Tag: Cristiano

“Burn it all down, then build it back up” Match Day 26 Report: Kashiwa Reysol 5-1 FC Ryukyu 8/4/2019

Intro

FC Ryukyu hit rock bottom on Sunday night when they were rocked 5-1 by J2 League leaders, Kashiwa Reysol, at the Sankyo Frontier Stadium. FC Ryukyu have now lost 5 in a row and 8 out of their last 9 matches in all competitions. The recent run of form continues to pile the pressure on this team and it’s manager and one has to ask,”have we finally reached the point where changes to personnel and the system are required?” I for one, would answer yes. There is a need to change the formation, change the players in that formation and change the manager to generate some sort of positive momentum and energy before this club finds itself at the foot of the table.

Match Recap

FC Ryukyu started out strongly in this match and there were was a brief moment when I felt that something might break FCR’s way and we could sneak outta there with a nice result. It was a fleeting thought since the Yu goal was overturned for off-sides and Koji Suzuki’s 15th goal this season was all but wiped out in a matter of minutes.

It only took Reysol 8 minutes after the opening Koji goal to equalize and then only 3 more additional minutes to take the 2-1 lead for which FC Ryukyu never recovered. There may have been some confusion between Dany and his defenders on the first goal but the second was a perfect example of excellent preparation on the training ground paying dividends during a match.

If anyone has studied tape of FC Ryukyu they would notice that we surrender a lot of goals during the ensuing chaos following the stop/semi clearance of the original shot/cross from a set piece. Cristiano made a run up that simulated he would take a shot but instead passed it length wise across the top of the box. The FC Ryukyu defenders immediately came out to close down the Reysol player but in doing so left several Reysol players wide open and on-sides inside the box. All it took was a quick pass to one of them who turned and shot from point blank range right past the diving Dany Carvajal.

FC Ryukyu were then ripped open at the back for the next 2 Reysol goals in the second half from a nice run by Olunga and deft little flick by Cristiano where Fukui may have accidentally played him on sides. It was yet another case of 2 quick goals in short succession by Reysol separated by only 4 minutes. FC Ryukyu’s best chance the remainder of the game came in the 74th minute when Nishioka had a wide open shot on net that he ended up sending into the side netting. To add insult to injury, or showing the ultimate respect by not letting up all match, Reysol added a 5th goal in the 90th minute when a diving Dany got down to hard shot but couldn’t parry it away from danger and it ended up in the bottom corner.

Man of the Match

#9 FW Cristiano.

Cristiano played a part in 3 of Reysol’s goals on Sunday evening. He initiated the opening goal from his throw in that caused the confusion in the Ryukyu defense, he was part of the previously mentioned set piece that pushed the score line to 2-1 and added a goal of his own to make it 3-1. The man was on fire on Sunday.

Review of FC Ryukyu Keys to Victory

There were none in the preview so none therefore there are none to review. I predicted a 4-0 win for Reysol and I got the margin of victory correct.

Match Day 26 Takeaways

Higuchi tried to spark something, I guess, with his lineup choices of Komatsu, Song Sun and Fukui in place of Kazama, Tanaka and Masutani. Before we proceed further I have no idea what happened to Masutani or Kawai to know if they’re dealing with injuries or Higuchi has lost faith in them. Komatsu looked fine, Fukui was his normal self and Song Sun was largely invisible for most of the match.

When you’ve lost 8 of 9 and 5 in a row everything is magnified and criticized. Turnovers, poor passing/crosses, organization and game plan all played their part on Sunday night. For the year, FC Ryukyu have scored 2 goals from free kicks and only 4 from crosses by our Full Backs; 2 from Tokuomoto, 1 from Nishioka and 1 from Fukui. Why employ a 4-2-3-1? Our FBs are not providing the quality of service that Highuchi seems to feel is the remedy to the FC Ryukyu attacking woes. Instead, play a 3-4-3 and get the firepower out there and reduce the weak links one by one and generate some offense.

I will say that Tokumoto looked great in his first game back and was causing a lot of trouble out there but FCR put a lot of their attacking down the right side (something like 62% down the right compared to a 38% split between the middle and left side?).

