FC Tokyo, The Gas Men

[sandman]

I thought I would have a look at the up coming home against 2010 J1 champs Nagoya Grampus (Eight).

Well Nagoya, Nagoya. The play in orange-y red. And their mascot is a killer whale, or orca. But seriously. Nagoya are a good team that, really, should have won the title last season (no disrespect to Kashiwa Reysol who are awesome by the way). No, if it wasn't for a dodgy start to the season I reckon Nagoya would have pulled off back to back titles.

They began this year with a 1-0 win over Shimizu S-Pulse. I haven't heard much about the game so I can only assume it was pants. And going by what the Official J-League website wrote on the game, I would have to agree with myself (this is the total review of the game):
"Josh Kennedy's 32nd minute spot kick won by Shohei Abe was sufficient to give Nagoya Grampus all three points as they defeated Shimizu S-Pulse 1-0 at the Toyota Stadium. Nagoya only managed a single shot in the second half but also restricted Shimizu to three in a tight, disciplined performance."

Got to be honest Tokyo didn't get much of a write up either.

I can see this game going one of two ways on Saturday. 1) 1-0 either way, as Tokyo have a decent defensive record, and going by the lack of shots Nagoya had against Shimizu. 2) Tokyo dick Nagoya and win 2-0. Possibly with Watanabe getting his first league goal for the Gasmen.

I like the look of 2) but I reckon option 1) is the most likely.

I can see Lucas being rested and Watanabe coming in. With Aria playing a more defensive role from the start and maybe seeing Kawano start out wide. I guess we'll know come Saturday.

Until then there is a new Gas Talk up on the OnTheGas blog: on-the-gas.blogspot.com/ Haven't listened to it yet but will probably sit down to it later on.

[sandman]

Starting XI for the game against Nagoya:
Gonda, Tokunaga, Morishige, Kaga, Ota, Takahashi, Kajiyama, Ishikawa, Aria Hasegawa, Hanyu, Lucas

Thought they may have started Watanabe today.

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3-2 to FC Tokyo. Ishikawa getting two goals (59 and 73) with Hasegawa getting one in the 67th.


Ishikawa

Hopefully have some pictures and possibly highlights up later.

Up The Gas ;D

[sandman]

J-League table after yesterdays games ;D


1 Vegalta Sendai 6 2 2 0 0 3 0 +3
2 Vissel Kobe 6 2 2 0 0 5 3 +2
3 F.C.Tokyo 6 2 2 0 0 4 2 +2
4 Kawasaki 6 2 2 0 0 2 0 +2
5 Jubilo Iwata 4 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1
5 Cerezo Osaka 4 2 1 1 0 2 1 +1
7 Nagoya Grampus 3 2 1 0 1 3 3 +0
8 Omiya Ardija 3 2 1 0 1 2 2 +0
8 Shimizu S-Pulse 3 2 1 0 1 2 2 +0
8 S. Hiroshima 3 2 1 0 1 2 2 +0
11 Urawa Reds 3 2 1 0 1 1 1 +0
12 Kashiwa Reysol 1 2 0 1 1 3 4 -1
13 C. Sapporo 1 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1
13 Sagan Tosu 1 2 0 1 1 1 2 -1
15 YFM 1 2 0 1 1 3 5 -2
16 Gamba Osaka 0 2 0 0 2 3 5 -2
17 Albirex Niigata 0 2 0 0 2 1 3 -2
18 Kashima Antlers 0 2 0 0 2 0 2 -2

[sandman]

Game with English commentary:

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Full J-League highlights. Tokyo are on fourth.

v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzY3Mzg0MzI0.html

[sandman]

Tokyo played in their first home ACL match last night against Ulsan Hyundai (S.Korea).

The game finished 2-2. Two great goals by Tokyo were cancelled out by two mistakes made by Masato Morishige, resulting in Ulsan scoring two also. Even Popvic singled him out as the cause for Ulsan's goals. When he played five of Ulsan's players on side after the Ulsan Keeper cleared the ball down field. and then the second was too far off his man, when he should have been close.

