So Omiya Ardija have done it again. With one game to go in the J1 league for season 2012, away to Shimizu S-Pulse, Omiya have already guaranteed their status in J1 for next year. A 2-0 win over Jubilo Iwata, care of a superb strike from Kanazawa and a second goal neatly finished by Watanabe after good work from Zlatan in the 5.30pm kick off on Saturday November 24th was enough to keep Ardija out of the drama of the last day of the season relegation dogfight tomorrow.
Who could blame the Squirrels if they decided to put their feet up during the last game of the season at the Outsourcing stadium tomorrow. After all, for much of the season the Squirrels seemed favourite to go down. Unable to score, with a porous defence, and a hapless coach in Jun Suzuki, the future for Ardija seemed to have J2 written all over it. Instead a lot of hard work from new coach Verdenik, his staff, 3 astute purchases which at the time, like the choice of new coach, seemed rather less than inspiring, and commitment from all the players to Verdenik's system have produced such a great outcome for the Omiya fans.
Every holiday season that hoary old classic film, The Great Escape is rolled out across the TV screens in the UK for the viewing public's enjoyment. Without fail. And each time I watch it, Steve McQueen fails to jump the barbed wire on his bike, and only 2 prisoners of war make it to safety.
Likewise season after season in Japan it seems that Omiya Ardija's name and The Great Escape are inextricably linked together.
Yet this time the word "Great" should be the focus for how we played our way out of trouble, not merely the fact of another "Escape." This wasn't a last ditch, backs to the wall effort to get us the points we needed for safety. Similarly it wasn't a hoof it clear, bang it up front and hope we score type of performance either.
This victory, and the one the week before at Cerezo were well constructed performances. Komoto has made a huge impact in defence, playing well with Kikuchi and giving the back line a confidence that was previously missing. Up front, the foreign imports from Slovenia, Zlatan and Novakovic give the opposition defenders something to really worry about, and following on from this, the Ardija midfielders have the confidence that the forwards might score, but also that they will keep possession in dangerous positions. Earlier in the season we would lose the ball far too quickly and too often, and very soon we would be back in our own half and under pressure. In recent weeks, when playing, Watabe, Higashi, Cho Yong-Cheol and Watanabe have looked transformed players, capable of joining and maintaining the attack, even scoring.
In the first half of this game Cho and Shimohira continually linked up well down the left side and provided decent service for the two strikers. Under Jun Suzuki, Cho looked out of position and unable to do much with the ball. Against Iwata, he looked sharp, full of running and a danger to Iwata. This has surely come about because of the presence of Zlatan and Novakovic providing a real focus for the wide players to go for.
The team is looking in good shape, just as the season is about to end. I am very confident the Squirrels will not be putting their feet up at Nihondaira, but instead they will be looking to extend their unbeaten streak in the league to 12 games. A win for Ardija would be a third straight win. Impressive end of season form by anyone's standards. It could even secure us our best ever J1 league finishing position. Omiya as yet have never finished higher than twelfth. Unfortunately they will have to do it without Zlatan, who picked up a season ending injury in the second half of the Iwata game. This does give Verdenik the chance to experiment with the front two. I guess he will go with Novakovic and Hasegawa, however I'd rather see the lively looking Shintaro Shimizu start, with Hasegawa given a run in the second half.
What lies ahead for Omiya. Well, a run in the Emperor's cup would be good for the club and welcome for the fans. More importantly, is keeping the squad together, the belief and confidence, and building on it during the off-season, so that Ardija might not have to take the starring role in next season's version of The Great Escape.
Friday, 30 November 2012
Friday, 23 November 2012
Cerezo away!
The Squirrels went to a rainswept Cerezo Osaka and took all three points in a fantastic 3-1 away win. Goals from Novakovic, Watabe and Aoki sealed the win. A win which unfortunately due to the incredibly close nature of the J1 league has not made us safe, but nevertheless it's a win that keeps our heads just above the water and moves us a step nearer to the longed for safety.
A terrific performance from the lads, and a team performance. In the wet conditions of the first half and the slightly better conditions of the second half, Ardija played as a unit and errors - passing or defencive ones were kept to a minimum. Scoring three goals away from home is no mean achievement for any team, but for Ardija to do so at this late stage of the season, when victory could mean so much, it was a great performance. With Kobe and Gamba both winning away from home too, it kept us above those two relegation rivals and out of the bottom three.
