J-League News August 2012
Mike Tuckerman
Summer in Japan means sweltering days, stifling humidity and sipping cool drinks down by the river as the night sky is illuminated by one of the country’s thousands of fireworks displays. It’s also the time the movers and shakers of the J. League jostle into position and not surprisingly some of Japan’s most recognisable clubs have muscled their way towards the top of the table just past the halfway point of the 2012 campaign.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima are currently the team to beat, thanks in no small part to the blistering resurgence of star striker Hisato Sato. The door seems to have closed on Sato's international career, yet the 30-year-old has made it clear he doesn’t intend to wallow in self-pity as he rains home the goals with monotonous regularity. Sato has lashed home some 15 goals in just 19 appearances so far this season and the veteran appears well on the way to claiming the Golden Boot award at the end of the season.
But what Sanfrecce really crave is a first-ever J. League title. They came close in 1994, losing the two-legged championship play-off to Verdy Kawasaki, but it wasn’t until a surprise fourth-place finish in 2009 that the southern side re-established itself as a genuine force in the top flight. That finish was achieved under the auspices of Austrian coach Mihailo Petrovic – who has since moved on to Urawa Reds - but the Purple Archers haven’t skipped a beat under his successor Hajime Moriyasu, who has stayed true to Sanfrecce’s attacking brand of football.
Vegalta Sendai were hardly renowned for their attacking football last season, but that has all changed thanks to the introduction of Brazilian striker Wilson. Despite an inauspicious career floating around the fringes of Brazilian and Chinese football, the 27-year-old has proved an astute acquisition for the northern outfit, scoring goals and proving an adept foil for bustling front man Shingo Akamine. His propensity for going down easily to win free-kicks has predictably made him a target for visiting fans, but Wilson has helped fire Vegalta to second place in the standings, with the Eagles hot on the heels of current leaders Sanfrecce.
Urawa Reds have snuck ominously into third while defending champions Kashiwa Reysol are fourth, but the way the two teams have gone about reaching the upper echelons differs wildly to say the least. When former Sanfrecce coach Mihailo Petrovic joined Japan’s best supported club Urawa, many expected the wily Austrian tactician to unleash the shackles set by former coach Zeljko Petrovic and turn the Reds into a free-flowing attacking machine. Yet the elder Petrovic has done precisely the opposite, bringing back defensive midfielder Yuki Abe from England and basing Urawa's football on a stingy defence and an equally miserly attack. The Reds have scored just 26 goals in edging their way into third and full houses at Saitama Stadium seem a thing of the past, with thousands of fans staying away in the wake of Urawa's ultra-defensive transformation.
Kashiwa, on the other hand, have maintained the entertaining style which so sensationally saw them capture the 2011 title, and young striker Masato Kudo has already hit double figures for the season. Nevertheless there are genuine concerns Reysol lack the necessary depth to challenge for back-to-back titles, particularly if injuries begin to affect the Sun Kings over the second half of the season, which perhaps goes some way to explaining why Kashiwa recently signed one-time JEF United striker Neto Baiano.
The mid-table logjam is as many would expect, with Kanagawa sides Yokohama F. Marinos and Kawasaki Frontale joining capital club FC Tokyo, Kanto neighbours Kashima Antlers and Kansai big-spenders Vissel Kobe. Fifth-placed Jubilo Iwata are well in front of Shizuoka rivals Shimizu S-Pulse, who currently lie in 13th place, while Nagoya Grampus, Albirex Niigata and Omiya Ardija all have plenty to do to call their 2012 campaigns a success. The same can't be said of promoted Sagan Tosu, who are already the surprise package of the year.
Widely expected to drop straight back into J2, the Kyushu club have instead battled their way into an impressive ninth place after 19 games played . Coach Yoon Jung-Hwan has got his side playing a compact, neat brand of football and with much-travelled striker Yohei Toyoda proving a reliable goal scorer and ably abetted by a trio of battle-hardened South Korean imports in Yeo Sung-Hye, Kim Min-Woo and loan signing Kim Kun-Hoan, Sagan look set to become the latest club to confound critics and excel in their first season in J1.
The same can't be said for yo-yo club Consadole Sapporo, who have spent the majority of the campaign rooted to the foot of the table. The Hokkaido side recently signed Brazilian duo Tele and Ramon and South Korean defender Kim Jae-Hoan in a bid to stop the rot but are already 13 points adrift of safety and almost certain to be relegated, even allowing for their recent 2-1 win over last season's runner-up Nagoya.
A bigger surprise has been the form of Osakan outfits Cerezo and Gamba. Having lost their coach Levir Culpi at the end of last season and with a succession of high-profile players leaving for overseas pastures – the most recent being Cardiff City newcomer Kim Bo-Kyung – Cerezo were always likely to struggle in 2012 and currently find themselves languishing in 16th. But it's the form of cross-town rivals Gamba which has set tongues wagging, as the Kansai giants lurch from one crisis to the next.
Gamba's problems began when long-serving coach Akira Nishino stepped down at the end of last season. The club at first attempted to fill the void by signing former Japan international Wagner Lopes as his replacement, but as the Brazilian-born coach lacked the requisite coaching licence, he stepped into an assistant role to allow Jose Serrao to take charge. That arrangement was short-lived and the pair were sacked just months into the campaign, with former Gamba striker Masanobu Matsunami called up to fill the void. But guiding a team shorn of the likes of former captain Satoshi Yamaguchi, exciting winger Kim Seung-Yong and regular goal scorer Lee Keun-Ho has proved a challenge and Gamba have won just three games all season. Ironically their most recent result saw them draw 1-1 with Vissel Kobe in a Kansai derby, with Kobe now coached by former Gamba man Nishino.
It may be an anomaly to the rest of the world, but summer football is a vital part of the J. League calendar. And while there's still plenty of football left to play, all eyes will be on whether anyone can stop Sanfrecce Hiroshima's hot streak at the top of the table and whether big guns Gamba Osaka can pull themselves out of the mire at the other end.
Copyright: Mike Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com
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