Intro
FC Ryukyu suffered their second defeat in a row, and their fourth in their past 5 games, but it still left them 14th in the table. Getting any sort of positive result against Mito was always going to be a tall ask of the traveling FC Ryukyu side but was made even more difficult when FC Ryukyu were forced to make a drastic change at GK. One must assume that an injury/illness to the incumbent, Carvajal, kept him off the roster in addition to Ishii being unable to play against his parent club who loaned him to FC Ryukyu this season. That meant that 3rd choice keeper, Inose Kosuke, would get the start for FC Ryukyu.
First Half
Despite the weather report from Saturday, the rain held off and it was a crisp evening in Mito. Mito wasted no time getting in behind our central defenders and tested Inose early in the 2nd minute but Inose made a fine save from the well taken shot. Mito continued their fast start when in the 4th minute a FK required Inose to be called into action once more. FCR had a chance early as well when Kazama found himself with acres of space to operate, along with several FCR attackers in the area, but he opted to shoot and sent the ball wide of the mark. FCR looked good in the attack but it was ultimately Mito would get on the score sheet first when a header from a cross was deflected into the back of the net. There wasn’t much Inose could do from the lucky deflection but nonetheless, FCR were down early on the road to a superior opponent.
Mito doubled their lead from another header later in the
first half. On the play, there seemed to be a little confusion between the FCR
defenders as there was a large gap that Shichi Takaaki was able to exploit and
hammer home the second goal of the night. FCR had a chance to get one score
back when a turnover by Mito saw Ochi with a free run and look on net. However,
Ochi’s shot from the top of the box was right at the keeper at a decent height
that made for an easy save. He had the whole goal to work with and he could have
gone low and hard to the opposite side or top shelf that probably would’ve
resulted in a score. Regardless, FCR went into half time down 2-0 and it looked
very worrying for the guests despite there incredible 61/39% possession over Mito.
Second Half
Higuchi made an immediate change when he brought Uejo on in
place of Ochi to start the second half. Uejo’s presence made an immediate
impact for FC Ryukyu as he was using his speed to get on to the end of long
passes and was making some very dangerous runs at the Mito net. FC Ryukyu
grabbed a goal in the 56th minute from a very nice header from
Masutani on a corner kick but it turned out to be the only score of the game
for FCR. The game had a frantic pace after the Masutani goal and turned into a
dangerous game of chicken between the teams to see who would blink first. Ultimately
it was FCR as they allowed Mito to score off a turnover where Ogawa Koki
chested the ball down nicely and then calmly blasted it past Inose for a 3-1 Mito
advantage.
FCR would have a few more chances from FKs but nothing close to the opportunities they enjoyed in the first half. FC Ryukyu ended the match with 61% possession but was out shot 16/11 where Mito put 11 of those shots on net compared to the FCR 7. It was a day marked by turnovers and mental errors.
Man of the Match
DF #7 SHICHI Takaaki Mito Hollyhock. Played a solid game
from his FB position. Directly contributed to 2 of Mito’s goals when it was his
header that was redirected by Kurokawa for the first Mito score and his header
for the second. Exploited the FC Ryukyu defenders on set pieces in the box and
offered up some fine efforts on FKs and in defense.
Review of the Keys to Victory for FC Ryukyu.
There was only one and it was for everyone to win their
individual battles. Some did, some did not. This is a team sport and the team did
not get the job done on Sunday. FAIL.
Match Day 23 Takeaways
1. I have never played football at a high level. I played
baseball through college and have watched multiple sports all my life.
Therefore, while I cannot accurately define the tactics and individual assignments
of players in every match, I can determine when there are mental errors and
sloppy play. In my experience, these items are directly associated with
coaching. For example, I counted 20 FC Ryukyu turnovers and 16 incidents of mental
errors during Sunday’s match. I did not count plays where FCR players were
attempting to get a pass through to an attacker in the opponent’s end.
Turnovers were scored as: heavy first touches that got away from an FC Ryukyu player,
not knowing where the opposing teams’ defenders/players where when in
possession and then being dispossessed, passes directly at opposing players
with no FC Ryukyu player within 3 meters of where the ball ended up, and
needlessly kicking the ball out of bounds. Mental errors were categorized as: failing
to recognize, and then pass to, open FCR attackers near the opponents 18-yard
box, wasteful FK opportunities, failing to kick the ball out of bounds to
prevent an attack by opting to pass/round the Mito player which resulted in a turnover
or CK, and finally, losing control of the ball while in possession from either
a lack of hubris or heavy touch. None of these things are irreversible, in
fact, all can be coached, reinforced and practiced over and over again so as to
be reduced in a given match. Turnovers and the occasional mental mistake are
always going to happen in any match, I am merely advocating a reduction in the
overall number through coaching and mentoring.
2. There were some interesting managerial decisions this
past weekend that I believe deserve a deeper look. First, FC Ryukyu were forced
into some lineup changes due to injuries and loan regulations but that isn’t
the real story. I do not speak Japanese and I am not a member of the team to
know why Higuchi opts to bring Uejo off the bench every match instead of
starting the talented youngster, but his impact is undeniable. His presence
opened the match up for FC Ryukyu that ultimately allowed Masutani to score
from a set piece. Unless there is some evidence to suggest Uejo cannot sustain
a full 90 minutes, I have no idea why the second leading scorer on our team
sees limited action each week. Second, FCR had plenty of opportunities to do
something from set pieces yet nothing materialized. Yu is probably the best FK
taker in the squad yet he has been afforded limited opportunities on set pieces.
Not much more to add here. Finally, why did Higuchi wait until the 1st
minute of stoppage time to make the 3rd and final sub for FC Ryukyu
despite being down by 2 goals with a little over a quarter of the match to
play? This one baffled me since he should’ve subbed on fresh legs to run at the
tired Mito defenders and allow the new player time to adjust to the game and possibly
make a play or two. Instead, I think Kim Song Sun touched the ball once, maybe
twice, in the limited action of stoppage time. This seemed like a useless
gesture to get a player some game time despite having another talented player
in Koizumi on the bench.
3. Higuchi’s managerial style. It seems that opponents are
able to make in-game adjustments that Higuchi cannot either see or respond too
quickly enough and therefore but this side at a disadvantage. FC Ryukyu have
talented players, but are we getting the most out of them? Are we executing the
same game plan every week when it is necessary to adjust, and tailor, the
lineup and tactics? The most talented players for FC Ryukyu are up front and they
are the ones that need to be taking the high priority shots each week. Are we
doing enough to set them up for success?
4. Confidence. No doubt that the boys needs a confidence
boosting result, and they need it quickly. A positive result (win) against
Niigata next week would go a long way to boosting this sides confidence.
Hopefully, we’ll see Nishioka, Kawai, Yu and Uejo taking on the Niigata
defenders in and around the box and playing like they did some weeks ago.
Conclusion
FC Ryukyu are nearing a point where they will have no other
choice but to change or risk falling into a relegation battle and possibly out
of the J2. FC Ryukyu currently sit 8 points clear of the relegation zone but
that is only a matter of 3 results not going their way. Consider that FC Ryukyu
have conceded 20 goals in their past 8 matches and are averaging nearly 3.00
goals conceded each week over their past 5 games. Change could occur in many
forms; change in tactics, change in personnel selected for the starting 11, change
with some transfers into the club or a managerial change. FC Ryukyu haven’t won on the road since Omiya,
106 days ago, so why not play as if you have nothing to lose next week versus
Niigata. We’ve seen how Kagoshima, FC Gifu, Renofa, and JEF Chiba did when they
employed those tactics against FCR.
ryukyuarmy.com 