Tokunaga scored the first for Tokyo. An 18 yard chip over the over keeper (nice) and Kajiyama got the second. A cool but firmly struck side footed effort from 12 yards.





Even though it was 2-2, Tokyo sit top of the group, on goal dif, and I suspect will finish there if I'm honest. Its easier to get ACL highlights so I shall endevour to find the Tokyo match on youtube later and post it up

Next up is Kobe away on Saturday (24th). A winnable game. Wonder if Aria and Ishikawa will be on the score sheet again? Still waiting on Watanabe to get his first Gasmen goal too. Would be good to get one against Kobe.

Anyway, Up The Gas

[sandman]

As promised. Highlights of FC Tokyo v Ulsan Hyundai:



Enjoy

[sandman]

Tokyo went up against a Kobe team who have started strong this season, and one that sat the place above them.

Tokyo have had one of their best starts to a J-League season this yeah. With a solid squad who have changed little from the 2010 relegation season. But who also won the 2011 J2 title. Well the season just got a little better after a 2-0 win over Kobe at "Home's Stadium Kobe" (crap name for a stadium). Nao (Ishikawa) was once again on the score sheet with a first half, 32nd min, goal. But the most long awaited for me was Watanabe getting his first Gasmen goal, 95th min.

So with that result Tokyo now sit 2nd in the table on goal difference (mainly because Vagalta Sendai dicked Omiya 4-1 ;D).

I am starting to wonder if this could be Tokyo's year. Could they do what Kashiwa did last season? Its a long way to go until December but you never know.

Up The Gas

[sandman]

Fc Tokyo v Vissel Kobe (A) highlights peps:




Kazuma getting his goal.

Enjoy

[sandman]

FC Tokyo Noodle Easting Championships?





I don't....wha the **** is going on here? It seems to be some sort of advertising for the Tokyo v Hiroshima match. Very strange, but funny non the less.

[sandman]

Well things didn't go to plan on Saturday against a, from I have read, "Park The Bus" Hiroshima. Although Hiroshima set up with 3 at the back with wing backs pushed forwards, for most of the game it was 5 at the back, with the rest clogging up the midfield. Content to catch us on the counter attack.

With Aria Hasegawa out due to suspension Sotan Tanabe took up his role in the midfield. Tatsuya Yazawa (Yaza) was recalled to the starting X1 with captain Yohei Kajiyama out due to injury.


Unfortunately Sotan Tanabe's presence in Midfield didn't work as well as when Aria plays there.

Unfortunately the changes didn't make much difference as in the 56th minute Hiroshima talisman Hisato Sato scored the only goal of the game. After which Hiroshima just sat back and defender their 1-0 lead.

Not even the introduction of Kazuma Watanabe and Yohei Otake yielded a goal for the gasmen, meaning our unbeaten run ended. Not to worry though, as Tokyo have only dropped one place to 3rd.

A win at Kawasaki on Sunday would most likely see Tokyo back up to second (as Vagalta(1st) and Jubilo Iwata(2nd) have to play each other on Saturday). But before then Tokyo face a tough game away in Beijing in the ACL.

[sandman]

Well last Wednesday Tokyo made the trip over to the Chinese capital Beijing, to take on Beijing Guoan.

The game was firey to say the least, with what I imagine some dodgy chanting from the Beijing supporters. Anyway what matters is the result, and what happens on the pitch. The game ended 1-1, leaving Tokoy top of Group F in their first ACL campaign.



Sunday came along and with the previous days result in the Sendai v Iwata game ending in a draw, a Tokyo win over Kawasaki would close the gap at the top, and put the pressure on Sendai (1st). Well Tokyo did just that with a 1-0 win over Kawasaki. Morishige getting the goal.



For more details on the Kawasaki game head over to On The Gas on-the-gas.blogspot.co.uk/.

[sandman]

Well unfortunately Tokyo couldn't build on the win against Kawasaki at the weekend, losing 2-1 to a (at least so far this season) relegation fodda Kashima Antlers.



As usual On The Gas has a good write up of the game, so it is well worth a read for more details.