In the days leading up to the Reysol match, and then early this week, it was announced that FC Ryukyu have signed 3 players. 2 on loan and 1 permanent signing. All 3 are attacking players, one is a young untested Brazilian with some knee problems, a 40 year old icon of the game and creative MF from FC Gifu who happens to be the younger brother of Kazama. While I’ll save my comments for the end of the transfer window, and reserve judgement for the end of the season, I think FC Ryukyu missed the mark with the signings.

First, two are loans and will/could possibly leave in January and one of them cannot play against their parent club, FC Gifu, which is a must win game for FCR. Second, I hope the player that is older than me can offer something besides a Public Relations move by the club. We need goals, creativity and maturity out there and if this pays off then maybe signing this player indicates a possible move to a player/manager role for FCR, which seems to be on the risethese days, ans is a way that also pushes Highuchi out this season.

Third, there is roughly 1 week remaining in this transfer window and FCR have yet to sign a defensive player. While it is true the attacking had dropped off after the Nakagawa departure, it was coming back but has since stalled. Offense was never really the issue for FCR, it was defense, and stopping the bleeding at the back.

Finally, I hope the FC Ryukyu faithful do not place all their hopes at staving off relegation on the shoulders of the newly acquired players. It is not fair to them and they are not miracle workers. They will all need time to adjust to the club, players and Okinawa before being integrated into the lineup and making any notable contributions.

Unfortunately, FC Ryukyu do not have the luxury of time. We have 4 home games between Nagasaki, Yokohama and then the 2 big “must wins” of FC Gifu and Kagoshima in a row in the coming 5 weeks. FC Gifu and Kagoshima are playing much better than the last time FCR played them, and they both beat us last time.

It should also be noted that Dany signed an extension through (to?) 2021 and that has been the best news this transfer window.

Looking Ahead

Nagasaki comes to town this Saturday and is largely being overlooked by most FCR fans as they anticipate the arrival of Ono from Sapporo the following week. The bottom line is FC Ryukyu need points, by hook or by crook, and it doesn’t really matter how they acquire them anymore.

Match Day 8 Preview: FCR vs Kashiwa Reysol

Match Day Info: 04/07/2019 (H) FCR vs Kashiwa Reysol (A) at the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium (Comprehensive Park) Kickoff at 1600.

Weather Forecast: Excellent! Temperatures will be in the high 70s (25C) at kickoff and pretty much remain constant throughout the entire match. It is expected to be slightly overcast with a 5mph wind. If you are sitting in Section A, I strongly encourage bringing a hat and or sunglasses for when the sun breaks through the clouds as you’ll be looking directly into the sun.

Match Day 8 sees former J1 club, Kashiwa Reysol, make their first ever visit to the Tapic Kenso Hiyagon Stadium. Match Day 8 is a culmination of 3 games in 8 days for both sides with each club entering the match from different perspectives. FCR lost its mid-week tilt against JEF United Chiba 1-0 while Kashiwa easily brushed aside V. Varen Nagasaki 3-0. This match will feature the #3 & #4 teams in J2 and was one I earmarked as a potential “thigh rubber” a few weeks back. This should be a very enjoyable match to watch so I hope to see a lot of people out there as I expect the Reysol fans to show in large numbers today.

Kashiwa Reysol: 3rd in J2 with 15 points. 5W0D2L. Current Form WWLLW. Typical Formation 4-2-3-1.

Kashiwa required late goals against both Nigata and Kyoto to secure victory and they didn’t look particularly threatening in either case. Their loss to Okayama the following week at home could’ve turned out markedly different if any of the 3 shots that rattled the posts or crossbar had gone in, but ultimately, they allowed Okayama to hang around and push a late goal past them.

#26 Olunga for Reysol made his return to the lineup against Tokyo Verdy, a team which lost in the promotion/relegation playoffs last season to Jubilo Iwata. Verdy came out on the front foot and shell-shocked Reysol with 2 quick goals that were only 2 minutes apart in the first half. Reysol created a few more chances that match but they were not able to recover from the quick Verdy start or put one past the Verdy Keeper near the end of the game.

Against V.Varen Nagasaki, the other J1 cub that was relegated to J2 from last season, they looked much more lethal. The score line ended 3-0 in favor of Reysol but it could have ended much worse for Nagasaki as there was an offside goal called back for Reysol as well as several near misses that could’ve seen a score line closer to 6-0.