It has to be said that the team has improved under Verdenik and he has turned the team around from one which looked a shambles, poor passing, weak defending, too many errors, and an ineffectual attack that generally failed to frighten the opponent's goalkeeper let alone the back of the net, into a working unit. In this game the team never lost it's shape. Each part of the unit knew it's job and did it mostly well. Players knew where each other were and looked to find them with direct passes or passes to run on to, and we broke with speed and looked likely to score. 5-1 or 6-1 would not have surprised me at the end of the game. The addition of Zlatan and Novakovic, though initially viewed by some fans with scepticism, has proved to be a success and they have shown themselves to be valuable members of the team, providing goals (including hat-tricks from both players) and leading the front line as well as working hard for the team.
Let's not get too carried away, and I may have already done so! But this was a good performance, when I had expected a nervy, edgy showing from Ardija, understandable given our precarious position. Ardija don't do nervy and edgy well. Does anyone? Albirex at home only 3 weeks before this game was a distinctly poor showing, when in that game I thought the opposition were unlucky to lose the game, and looked much better than the Squirrels who seemed aimless, error-strewn and shapeless. The team against Cerezo, with only Zlatan and Watanabe missing from the Nigata line-up, looked a different set of players.
Let's hope the confidence shown during this game and gained from the result will carry on into our last two crucial games of the season, home to Jubilo and away to Shimizu. Hello Shizuoka! What do you have in store for the Squirrels?!
Back to the Cerezo game and Novakovic kicked things off with a first half strike from a free kick, which was superb, then in the second half we went 2 nil up through a swift passing move that came on the counter that lead to Watabe's goal and was exciting to watch as we swept forward and extended our lead. Cerezo hit back with a goal but never really threatened to get even and when an error from Cerezo defender Kim gave Aoki the chance to make it 3-1 the points were safe.
The win came without Brazilian midfielder Carlinhos, a player whose performances earlier in the season have been underestimated due to the poor quality of the side at that time. He does a lot of the groundwork in front of the defence and likes to get the ball forward to the more creative midfielders quickly. Some of his work on the pitch is important but maybe goes unnoticed as fans prefer to focus on the flashier elements in the side now the team is playing better. Yet when those players were badly misfiring earlier in the season I think Carlinhos helped to keep us afloat at times. I don't know if he is injured or just doesn't fit into Coach Verdenik's vision for the team now, and I am not sure how much longer he will be at Ardija. I hope to get the chance to watch him play and bury one of his piledrivers in the back of Jubilo or S-Pulse's net.
A final note on this game. A fillip to the fans who travelled all the way to Kansai to watch the team play in terrible conditions and seeming to stand on what looked very much like a grass bank terrace. I may be wrong about this, but that is what it looked like on the television. I am surprised that such an away end has passed the standards required for a J1 or J2 team. I don't think it would in many other footballing nations, certainly in Europe. It must have been a wet and muddy experience. Thankfully the players gave the fans a performance to enjoy and to forget the conditions.
Next up is a home game to Jubilo Iwata. Ardija fans will be looking for a similar performance and result.
A terrific performance from the lads, and a team performance. In the wet conditions of the first half and the slightly better conditions of the second half, Ardija played as a unit and errors - passing or defencive ones were kept to a minimum. Scoring three goals away from home is no mean achievement for any team, but for Ardija to do so at this late stage of the season, when victory could mean so much, it was a great performance. With Kobe and Gamba both winning away from home too, it kept us above those two relegation rivals and out of the bottom three.
It has to be said that the team has improved under Verdenik and he has turned the team around from one which looked a shambles, poor passing, weak defending, too many errors, and an ineffectual attack that generally failed to frighten the opponent's goalkeeper let alone the back of the net, into a working unit. In this game the team never lost it's shape. Each part of the unit knew it's job and did it mostly well. Players knew where each other were and looked to find them with direct passes or passes to run on to, and we broke with speed and looked likely to score. 5-1 or 6-1 would not have surprised me at the end of the game. The addition of Zlatan and Novakovic, though initially viewed by some fans with scepticism, has proved to be a success and they have shown themselves to be valuable members of the team, providing goals (including hat-tricks from both players) and leading the front line as well as working hard for the team.
Let's not get too carried away, and I may have already done so! But this was a good performance, when I had expected a nervy, edgy showing from Ardija, understandable given our precarious position. Ardija don't do nervy and edgy well. Does anyone? Albirex at home only 3 weeks before this game was a distinctly poor showing, when in that game I thought the opposition were unlucky to lose the game, and looked much better than the Squirrels who seemed aimless, error-strewn and shapeless. The team against Cerezo, with only Zlatan and Watanabe missing from the Nigata line-up, looked a different set of players.
