win.
2. A couple of cases of being caught flat-footed. On Niigata’s opening goal Chinen was caught leaning in the wrong direction on the cross into the box and was unable to recover in time to completely close down the Niigata attacker. Though it appeared that Taguchi would have enough time to get to the shot, he was also leaning the opposite direction before his jump across the mouth of goal to block the shot went past his outstretched arms. Some of us here felt this was a ball that Taguchi should have got to, and one in which Taguchi addressed with his post match comments stating that it wasn’t as simple as it may have looked on film, but instead it was one of those plays where Ryukyu had the wind taken out of their sails after surrendering the equalizer so quickly.
3. The second Niigata goal was just hard to watch. No less than 4 Ryukyu players had a shot at clearing the spilled ball that made its way through our central defense. The initial deflection off of Numata set Niigata up but neither Chinen, Yong Jick nor Koki Kazama could get enough on the clearance, thus leaving Taguchi in a so called ‘no man’s land’ where he couldn’t come out to collect the ball with another Niigata attacker lurking in the area.
4. We couldn’t get Abe firing. Abe made his return to the lineup after a few weeks off and the team looked much better as a result. We knew it was unlikely for Abe to play a full 90’ minutes after returning from injury and it was his departure after 60’ minutes that signaled the steep drop off in Ryukyu’s offense for the remainder of the match. Glad he is back as Ryukyu desperately need him up top next month.
5. The looks of frustration and bewilderment among the Ryukyu players following the match is a telling sign that something’s not right. Koya Kazama took this loss particularly hard as he was visibly frustrated by the result. Then there was the dismayed look on Chinen’s face which seemed to me as someone who couldn’t understand how things turned out the way they did despite their best efforts. I am not sure how Ryukyu prep for games, or make in game adjustments, but these boys need some confidence boosting results next month before doubt and frustration take hold.
6. Ryukyu’s injury crisis. We can now add Okazaki to a growing list of Ryukyu players who are either out injured or are in the midst of their recovery. We will be without Okazaki until late July which means we won’t see him again until after the Olympic break. Abe returned but we never heard what was affecting him the past two weeks. There has been no sign, and no word, on the status of Akamine though Ryukyu are likely to see the return of Makito Uehara to training next week, and Dany Carvajal a few weeks after that. Ryukyu have 4 healthy central defenders on the roster with Chinen, Yong Jick, Fukui and yet to make an appearance Yusuke Murase. Another injury to this position will seriously derail any push for promotion.
7. It is not all bad. As mentioned earlier in this section, Ryukyu looked better this week than they did against Yamagata and finally scored at the Big Swan stadium. Abe’s return will boost this club as was evident by the Ren Ikeda goal, his first goal since Abe’s departure/return. Though the loss has consigned Ryukyu to sole possession of third place, they are only 3 points back from the leaders. If Ryukyu can maintain, or close, that gap by the halfway point of the season, they have a punchers chance at seeing it through.
6. Round 16 in J2
Kyoto Sanga’s 0-0 draw with Ventforet Kofu following Albirex Niigata’s win over FC Ryukyu means both sides are level on points with Niigata resuming the top slot based on goal difference. The Kyoto pitch looked awful following an Olympic torch relay there, but I am not sure how much that had to do with the performance from either side. A couple of upsets by Fagiano Okayama and Giravanz Kitakyushu pushed them up the table and in the case of Giravanz, out of the relegation zone. Omiya Ardija and SC Sagamihara are firmly entrenched at the bottom with SC Sagamihara parting ways with their manager following their loss. Jubilo Iwata’s 1-0 win over Zweigen Kanazawa puts them within 1-point of FC Ryukyu and within striking distance of the leaders.
7. Conclusion
Ryukyu ended the month of May 2-2-2 with 8 points earned from a possible 18. The wobble this month coincided with several injuries to the side that saw Abe, and now Okazaki, miss time in crucial match ups. Ryukyu managed a single point against the top two sides this month with Kyoto Sanga finishing with 4 points and Niigata with 3. This was the first time all year that Niigata earned a single point off a top six side and sets them up for a nice month of June. Neither of the top 3 teams have a particularly brutal schedule next month but Ryukyu face the daunting task of traveling to Akita and then Matsumoto in the midweek for their next two rounds. For now, Ryukyu must head back to the training ground and find a way to restore the type of football they were playing at the start of the season or risk find tumbling out of the race for promotion altogether.
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