Friday Night J1 League: FC Tokyo look to regain momentum against Nagoya Grampus

FC Tokyo will head south along the Japanese coast for their 2nd of 8 consecutive away games this Friday evening. They will visit Toyota Stadium for Friday night’s J1 fixture against the former club of Gary Lineker and Arsene Wenger, Nagoya Grampus.

Tokyo will be looking to preserve their 4-point buffer at the head of the table after a run of lacklustre results. Last weekend they could only manage a 1-1 draw against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo in a physical encounter.

A win for the visitors will ensure they head into the potential title decider with Kashima Antlers 4 points ahead of them, who are currently occupying 2nd place on 45 points. Should Tokyo draw or lose and Antlers win their match against Shimizu S-Pulse on Sunday, then the chasers would be able to overtake the leaders should they come out on top in the penultimate game next month.

In recent weeks, the team from the capital has struggled to find goals and has not scored in open play for 3 games running. Their trademark counter-attacking approach seems to have been found out, and their opponents are starting to commit fewer men forward in attack.

Nagoya are also looking to heal their wounds after a 5-1 thumping at the hands of title contenders Yokohama F Marinos last weekend. The week before they could only manage a draw against relegation bound Matsumoto Yamaga. They currently sit in 9th place on 31 points from 24 games.

Nagoya’s immediate challenge is to plug the leak at the back. They boast a potent attack with former Manchester City and Everton forward Jo up top and the prolific Brazilian attacking midfielder Gabriel Xavier usually playing in behind. Head Coach Yahiro Kazama is renowned for his all-out attacking style of play that has helped his side tally 36 goals so far this season, 1 more than current leaders FC Tokyo!

That said, such strategies will naturally lead to defensive errors and Nagoya have conceded 35 goals this season. As a result, they have failed to come away with all 3 points on many occasions and won only 8 of the 24 games played so far.

At face value, it seems Nagoya set up in a way that will play into Tokyo’s hands. If the visitors are able to hold firm and compact and directly play the ball towards their two prolific front men then they are likely to find the space they need to convert their chances. However, should Kazama play them at their own game and opt for a more reserved strategy then the table leaders may find themselves frustrated with the lack of chances they are able to create, as has happened in recent weeks.

Both sides are clearly in need of a reshuffle or reshape of their current set up. Tokyo’s counter system has gone stale and is no longer producing the chances they need to maintain any kind of winning streak. With teams sitting deep and compact they will need to space out the opposing defence and keep them guessing with fresh and varied attacking moves. Without a different approach, it is hard to see how they could take enough points from their remaining games to finish the season in pole position.

Nagoya’s problem is at the back. While they possess one of the most clinical and deadly attacks in the league, they will need to resolve their defensive issues if they are to come away with any tangible prize this season.

If previous meetings between the two clubs is anything to go by then FC Tokyo have the upper hand. They have won 4 and drawn 1 of the last 5 meetings.