To Kokuritsu And Beyond

Sota: "Yeah, I probably won't even be playing."

All of our preseason friendlies have been played, we've looked for clues on how the combinations Mr. Popovic has experimented with will affect our formation and the way we'll set up, now its time to gaze into the crystal ball and have a go at predicting the FC Tokyo XIs for the Super Cup on Saturday and our A.C.L. debut, away to Brisbane, next Tuesday.

This is an exercise fraught with danger, and I'm bound to end up with egg on my face (I know, nothing new there), as no one knows the answers to two important questions:

• How much will the manager rotate the squad, especially in A.C.L. weeks?
• How much priority is he placing on the A.C.L.?

I'm guessing the answers are: Quite a bit; and, A fair amount, but not as much as our league campaign, of course. And its for insight like that, folks, that they pay me the big bucks.

XEROX SUPER CUP v Kashiwa: Saturday 1.35pm

Its our first appearance in the Super Cup, the glorified friendly that serves as the traditional J.League curtain-raiser in the mould of the Charity Community Shield in England, and I'm expecting a strong XI, most likely largely consisting of the players who won J2 and the Emperor's Cup for us in 2011.

Therefore I expect Kenta Mukuhara to start ahead of Kosuke Ota at left back, and either Tatsuya Yazawa or Naotake Hanyu to play on the left of midfield over Hiroki Kawano. One big change from last season looks likely to come in central midfield, with all of the preseason signs pointing to Aria Hasegawa getting the nod over Hideto Takahashi to start alongside Yohei Kajiyama.



Yeah, still blue & pink.
Nothing I can do about it...

The biggest change of all though of course is that we look certain to switch back to 4-4-2 after almost a full season of 4-5-1, which hurts Hanyu's prospects of regular games the most, as I'm not sure he's fit enough at this stage of his career to get up and down the wing for 60 minutes every week (before his early bath of course).

The possibility of switching back to five in midfield at times (away against the 'bigger teams'?) is still there, though Mr. Popovic strikes me as the sort of manager who will trust his players to do the business by taking the game to the opponent, not having his formation or lineup dictated to him by whoever we happen to be playing on the day.

All of the players appear fit and raring to go (with the exception of Takuji Yonemoto, who has had a couple of setbacks in the preseason), and the thing I'll be watching with most interest is how the three new combinations down our spine (Morishige/Kaga, Casual/Aria and Watanabe/Lucas) work together.

Countdown to Kokuritsu

Recent On the Gas:

The New Boys - Part 1 (on Kazuma Watanabe & Aria Hasegawa)

The New Boys - Part 2 (on Hiroki Kawano & Kosuke Ota)

With less than a week remaining until FC Tokyo kick off the new J.League season against Kashiwa in the Super Cup, lets have a look back at all the Gasmen goings-on in the past week or so. With our Miyazaki camp wrapping up last Friday and the club having played four friendlies in the last week, I'll also attempt to delve into the complicated mind of Mr. Popovic and look for clues as to how we'll line up at Kokuritsu on Saturday, and also in Brisbane three days later.

First to some bittersweet news...
Sayonara to The Salad

The club announced on Friday the 17th that Roberto Cesar was heading back to Brazil 'on loan' to play for Coritiba. The timing seemed a bit strange, as he had only recently arrived back in Japan and had taken full part in our preseason training, while Coritiba are second in the Campeonato Paranaense, having gone eleven games unbeaten to start the season.

Unfortunately we never saw him at his best, as the calf injury he picked up last August derailed his season just as he appeared to be coming into his own, but while we can't begrudge him wanting to leave/go home I wonder if he perhaps saw the writing on the wall that his first team opportunities might be limited again this season. Either that, or the manager didn't rate him and nudged him out the door.

All the best, Senor Salad.