Let's hope the confidence shown during this game and gained from the result will carry on into our last two crucial games of the season, home to Jubilo and away to Shimizu. Hello Shizuoka! What do you have in store for the Squirrels?!
Back to the Cerezo game and Novakovic kicked things off with a first half strike from a free kick, which was superb, then in the second half we went 2 nil up through a swift passing move that came on the counter that lead to Watabe's goal and was exciting to watch as we swept forward and extended our lead. Cerezo hit back with a goal but never really threatened to get even and when an error from Cerezo defender Kim gave Aoki the chance to make it 3-1 the points were safe.
The win came without Brazilian midfielder Carlinhos, a player whose performances earlier in the season have been underestimated due to the poor quality of the side at that time. He does a lot of the groundwork in front of the defence and likes to get the ball forward to the more creative midfielders quickly. Some of his work on the pitch is important but maybe goes unnoticed as fans prefer to focus on the flashier elements in the side now the team is playing better. Yet when those players were badly misfiring earlier in the season I think Carlinhos helped to keep us afloat at times. I don't know if he is injured or just doesn't fit into Coach Verdenik's vision for the team now, and I am not sure how much longer he will be at Ardija. I hope to get the chance to watch him play and bury one of his piledrivers in the back of Jubilo or S-Pulse's net.
A final note on this game. A fillip to the fans who travelled all the way to Kansai to watch the team play in terrible conditions and seeming to stand on what looked very much like a grass bank terrace. I may be wrong about this, but that is what it looked like on the television. I am surprised that such an away end has passed the standards required for a J1 or J2 team. I don't think it would in many other footballing nations, certainly in Europe. It must have been a wet and muddy experience. Thankfully the players gave the fans a performance to enjoy and to forget the conditions.
Next up is a home game to Jubilo Iwata. Ardija fans will be looking for a similar performance and result.
Thursday, 8 November 2012
At the top
Putting Ardija's perennial struggle for J1 survival aside for one moment, there has been an intriguing battle at the top of the J1 table, which has now come down to two teams. Those two teams have been there or thereabouts all season, and of course they therefore have also been the two most consistent teams in the league. Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Vegalta Sendai.
Urawa Reds have been flashy at times this season, and I have to say, fairly consistently third in the table, but they lack a certain something before they look like winning another J1 title. The killer instinct. They might have it in front of goal at times, but not enough, and they might over-run a team in midfield, with flair and skill which is very pleasing to watch, but they certainly lack it in defence. There are many ways to kill off a team and Reds haven't quite worked out how yet. This has left them unable to pull away from the rest of the pack, and has cost them any realistic hope of winning the title 3 games from the end.
There are a number of teams fighting it out for Asian Champions League places with 3 points currently separating 3rd place Urawa from 8th place Kashiwa Reysol. Of those teams - Reds I have just discussed, the rest are Grampus, S-Pulse, Marinos, Sagan Tosu and Reysol. From among those teams I have been most impressed with S-Pulse. They are a young side looking to build for the future and they play a brand of football which is attractive to watch. I think their coach has the right attitude to football and one which should bring S-Pulse success in the coming years. However I feel right now they still need something extra to push them on to the next level. I imagine that might be a goalscorer to support the goals of Genki Omae and to tighten up their defence.
So back to the two leaders. Sanfrecce and Vegalta at the top means we are going to get a new champion of J1. Sanfrecce did win the stage one of the J1 championship in 1994, but they lost the championship play off to stage 2 winners Verdy Kawasaki. So, effectively we will get a new J1 champion and that can only be a good thing for the development of club football in Japan, and give hope to fans that you don't need to be an Antlers fan to see your club be successful. The clubs have proved the doubters wrong this season, as many pundits predicted that either one of them would fall away at some point in the season. This just hasn't happened and furthermore, neither has one of them managed to pull away and open up a reasonable gap at the top of the table. Perhaps each team's performances and success has driven the other on and consequently they have handled the pressure that comes with leading the table so much better than expected.
So who is going to get over the finishing line in first place.