Good news now. Tokyo beat Beijing in the return ACL fixture today, at Tokyo Stadium, 3-0, leaving the Gasmen in touching distance of the last 16 and still top of the Group F table. Goals from Watanabe (7), Otake(45+1) and Yazawa(58).

Up The Gas

[sandman]

The unfortunate run of poor league form has continued over the last 2 weeks with 2 games lost, dropping Tokyo down to 9th. The first was a battering by current league leaders Vagalta Sendai 4-0 which was then followed up by a 1-0 defeat to Shimizu S-Pulse.


V Sendai


V S-Pusle

As soon as I can find out more, as it seems On The Gas doesn't post as often when Tokyo aren't winning (not that I can say much), I'll post up the match reports.

Tokyo's next game is on Sunday against Niigata away, who are second from bottom. Hopefully a winning game there.

Up The Gas

[sandman]

A lot has happened these past 2 weeks. 4 games and progression through the group stages of the ACL (despite a defeat to Ulsan...but I'll get to that in a bit).

For the best info on the games go to On The Gas - on-the-gas.blogspot.co.uk/.

Tokyo began, after my last post, on the 2nd. Beating Brisbane at home in the ACL 4-2. The goals can from Takahashi, Mukuhara and Watanabe (who scored 2!). This set up an exciting meeting between us and Ulsan on the 16th to see who would go through top of the group (as both teams had won and drawn the same amount). Unfortunately, even though Tokyo sat top for the entire group stage till this game, a 1-0 lose put the Gas second. Even so on the 30th Tokyo are away to Guangzhou (China) in the last 16.

Between these two exciting ACL games Tokyo played Alberix Niigata and Consadole Sapporo in the league on the 6th and the 12th. Now going into the Niigata game I did mention before our poor league form, well this game became the "spring board" as Shasha would say. A desiceve 2-0 victory with goals from Y. Kajiyama (51) and T. Yazawa (70). This great result was then followed by a 1-0 win over Consadole Sapporo (who are bottom of the table...but are still a hard team to break down...although Kashima Antlers did dick them 7-0 today :s) with another league goal for Kajiyama.

Tomorrow Tokyo take on one of my favourite teams (their kit is amazing) Sagan Tosu. With Tokyo in 7th and Tosu in 8th, this could be a really good game. After the Tosu game Tokyo will meet Urawa Reds (I still check on them from time to time. Old habits die hard I guess) on Saturday the 26th...for a 7pm K.O. (wha???).

Anyway, till next time, up The Gas

[sandman]

Well, Tokyo won 3-2 against Tosu. But not after having to come back from 2-0 down with a Watanabe hat-trick ;D his first in the J-League. Over all Tokyo deserved the win even though the first goal came about when two Tokyo players bumped into each other in the centre, allowing Tosu to attack. 42 minutes gone, 1-0 Tosu thanks to K. Mizunuma.

Had to wait till the 60th minute for another goal. Tosu trying to wrap the game up with Y. Toyoda. Now this was our line-up. Not bad really.

20 S. Gonda
2 Y. Tokunaga
3 M. Morishige
33 K. Mukuhara
30 Hyun-Soo Jang (Substituted) Ishikawa
8 A. Hasegawa
10 Y. Kajiyama
39 T. Yazawa (Substituted) Watanabe
4 H. Takahashi
7 T. Yonemoto (Substituted) Kawano
49 Lucas

With taking Jang off, Ishikawa went right mid (his usual place). Tgis meant Tokunaga moved to right back, and Takahashi went back to central defense.

These changes made the difference as Watanabe would go on to score 3 goals in the 75th, 81st and 88th minutes. This leaves Tokyo 3 pts behind seconded placed Hiroshima (well it did before they played this morning so now its 4pts). Now sitting 7th under today's opponents Urawa Red Diamonds (6th).

This is a big game. A win could see us jump up into 3rd on 24pts (currently 21). With less than an hour and half to go till K.O. the excitment builds. Lets hope for a red and blue over the Man'ure wanna be's.

Up The Gas