Friendlies
With The Salad now out of the picture our striking puzzle is slightly less complicated, and his departure should provide a boost for Kentaro Shigematsu and Yohei Hayashi, who have now moved up a peg each in the pecking order and should be afforded more opportunities to at least make the bench on a regular basis.

FC Tokyo 2-2 Kawasaki (3x45 mins)
On February 19th we took on Kawasaki in Miyazaki in what shaped as a good barometer of our early progress under the new manager, and emerged with a share of the spoils with goals coming from Hiroki Kawano (23rd min) and Tatsuya Yazawa (59th).

Team News - We started with a very strong XI, and it looked almost like the one I'd take to Kokuritsu:

Shiota

Tokunaga Kaga Morishige Mukuhara

Kawano Hasegawa Kajiyama Ishikawa

Watanabe Lucas

The New Boys - Part 2

In Part 1 of this series on FC Tokyo's new signings, Brendan from the excellent Yokohama blog Tricolore Pride gave us his thoughts on Gasmen newcomers Kazuma Watanabe and Aria Jasuru Hasegawa.

Here in Part 2 we hear from Nick, the man behind the always insightful Tokyo Nerdy 1969, on Hiroki Kawano, and Barry from the superb S-Pulse UK Ultras blog on Kosuke Ota. I was expecting fireworks as the two players left in fairly acrimonious circumstances, and the guys didn't disappoint!

Hiroki Kawano - thanks Nick from Tokyo Nerdy 1969

How was his exit received by the supporters?

  I can`t speak for all but I am pissed off as the best player we have in the team has not only gone, but gone to the worst place possible from a Verdy point of view. He was always going to go it was just a matter of when. If Verdy had managed to get promoted in the either of the last two seasons he would more than likely still be in Green. FC Tokyo were allegedly interested in him along with Cerezo Osaka at the end of 2009 but he chose to re-sign with Verdy. Overall a disappointment to lose such an outstanding talent though looking from a neutral perspective, he would have been crazy to stay in the second division with the chance of J1 and Asian Champions League action on offer.

How important was Kawano to the setup of your team?
  Kawano played last season either as a straight right winger or as a deep sitting second striker. His importance to the side can be measured in that he would be the first player the passer would look to when breaking out of defence. He also picked up countless freekicks when being brought down by defenders unable to keep up or simply mistiming tackles. Kawano and probably Abe were the two most important players last term in terms of scoring and creating chances. Kawano offers the unpredictable.

What do you feel is his best position and where do you see him playing for us knowing what you do about our squad?
  He has played at times as full-on forward in a 4-4-2 or many times top of the diamond in a 4-5-1 with licence to roam. I would say he is most effective just behind the forwards or on the wings as his finishing is not top drawer (not terrible either but not as good as his other attributes). I don`t know that much about your lot but I`d be surprised if he was played as a finisher above a creator of chances. Just off the front two or either wing. He`s scored a couple of penalties for us too, not blasted but placed high in the corners.

How greatly (if at all) will he be missed at Verdy?
  Massively. The most skillful player in the side and the kind of player fans pay to watch. Another home grown Verdy talent gone.

Who do you have that could fill his position?
  Alex from Kustasu has been signed as his probable replacement. Kazunori Iio and Takuma Abe can also play in Kawano`s position.

Any general comments about Kawano and what we can expect from him at FC Tokyo?
  (He) has been known to be a touch petulant at times, giving away cynical fouls and collecting big numbers yellow card wise. I think you can expect excitement when he gets the ball though J1 will offer a sterner test than what he is used to. Hopefully FC Tokyo will get relegated and knocked out of the Champs League in the first round. Verdy get promotion and Kawano wonders what the hell he was thinking signing for such a shithouse team!!!!???

Kosuke Ota - thanks Barry from S-Pulse UK Ultras

How was his exit received by the supporters?

Badly. As you know, he was quoted as saying he'd not leave for another Japanese team, so as news filtered through that he was negotiating with Tokyo people really felt let down and cheated.