Many neutrals would vote for the men from Sendai. This is the emotional call. The team has represented the areas in Japan devastated by the March 11th 2011 earthquake with pride and strength, and given many people still suffering in those areas much hope and heart. However, emotions are not enough to win the title, and Vegalta have backed this up with very strong and determined displays on the pitch. Durability and getting results where other teams would have walked away with nothing, has been a key factor in their season. It's built on teamwork and sheer handwork, which might not always be pretty, but it is something I respect the team for. They offer the J League an alternative style to the general rule of how Japanese club sides play. They harry other defenders into making mistakes, and they can counter swiftly and make your team pay for their errors. Their on-pitch attitude can sometimes bring criticisms from fans of other teams, but again I see this as a good thing in the development of the league. The best leagues have a variety of clubs, styles of play, rivalries and players. I still think the J League needs some work in this area. Vegalta Sendai and also this season's J1 newcomers, Sagan Tosu serve up a different brand of football to which most Japanese club sides play. For Vegalta, up front Shingo Akamine has been their goal machine, and he has also been ably supported by Brazilian import, Wilson. If their defence remains strong, and their midfield can win the ball quickly and launch swift attacks, they have the firepower to win the title, and the never-say-die attitude to pull it off.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima finished 7th in the last two J1 seasons, and most people would have expected them to push for an Asian Champions League place this season. Instead, they have surprised J1 observers by challenging for the title at the top of the league for most of the season. Compared to Vegalta, I find Sanfrecce's style of play much more pleasing on the eye. They score goals too. In Hisato Sato they have the league's top scorer and surely he will win the Golden Boot in Japan this season, and perhaps given the rarity of goal machines in Japan, he deserves to be named player of the season and get a spot in the national team. Japan's national team always frustrates me with so much midfield ability and creativity, yet they score so few goals unless they are playing a very low ranked minor footballing nation. Okazaki is a player who surely only gets the nod because of his effort, he's a nice guy and somehow plays in Germany. I wouldn't pick him, if I were coach. Back to Hiroshima, their players are all comfortable on the ball, the forward line displays some impressive inter-play passing and touches as well as doing the business in front of goal. As an Ardija fan, it's both great but galling to see Naoki Ishihara doing so well this season at Sanfrecce.
So who is going to win. From a purist point of view it should be Sanfrecce, from a tactical and pragmatic approach it could very well be Vegalta. It won't be Urawa Reds unless a minor miracle takes place and that will keep us Squirrels fans happy. Finally it will come down to who has the guts and courage to see the job through. A bit of luck too might come in handy. It's been close all the way so far, the next 3 games are going to be fun to watch. Enjoy.
Urawa Reds have been flashy at times this season, and I have to say, fairly consistently third in the table, but they lack a certain something before they look like winning another J1 title. The killer instinct. They might have it in front of goal at times, but not enough, and they might over-run a team in midfield, with flair and skill which is very pleasing to watch, but they certainly lack it in defence. There are many ways to kill off a team and Reds haven't quite worked out how yet. This has left them unable to pull away from the rest of the pack, and has cost them any realistic hope of winning the title 3 games from the end.
There are a number of teams fighting it out for Asian Champions League places with 3 points currently separating 3rd place Urawa from 8th place Kashiwa Reysol. Of those teams - Reds I have just discussed, the rest are Grampus, S-Pulse, Marinos, Sagan Tosu and Reysol. From among those teams I have been most impressed with S-Pulse. They are a young side looking to build for the future and they play a brand of football which is attractive to watch. I think their coach has the right attitude to football and one which should bring S-Pulse success in the coming years. However I feel right now they still need something extra to push them on to the next level. I imagine that might be a goalscorer to support the goals of Genki Omae and to tighten up their defence.
So back to the two leaders. Sanfrecce and Vegalta at the top means we are going to get a new champion of J1. Sanfrecce did win the stage one of the J1 championship in 1994, but they lost the championship play off to stage 2 winners Verdy Kawasaki. So, effectively we will get a new J1 champion and that can only be a good thing for the development of club football in Japan, and give hope to fans that you don't need to be an Antlers fan to see your club be successful. The clubs have proved the doubters wrong this season, as many pundits predicted that either one of them would fall away at some point in the season. This just hasn't happened and furthermore, neither has one of them managed to pull away and open up a reasonable gap at the top of the table. Perhaps each team's performances and success has driven the other on and consequently they have handled the pressure that comes with leading the table so much better than expected.
So who is going to get over the finishing line in first place.