Players to Watch: #9 Cristiano FW. I can recall the first time I saw Reysol playing while living here in Japan was an Asian Champions League match back in 2015. Cristiano featured on that squad and ultimately that side made it to the quarterfinal of the ACL. My how the mighty have fallen and Reysol’s tumble out of the J1 should probably serve as a cautionary tale for many J League organizations. But back to Cristiano, he is the key play maker on Reysol. He is able to take part in both the build up of plays as well as finish plays off by putting well aimed shots on net. FCR would do well to know where he is at during all times.

#26 Olunga FW. He is a very tall, very powerful striker that will cause problems all day for FCR. As we’ve seen against other powerful strikers this season, think Baiano from Yamagata, FCR has a tough time dealing with their speed and power. I hope Okazaki and whoever else is at CB for FCR are well rested as this will certainly be a test. Olunga is 6’3” (1.90m) and he can rise really well for headers on set pieces so this will also challenge the FCR defense. Granted, his brace against Nagasaki saw some woeful defending by the guests and Olunga was able to freely roam the box and was unmarked on his headed goal.

#18 Yusuke Segawa MF. Segawa makes very nice runs in and around the 18-yard box and is an excellent complimentary piece to the aforementioned attackers for Reysol. He is powerful in his own right and will test both Tokumoto and Nishioka down the flanks all game. He has one goal on the season but has registered 24 shots in all competitions.

FCR: 4th in J2 with 14 points. 4W2D1L. Current Form WWDDL. Typical Formation 4-2-3-1.

FCR is coming off their first loss this season after their mid-week match against JEF. The game featured several changes to the FCR lineup with the notable switch to RB for Masutani. FCR was unlucky to convert some of the chances they had for a goal but it was an encouraging performance by the boys on the road.

Considering this is the 3rd game in 8 days for FCR there may be some lineup changes for this match as well. Uesato didn’t feature this past game and I hope it wasn’t due to injury. We will absolutely need him out there today to command the midfield for FCR. Tomidokoro and Uejo came off early against JEF so I fully expect to see them in the starting lineup today. I do not know if we will see both Suzuki and Tanaka start as they both played the full 90 minutes on Wednesday.

Keys to FCR Victory: 1.) Shock and Awe approach. If FCR can get out to an early lead it maybe all they need against Reysol. All of Reysol games this season have featured them either winning by shutting out their opponent or losing by failing to score. There is one exception but I am not counting the Levain Cup matches. In games that Reysol lost, they were unable to unlock the opponents defense and lacked a bit of creativity. An early lead could prove massive for FCR.

2.) FCR must play within themselves. If they are facing a deficit, FCR needs to approach the match in similar fashion to JEF. Reysol is not the best defending team, as some of their score-lines would suggest, and opponents have been able to get in behind the back line and create problems for Reysol. Depending on the FCR injures and lineup, Kawai’s speed down the flanks could prove troubling for Reysol and it will be interesting to see how we employ him this match.

3.) Full team effort on defense. Reysol has some serious firepower in Olunga, Cristiano and Segawa and while it is impossible to cover all 3 at any one moment, FCR would do well to have their MFs drop back in support of the Left and Right defensive backs. Tokumoto and Nishioka will be tested and we can certainly assume that Okazaki and either Fukui or Masutani will be dealing with Olunga which leaves Cristanio open as the CAM. Strong defensive play through the middle of the pitch will be key for FCR and we will need to limit the number of crosses into the box as Olunga’s height may prove too much for our CBs.

Game Prediction: Unlike some of Reysol’s previous matches in J2, I don’t believe this one will be a shutout and I see both teams scoring on the day. FCR may get lucky and see Reysol rest some of their notable players due to an approaching mid-week fixture in the Levain Cup but we will have to wait and see. Reysol has played two more games than FCR this season with the Levain competition and the only other time Reysol made wholesale changes to their lineup was the first round of the Levain competition back in early March. Personally, I’d love to see a player like Cristiano, who has featured in every minute of Reysol’s past few matches, take a rest today but again, we’ll have to wait and see.

I hope that the FCR faithful and Okinawa community show up in full force for this match as I fully expect the Reysol fans to turn up in large numbers. This will make for a great footballing atmosphere and exciting match. See you all out there!