You were very vocal after his transfer was announced, do you feel he's moved to 'advance his career' or just to put himself in the shop window (the ACL) for an eventual move abroad?

The latter. FC Tokyo and S-Pulse are probably on par when it comes to league potential (I mean generally over the next few years). Tokyo are in the ACL, and that's the difference. No doubt he got a much better offer than the first FC Tokyo one (which he'd rejected with the infamous "S-Pulse or abroad" quote).

What do you see as his strengths as a player?
Crossing. Running at midfielders and defenders. Diving.

How important was he to the setup at Shimizu last season?
He was the regular left back. Had a good few assists from his running at defenders and crossing. Even scored a couple.

How greatly (if at all) will he be missed on the pitch?
His attacking play will be missed, but that said we've made a good replacement signing in...

Who do you have that could fill his position?
Yoshida. He'll probably be taking his position. We also have Jong a Pin who is also a left back by trade, although we've had him playing in midfield.

He has one cap for Japan (in 2010), do you feel he has the ability to become a regular in national team squads considering the fierce competition at fullback?
May take a couple of years, but he's got the potential. I guess that's another reason he wants bigger exposure than the J. League. He's still quite young mentally so a lot depends on how he can focus and really go for it.

Any general comments about the player?
He's a cock. Nah, he's allright. Just let down most of his former fans. They'll be no love lost when he comes back to Nihondaira.

And what we can expect from him at FC Tokyo?
He styles himself as a mood maker, and he's knows how to charm the crowd. I don't doubt he'll be a favourite at AjiSta, but don't get too connected. By the move's very essence he's clearly got FCT in mind as a stepping stone. He'll probably do OK though, and football is all about villains, so we've got ours this year when your lot come to town.

Thanks again to Nick and Barry for giving such candid responses on the two players I expect to become our regulars on the left hand side, Kawano on the wing and Ota at fullback. Both have already been heavily involved in the early preseason action, with Kawano scoring his first Gasmen goal in the first minute of our opening friendly against FC Ryukyu at our Okinawa camp, and Ota seemingly starting out behind Hokuto Nakamura in the battle for the left back spot, though I'm confident he'll win the job.

Just over two weeks remain until the Super Cup against Kashiwa, and the squad head to Miyazaki this afternoon for our second training camp, that runs for a week and will include friendlies against Kawasaki, FC Seoul and a yet to be confirmed opponent. As Barry said in signing off his email: the season can't start soon enough!

The New Boys - Part 1

With all of our offseason business apparently done (no fourth foreigner, right?) and preseason now in full swing, I decided to ask some of my fellow J.League bloggers about some high profile players who have left their former clubs to sign on at FC Tokyo.

Here in Part 1 you'll read some really interesting stuff from Brendan of the terrific Yokohama blog Tricolore Pride on Kazuma Watanabe and Aria Jasuru Hasegawa. It appears we've got two potentially excellent young players on our hands that Yokohama may end up regretting letting go of. My thanks go out to Brendan for giving such detailed answers on very short notice.

In Part 2 coming later this week we'll hear from Nick, the man behind the brilliant Verdy blog Tokyo Nerdy 1969 on Hiroki Kawano, and Barry from the excellent S-Pulse UK Ultras blog on Kosuke Ota, but for now lets get stuck in on Kazuma and Aria.

Kazuma Watanabe & Aria Jasuru Hasegawa

- thanks Brendan from Tricolore Pride

How were their exits received by the supporters/yourselves? Not that bothered to see them go or a bit frustrated at losing two young players?

  We could understand the letting go of Aria because we had plenty of potential players that can work his position but many of us were surprised to see that Watanabe was on the way out. Kazuma is a talented striker and certainly somebody we would want to keep but I guess the club decided that we need more experience over guts in front of goal. Frankly, I'm still puzzled by the decision.