Many neutrals would vote for the men from Sendai. This is the emotional call. The team has represented the areas in Japan devastated by the March 11th 2011 earthquake with pride and strength, and given many people still suffering in those areas much hope and heart. However, emotions are not enough to win the title, and Vegalta have backed this up with very strong and determined displays on the pitch. Durability and getting results where other teams would have walked away with nothing, has been a key factor in their season. It's built on teamwork and sheer handwork, which might not always be pretty, but it is something I respect the team for. They offer the J League an alternative style to the general rule of how Japanese club sides play. They harry other defenders into making mistakes, and they can counter swiftly and make your team pay for their errors. Their on-pitch attitude can sometimes bring criticisms from fans of other teams, but again I see this as a good thing in the development of the league. The best leagues have a variety of clubs, styles of play, rivalries and players. I still think the J League needs some work in this area. Vegalta Sendai and also this season's J1 newcomers, Sagan Tosu serve up a different brand of football to which most Japanese club sides play. For Vegalta, up front Shingo Akamine has been their goal machine, and he has also been ably supported by Brazilian import, Wilson. If their defence remains strong, and their midfield can win the ball quickly and launch swift attacks, they have the firepower to win the title, and the never-say-die attitude to pull it off.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima finished 7th in the last two J1 seasons, and most people would have expected them to push for an Asian Champions League place this season. Instead, they have surprised J1 observers by challenging for the title at the top of the league for most of the season. Compared to Vegalta, I find Sanfrecce's style of play much more pleasing on the eye. They score goals too. In Hisato Sato they have the league's top scorer and surely he will win the Golden Boot in Japan this season, and perhaps given the rarity of goal machines in Japan, he deserves to be named player of the season and get a spot in the national team. Japan's national team always frustrates me with so much midfield ability and creativity, yet they score so few goals unless they are playing a very low ranked minor footballing nation. Okazaki is a player who surely only gets the nod because of his effort, he's a nice guy and somehow plays in Germany. I wouldn't pick him, if I were coach. Back to Hiroshima, their players are all comfortable on the ball, the forward line displays some impressive inter-play passing and touches as well as doing the business in front of goal. As an Ardija fan, it's both great but galling to see Naoki Ishihara doing so well this season at Sanfrecce.
So who is going to win. From a purist point of view it should be Sanfrecce, from a tactical and pragmatic approach it could very well be Vegalta. It won't be Urawa Reds unless a minor miracle takes place and that will keep us Squirrels fans happy. Finally it will come down to who has the guts and courage to see the job through. A bit of luck too might come in handy. It's been close all the way so far, the next 3 games are going to be fun to watch. Enjoy.
Wednesday, 7 November 2012
Been a while....
Very sorry about letting this blog about Omiya Ardija drift....It's been quite a season and it's not over yet. 3 games are left and it's still all to play for.
The Squirrels find themselves in 14th place and on 37 points which in most seasons would be enough to avoid the drop into J2. This year, however is very different and 40 or 41 points is likely to be the goal to survive in J1. Then again it might be even more. This season's relegation dogfight has been more exciting and involved then any season I can remember. Going into the last 3 games I make it that 7 teams still have something to worry about. It makes it edgy and nervous for fans of the teams in the mix, but great excitement for neutrals. Ardija's remaining games are away to Cerezo, and then a massive double header against Shizuoka - a final home game against Jubilo followed by the last game of the season away to Afshan Ghotbi's impressive young Shimizu S-Pulse side.
I feel at this stage that Cerezo is our best chance of taking all 3 points, even though trips down to Osaka are never easy. Shimizu on the last day is going to be a very tough proposition with S-Pulse quite likely to be playing for an Asian Champions League place and looking to end their season on a high in front of their own very passionate supporters. Jubilo is never an easy game for us and we were very poor against them earlier in the season when their midfield dominated the game easily and their frontline, if in the mood, can finish chances off. Yet there is some hope, Jubilo recently have been on a terrible run of form and haven't won since a 2-1 victory away to Vissel Kobe on September 15th. Their game before coming to Nack5 is a home game to Grampus whose form is up and down this season, but they have won 3 of their last 4 games so Jubilo could be looking at another defeat against Nagoya.
Meanwhile Cerezo are on a run of 3 draws which followed a superb run of 4 wins that seems to have made them safe as they now sit on 41 points, which as I said at the beginning of this post, is the total that should be enough to survive in J1. Yet nothing is certain this season and Cerezo might be their own worst enemy to think they are out of the woods yet. It's going to be a tricky game for the Squirrels, but I think one that might prove crucial in guaranteeing our safety. A win and two draws is my prediction, but a win, followed by a draw and then a loss might be more likely. Then again.....
The Squirrels find themselves in 14th place and on 37 points which in most seasons would be enough to avoid the drop into J2. This year, however is very different and 40 or 41 points is likely to be the goal to survive in J1. Then again it might be even more. This season's relegation dogfight has been more exciting and involved then any season I can remember. Going into the last 3 games I make it that 7 teams still have something to worry about. It makes it edgy and nervous for fans of the teams in the mix, but great excitement for neutrals. Ardija's remaining games are away to Cerezo, and then a massive double header against Shizuoka - a final home game against Jubilo followed by the last game of the season away to Afshan Ghotbi's impressive young Shimizu S-Pulse side.
