Football Leagues » J-League » Kashiwa Reysol storm to an unprecedented J. League title
Kashiwa Reysol storm to an unprecedented J. League title
Mike Tuckerman
Storm clouds loomed over Saitama Stadium and security was tight for one of the J. League's more volatile fixtures, as Urawa Reds hosted regional rivals Kashiwa Reysol with history beckoning and the J. League title on the line. The Reds were looking over their shoulder, while Kashiwa hoped to become the first Japanese side to win J2 and J1 in consecutive seasons. In the end, fans of both clubs needn't have worried as Urawa avoided relegation and Kashiwa Reysol lifted an unprecedented title on a dramatic final day.
Urawa's salvation was fait accompli as soon as they dispatched bottom club Avispa Fukuoka in the penultimate round of action, leaving them 14 goals ahead of the hapless Ventforet Kofu going into the final day. Instead it was Kashiwa Reysol who had every reason to feel nervous as they ran out in front of just under 55,000 fans under brooding skies in Saitama.
Yet just as they have done all season, Kashiwa held their nerve. Brazilian import Jorge Wagner slotted home an opportunistic strike just before the half-hour mark, before defender Wataru Hashimoto scored a similarly fortunate goal shortly before the break. Not even Yosuke Kashiwagi's goal just after the restart could dampen Kashiwa spirits and when Akimi Barada registered their third with some fourteen minutes remaining, the J. League title was destined for Chiba.
So how were one of Japan's most unfashionable clubs crowned first division champions just a year after romping to the J2 title? Through good old-fashioned teamwork. Relying on the creativity of Leandro Domingues for inspiration, Kashiwa shared the goals around and remained rock solid at the back. Junya Tanaka rattled home an impressive 13 goals despite spending much of the campaign on the bench, while Brazilian imports Domingues and Wagner chipped in with 26 goals between them. Naoya Kondo was a rock in central defence while old heads Hidekazu Otani and Ryoichi Kurisawa steered Kashiwa around the park from central midfield.
That a team comprised largely of journeymen and a couple of Brazilian cast-offs could win the J. League says much about the coaching ability of veteran tactician Nelsinho. The Brazilian took charge midway through a 2009 campaign which saw Kashiwa relegated to the second tier and stuck around long enough to see Reysol cruise to the J2 title the following year. Adding only Jorge Wagner as a major addition to his 2011 squad, Nelsinho shrugged off the mid-season loss of youngster Yuki Otsu to Borussia Moenchengladbach by pushing Wagner up from a full-back role and promoting Wataru Hashimoto to his starting side. Reysol rarely missed a beat thereafter and despite a slightly nervy run home - including a 1-1 home draw with Cerezo Osaka on the penultimate day - the Sun Kings ran out deserved J1 winners.
They now fly the flag for Japan at the 2011 FIFA Club World Cup and with confidence running high, few would bet against Reysol reaching a semi-final showdown with Brazilian side Santos. They're also still in the hat for the Emperor's Cup, although a Fourth Round trip to Nagoya Grampus - who finished just a point behind Kashiwa in the title race - will be a tricky test to negotiate.
Nagoya were arguably the biggest losers in the race for the championship, leaving their run just a fraction too late after getting off to a slow start. They mauled Gamba Osaka 4-1 in the wet in October but a 2-0 defeat to Shimizu S-Pulse a fortnight earlier proved their undoing, as Kashiwa steered a steady course towards the title.
A three-horse race for the title ended with Gamba Osaka finishing in third, just two points behind Kashiwa after 34 games played. Even before the title chase had ended it was public knowledge Akira Nishino would end his long tenure in charge, as former Japan international Wagner Lopes gets set to take charge for the 2012 campaign.
At the other end of the table Ventforet Kofu follow Avispa Fukuoka and Montedio Yamagata down, with Kofu relegated despite 17 goals from their top scorer Mike Havenaar. The Japan international was a one-man goal machine for the promoted side but the relentlessly conservative tactics of former coach Toshiya Miura squeezed the life out of Kofu and with Miura's successor Satoru Sakuma equally clueless as to how to get the best out of his side, Ventforet dropped through the trapdoor after just one season back in the top flight.
In the second tier, FC Tokyo were predictable J2 winners as they finished ahead of another former heavyweight Consadole Sapporo in the race for a promotion spot. Sandwiched between the pair was the season's surprise package, as Sagan Tosu finished second to reach the promised land of the top flight. The Kyushu side play in one of the better football-specific grounds in the country and it's likely to be packed to its 24,000 capacity next season as top-flight football comes to Tosu for the first time in the club's history.
Copyright: Mike Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com
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