How important were they to the setup last season?
  Not really to be honest. Kazuma was criminally underused/misused and Aria was playing an average of one game every 3 weeks so it's hard to say how important they were to our campaign last season to be honest...
 
Did Watanabe get too big for his boots after his strong debut season?
  No. I think the manager got too big for his! When you have somebody as capable as that in the squad, you'd be a fool to not make the most of such a player. Unfortunately though, Coach Kimura felt that Oguro was the man for our goals and so he pretty much indefinitely took Kazuma's position as the one-top/lone striker. Kazuma was underused and when he did play, he was tucked behind either Oguro or Ono.

Was the feeling that Aria was never going to make it as a regular in the XI or is the potential there?

  Aria could have made it! Aria is very much an unknown quantity which is obvious when opposing midfielders try to shut him down and have trouble doing so! He's a good, solid player but can be very unpredictable in terms of positioning on and off the ball. In fact, I had a real hard time figuring out whether I actually liked him or not! After time he grew on me though... He was definitely being primed for bigger things which is why many of us were confused that the club decided to sell him!

How greatly (if at all) will they be missed?

  Good question! Aria won't be missed too much due to our extensive midfield and defense but Kazuma may well be depending on whether Ono can step his game up this season or not!
 
Who do you have that could fill their positions?
  Aria could be easily covered by Kano or Moriya. As for Kazuma, well, strikers are few but everybody's hoping that Marquinhos can bring back the old magic!
 
How do you feel about Marquinhos at 35 replacing Watanabe?

  Personally quite happy. I was a big fan of his and was really gutted to see him leave us 8 years ago. Marqui has a lot of skill and knows the Japanese game inside out so I'm confident we won't regret him coming back.

Any general comments about the players?

  None other than we all wish them the best and hope that neither of them score against us this season!!

And what we can expect from them at FC Tokyo?
  You will have a good squad member and holding midfielder in Aria, and with Kazuma you'll enjoy watching a ballsy striker that isn't afraid to have a pop on goal whenever the opportunity arises. He has a natural nose for goal and will no doubt be causing us all a lot of bother in the area. The cheeky scamp!
 
Fantastic stuff and some very candid answers from Brendan there. As the preseason continues it will be very interesting to see how both Watanabe and Aria work their way into Ranko Popovic's system. We are spoilt for choice both up front and in central midfield, but I'm sure both players will get their opportunities considering our cluttered fixture list.

Part 2 on Kawano and Ota will be posted later in the week. Stay tuned!

FC Tokyo Update: A Month To Go!

With today marking a month until FC Tokyo's first game of the 2012 season, the Xerox Super Cup against Kashiwa, now seems like a good time to post on the goings on at the club in recent weeks.

New Manager, New Players

I hadn't written about it on the blog, but the club named Ranko Popovic our new manager right after the Emperor's Cup final win, and the Serbian arrives after one season with Machida, during which he guided the west Tokyo club to third in the JFL, and into J2 in 2012. Before taking charge of Zelvia he spent half a season with Oita (2009), but as they were already in a massive hole when he took charge he was unable to save them from relegation, despite a ten game unbeaten run at the end of the season.

Popovic has said all the right things so far, the supporters seem to have warmed to him, and everything I've seen from Kodaira suggests the players have too, so after getting everyone on side so quickly, the biggest task he faces in the next month is figuring out what formation and personnel he wants to take into the first week of the season when we face some big early tests - Kashiwa in the Super Cup, Brisbane away in the Champions League and Omiya away in J1 Matchday 1.

L-R: Dorompa, Kaga, Ota, Hasegawa, Watanabe, Popovic,
Maruyama, Kawano, Hayashi, Hashimoto

I wrote about the arrivals of Kosuke Ota and Hiroki Kawano last month, and all of the new players were unveiled at the season-opening ceremony held last Saturday night. After the first official training session of the year a few hundred supporters packed out the venue in Kodaira, where the manager spoke of his ambition for the club and the new players were introduced to rapturous receptions.