I feel at this stage that Cerezo is our best chance of taking all 3 points, even though trips down to Osaka are never easy. Shimizu on the last day is going to be a very tough proposition with S-Pulse quite likely to be playing for an Asian Champions League place and looking to end their season on a high in front of their own very passionate supporters. Jubilo is never an easy game for us and we were very poor against them earlier in the season when their midfield dominated the game easily and their frontline, if in the mood, can finish chances off. Yet there is some hope, Jubilo recently have been on a terrible run of form and haven't won since a 2-1 victory away to Vissel Kobe on September 15th. Their game before coming to Nack5 is a home game to Grampus whose form is up and down this season, but they have won 3 of their last 4 games so Jubilo could be looking at another defeat against Nagoya.
Meanwhile Cerezo are on a run of 3 draws which followed a superb run of 4 wins that seems to have made them safe as they now sit on 41 points, which as I said at the beginning of this post, is the total that should be enough to survive in J1. Yet nothing is certain this season and Cerezo might be their own worst enemy to think they are out of the woods yet. It's going to be a tricky game for the Squirrels, but I think one that might prove crucial in guaranteeing our safety. A win and two draws is my prediction, but a win, followed by a draw and then a loss might be more likely. Then again.....
Friday, 6 July 2012
S Pulse at home
A week is a long time in football, and the week that lead up to Ardija's home game versus Shimizu S Pulse, had been anything but quiet.
It started with that unexpected clean sheet at Hiroshima, continued with a quite remarkable Nabisco Cup game at Nigata and all along was overshadowed by strong rumours that star player Rafael was off to Botafogo in Brazil to play for former Kashima Antlers' manager Oliveira's side. Indeed on the Thursday before the match Rafael began retweeting all the goodbye/don't leave comments he received from fans, including me! Well, it's not often I can get a retweet off a professional footballer so I joined in.
Go! Go! Omiya Ardija had already tweeted the Ardija side before I left for the stadium, and I was surprised to see Rafael named as one of the substitutes. I wondered if that was just for the fans, as any injury that he might get on the pitch, would surely jeopardize the proposed transfer.
A good crowd of over 12,000 gathered at the Nack 5 in perfect conditions for an evening kick off. As the team warmed up on the pitch, Rafael looked relaxed as he exercised with the other substitutes. Towards the end of the warm-up he moved to the centre of the penalty box and practiced volleys and half volleys with great aplomb, showing the fans what they would soon be missing.
The first half kicked off and S Pulse were very quick to settle into their stride with their passing and movement dominating the midfield and putting pressure on the Ardija defence. At one point goalkeeper Ezumi was forced into a desperate double save whilst Kikuchi headed it clear from almost under the crossbar. Shinji Ono looked full of intent in midfield and his crosses were full of danger, which Australian striker, Alex Brosque looked to get on the end of, as Shimizu did everything but find the net.
In the first half Shimizu were attacking the goal in front of the Ardija fans. Shinji Ono played at local rivals/enemy Urawa Reds earlier in his career, yet almost no fans booed or heckled him, which almost certainly would have happened in a similar situation in England. In fact, only one man booed loudly from the seats near me, and most Ardija fans looked a bit shocked at a Japanese behaving like this!
Half time came and Ardija and S Pulse were level at 0-0. The second half started and neither manager made a change. Verdenik's system of 4-4-2 had clearly benefitted the defence, who were gradually looking more and more confident as the game went on, with well timed tackles inside the penalty area, much less space afforded to opposing strikers in or near our penalty box. However the same could not be said for the front pairing of Cho and Hasegawa and eventually a change came, and happily for Ardija fans, up stepped Rafael, ready to pull on the Ardija jersey one more time. Off went Cho. The effect was almost immediate, as Rafael took up the reins and barked instructions, and got the engine up front into gear and revving nicely. Suddenly we looked dangerous. The team had shape and the midfield started to wrest control from Shimizu's players, who were starting to fade. Ono would depart the field and another ex Reds player, Takahara would come on, but Omiya entered the dying embers of the match still on equal terms with our higher placed opponents. Ardija were looking comfortable in defence and had posed some danger to the S Pulse goal. As the game entered injury time, the three substitutes all linked beautifully. Shintaro Shimizu, who on first seeing, looks full of hustle and bustle, won the ball and quickly passed to Rafael, who threaded a perfectly weighted pass to Daigo Watanabe who ran onto it and shot the ball through the legs of the S Pulse goalie and peeled away to celebrate in front of the delirious Ardija fans. Mere moments remained, and Ardija were never in danger, the ref blew his whistle and the Squirrels had their hands (paws!) on three well earned and valuable points.
Fans must have walked home happy at the 3 points but wondering just who would replace Rafael, who left the club with a reminder of his talent and presence.
It started with that unexpected clean sheet at Hiroshima, continued with a quite remarkable Nabisco Cup game at Nigata and all along was overshadowed by strong rumours that star player Rafael was off to Botafogo in Brazil to play for former Kashima Antlers' manager Oliveira's side. Indeed on the Thursday before the match Rafael began retweeting all the goodbye/don't leave comments he received from fans, including me! Well, it's not often I can get a retweet off a professional footballer so I joined in.
Go! Go! Omiya Ardija had already tweeted the Ardija side before I left for the stadium, and I was surprised to see Rafael named as one of the substitutes. I wondered if that was just for the fans, as any injury that he might get on the pitch, would surely jeopardize the proposed transfer.
A good crowd of over 12,000 gathered at the Nack 5 in perfect conditions for an evening kick off. As the team warmed up on the pitch, Rafael looked relaxed as he exercised with the other substitutes. Towards the end of the warm-up he moved to the centre of the penalty box and practiced volleys and half volleys with great aplomb, showing the fans what they would soon be missing.
The first half kicked off and S Pulse were very quick to settle into their stride with their passing and movement dominating the midfield and putting pressure on the Ardija defence. At one point goalkeeper Ezumi was forced into a desperate double save whilst Kikuchi headed it clear from almost under the crossbar. Shinji Ono looked full of intent in midfield and his crosses were full of danger, which Australian striker, Alex Brosque looked to get on the end of, as Shimizu did everything but find the net.
In the first half Shimizu were attacking the goal in front of the Ardija fans. Shinji Ono played at local rivals/enemy Urawa Reds earlier in his career, yet almost no fans booed or heckled him, which almost certainly would have happened in a similar situation in England. In fact, only one man booed loudly from the seats near me, and most Ardija fans looked a bit shocked at a Japanese behaving like this!
Half time came and Ardija and S Pulse were level at 0-0. The second half started and neither manager made a change. Verdenik's system of 4-4-2 had clearly benefitted the defence, who were gradually looking more and more confident as the game went on, with well timed tackles inside the penalty area, much less space afforded to opposing strikers in or near our penalty box. However the same could not be said for the front pairing of Cho and Hasegawa and eventually a change came, and happily for Ardija fans, up stepped Rafael, ready to pull on the Ardija jersey one more time. Off went Cho. The effect was almost immediate, as Rafael took up the reins and barked instructions, and got the engine up front into gear and revving nicely. Suddenly we looked dangerous. The team had shape and the midfield started to wrest control from Shimizu's players, who were starting to fade. Ono would depart the field and another ex Reds player, Takahara would come on, but Omiya entered the dying embers of the match still on equal terms with our higher placed opponents. Ardija were looking comfortable in defence and had posed some danger to the S Pulse goal. As the game entered injury time, the three substitutes all linked beautifully. Shintaro Shimizu, who on first seeing, looks full of hustle and bustle, won the ball and quickly passed to Rafael, who threaded a perfectly weighted pass to Daigo Watanabe who ran onto it and shot the ball through the legs of the S Pulse goalie and peeled away to celebrate in front of the delirious Ardija fans. Mere moments remained, and Ardija were never in danger, the ref blew his whistle and the Squirrels had their hands (paws!) on three well earned and valuable points.
Fans must have walked home happy at the 3 points but wondering just who would replace Rafael, who left the club with a reminder of his talent and presence.
Nigata away - A Tale of the Shimizus
On Wednesday June 27th Ardija headed to Nigata to play Albirex in an evening game which beforehand was about as meaningless as any game could get. Both teams were out of the competition, and therefore Verdenik quite rightly chose to play around with the formation. Something I'm not sure Jun Suzuki would have done, but that's a little unfair to say I know.
The new man's changes, most noteably keeper Keiki Shimizu and forward Shintaro Shimizu, would have a large part to play in affairs and as it turned out the fans who turned up that night at the Big Swan stadium were in for a goal feast. 2-0 up half time through goals from Shintaro Shimizu and Daigo Watanabe, Ardija would make it 3 through another strike from Shimizu after 48 minutes and the Squirrels were flying. However just as Ardija fans started to relax and think about the fine prospect we have in Shintaro Shimizu, the defence slowly started to unravel itself and Nigata pulled goals back through Kogure and Hirai. As the game entered its dying moments the Ardija defence eventually crumbled and died, and let Suzuki in for 2 late late goals and the game was lost. The defensive implosion started with the introduction of young South Korean defender Kim and it would appear that Verdenik had seen enough of him as he would soon leave the team to play in China for Guangzhou Evergrande.
Although defensively the second half has to go down as a terrible performance, it was a game where the result did not matter as much as what the new man in charge could learn from it. In the weeks to come, in the important battles that lie ahead, we will see if Mr Verdenik learnt much from this loss and how he put those lessons to use.
The new man's changes, most noteably keeper Keiki Shimizu and forward Shintaro Shimizu, would have a large part to play in affairs and as it turned out the fans who turned up that night at the Big Swan stadium were in for a goal feast. 2-0 up half time through goals from Shintaro Shimizu and Daigo Watanabe, Ardija would make it 3 through another strike from Shimizu after 48 minutes and the Squirrels were flying. However just as Ardija fans started to relax and think about the fine prospect we have in Shintaro Shimizu, the defence slowly started to unravel itself and Nigata pulled goals back through Kogure and Hirai. As the game entered its dying moments the Ardija defence eventually crumbled and died, and let Suzuki in for 2 late late goals and the game was lost. The defensive implosion started with the introduction of young South Korean defender Kim and it would appear that Verdenik had seen enough of him as he would soon leave the team to play in China for Guangzhou Evergrande.
Although defensively the second half has to go down as a terrible performance, it was a game where the result did not matter as much as what the new man in charge could learn from it. In the weeks to come, in the important battles that lie ahead, we will see if Mr Verdenik learnt much from this loss and how he put those lessons to use.
Hiroshima away
The first away game of Verdenik's regime took place on Saturday 23rd June at Sanfrecce's Big Arch stadium in Hiroshima. It brought Ardija up against former striker Naoki Ishihara as well as hot shot Hisato Sato. As the teams lined up, they found themselves at opposite ends of the J1 table, and Verdenik must have been slightly fearful of another battering after the previous week's poor home defensive performance against Reysol.
So the result of this match, a well-earned 0-0 draw, came as a great surprise to me and I guess, many other Squirrel fans too. I have only seen the briefest of highlights of this game, but clearly the defence put in a great shift, and the rest of the team weighed in too.
In only a short time with the team on the training ground, it seems that Verdenik has started to impose a system on the players which reaped full benefit here. Although the stats will point to almost total domination by Sanfrecce, Ardija did have one glorious chance to score through Daisuke Watabe from a Yu Hasegawa cross. Many would argue that Sato and Ishihara and the other Hiroshima attacking players had an off day, but I'd like to think that this clean sheet is a sign of the Ardija defence plugging the holes in their leaky defence.
Negative voices would describe this performance as dour and purely defensive, which it almost certainly was, however I would argue that Verdenik had no choice but to start with improving the defence, and a few shutouts in the next few weeks will build confidence and a platform upon which better football can be built. Suzuki's team had become shapeless and hapless, something had to be done and urgently or our J1 status would be soon to disappear.
A footnote to this game was the absence from the line-up and the bench of Brazilian striker Rafael. Rumours would soon be circulating via twitter that Rafael would leave us for Botafogo in Brazil.
So the result of this match, a well-earned 0-0 draw, came as a great surprise to me and I guess, many other Squirrel fans too. I have only seen the briefest of highlights of this game, but clearly the defence put in a great shift, and the rest of the team weighed in too.
In only a short time with the team on the training ground, it seems that Verdenik has started to impose a system on the players which reaped full benefit here. Although the stats will point to almost total domination by Sanfrecce, Ardija did have one glorious chance to score through Daisuke Watabe from a Yu Hasegawa cross. Many would argue that Sato and Ishihara and the other Hiroshima attacking players had an off day, but I'd like to think that this clean sheet is a sign of the Ardija defence plugging the holes in their leaky defence.
Negative voices would describe this performance as dour and purely defensive, which it almost certainly was, however I would argue that Verdenik had no choice but to start with improving the defence, and a few shutouts in the next few weeks will build confidence and a platform upon which better football can be built. Suzuki's team had become shapeless and hapless, something had to be done and urgently or our J1 status would be soon to disappear.
A footnote to this game was the absence from the line-up and the bench of Brazilian striker Rafael. Rumours would soon be circulating via twitter that Rafael would leave us for Botafogo in Brazil.
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