A new era for Japanese football: Kashiwa Reysol
Mike Tuckerman
If Nagoya Grampus ending their long championship drought in 2010 was a mild surprise, then Kashiwa Reysol winning a first J1 title a year later was a major shock. Nagoya have never been one of Japan's big guns, but hailing from Japan's third city and backed by the financial might of Toyota, many expected the Dragan Stojkovic-coached side to break their J. League duck sooner rather than later.
It's a different story in Chiba, where Kashiwa Reysol aren't even the most popular side in the prefecture, let alone the country. Yet the Sun Kings lifted the 2011 first division title on a nail-biting final day, seeing off the challenge of Nagoya and Kansai heavyweights Gamba Osaka to claim an unprecedented J. League crown. What was so revelatory about Kashiwa's title win was the fact they achieved it just a year after winning J2 - a first in Japanese football, and one which landed the Sun Kings a spot in the Asian Champions League.
Few expect Kashiwa to back up their title with a repeat performance in 2012, but there's little doubt the winds of change have blown through Japanese football. No longer are Kashima, Gamba and Urawa considered automatic favourites, as a new breed of challengers rises to the top of the the Japanese game.
Repeat performance
The first question of 2012 is can Kashiwa repeat their heroics of a year ago? They've retained largely the same squad as last season but that could herald problems for coach Nelsinho. Most opponents found Brazilian duo Leandro Domingues and Jorge Wagner too hot to handle last year, but that could change now that opponents have worked out Kashiwa's high-tempo tactics. Add to that the fact youngsters like Hiroki Sakai and Junya Tanaka will need to replicate their stellar performances of 2011 for the Sun Kings to have any chance of winning the title and it would take a brave pundit to tip Kashiwa as title favourites.
Nagoya Grampus, on the other hand, look as strong as ever. The Aichi-based outfit have added Brazilian enforcer Daniel to their squad from relegated Ventforet Kofu and in Nagoya legend Stojkovic, they have a coach desperate to add more silverware to his CV. Stojkovic has made winning the J. League a priority but he may be hampered by Nagoya's efforts in the Asian Champions League, with the star-studded side expected to give the continental showdown a serious shake.
Of the top-three finishers last season, Gamba Osaka are the odd ones out in 2012. This could be a year of transition for the Kansai side, who saw long-serving coach Akira Nishino step down at the end of last season. They wanted to appoint former Japan international Wagner Lopes as his replacement, but Lopes lacks the requisite coaching licence, so Brazilian veteran Jose Carlos Serrao steps into the Banpaku hotseat with Lopes acting as his assistant.
He takes over a much-changed squad, with veterans Satoshi Yamaguchi and Hideo Hashimoto saying sayonara to Expo '70 Stadium to make way for former FC Tokyo defender Yasuyuki Konno and the returning Shu Kurata respectively. Gamba have also signed Brazilians Eduardo and Paulinho but have lost important squad members Kazumichi Takagi, Takumi Shimohira, Kim Seung-Yeung, Shoki Hirai and Lee Keun-Ho. The loss of South Korean international Lee could be offset by the arrival of his compatriot Lee Seung-Yeoul, with the latter one of the brightest young talents in South Korean football.
Mid-table mediocrity
Urawa Reds are rarely a side accustomed to finishing in mid-table, but that might be the best the 2006 champions can hope for as new coach Mihailo Petrovic takes over at the Saitama giants. The Reds endured a miserable 2011 campaign and questions are already being asked of their recruitment policy for the new season. Arriving are former Sanfrecce defender Tomoaki Makino and one-time Reds captain Yuki Abe - both signed from Europe - but the real head-scratcher is the signing of peripatetic Brazilian striker Popo. The diminutive front man enjoyed an impressive campaign at Vissel Kobe last time out, but he's hardly the man to fire Urawa back to the top of the table.
Kawasaki Frontale are another side to have been pulled back into the mire and former Frontale defender Naoki Soma endured a difficult first season in charge in 2011. Goalkeeping proved a constant headache for Kawasaki last season and to that end the Kanagawa side have added Yohei Nishibe to their squad from local rivals Shonan Bellmare. However, the biggest change comes with the exit of Frontale's record top-scorer Juninho. The 34-year-old was not offered a new contract after a disappointing 2011 campaign but was promptly snapped up by Kashima Antlers, and he could have a point to prove against his former team.
Kashima themselves welcome back a former star, with ex-Brazilian international Jorginho taking over as coach. The flying wing-back played more than 100 games for the Antlers during the 1990s and takes over from one of Kashima's most successful coaches Oswaldo de Oliveira, who has returned to his homeland to take charge of Botafogo. The Antlers may have added Juninho to their squad but they've lost midfield talisman Takuya Nozawa, who has joined upwardly mobile Vissel Kobe along with team-mate Yuzo Tashiro. Nozawa's departure is a real blow and the ageing Antlers will hope Mitsuo Ogasawara regains his once imperious form, with the ex-Japan international clearly traumatised by the effects of the Tohoku earthquake which almost destroyed his birthplace last year.
Surprise packages
Vissel Kobe have been one of the most frustrating sides in Japan for years. Backed by controversial businessman Hiroshi Mikitani, the man who made a fortune with online company Rakuten stubbornly refused to invest the funds required to turn Vissel from Kansai also-rans to Japanese contenders. That could all change in 2012 with Vissel signing Japanese international defender Masahiko Inoha from Croatian side Hajduk Split, while Nozawa and Tashiro have arrived from Kashima and ex-Gamba veterans Hideo Hashimoto and Kazumichi Takagi sign on from Kobe's neighbours. The perennial underachievers have cleaned the slate with Brazilians Rogerinho, Botti and Popo all shown the door and much will be expected of coach Masahiro Wada's team this time around.
Omiya Ardija are another who could surprise in 2012, if only because the Squirrels are such an unpredictable outfit. They've pulled off the surprising capture of talented Albirex Niigata winger Cho Young-Cheol, as well as lumbering Montedio Yamagata striker Yu Hasegawa. A number of veterans have departed, but Squirrels fans continue to be frustrated by the conservative tactics of coach Jun Suzuki. If Cho fires at Omiya Park then the Saitama side could slot into the top half of the table, but otherwise Ardija may be staring down the barrel of yet another relegation dogfight.
Best of the rest
Several teams look set to stagnate in 2012, with pedigreed sides like Yokohama F. Marinos and Shimizu S-Pulse failing to add any signings of real significance for the new campaign. F. Marinos, Cerezo Osaka and Jubilo Iwata all have new coaches in the forms of Yasuhiro Higuchi, Hitoshi Morishita and Sergio Soares respectively, as they join new Sanfrecce coach Hajime Moriyasu and FC Tokyo newcomer Ranko Popovic in J1. The latter should stay up with ease after winning the second division at a canter last season, but it's a different story for Hokkaido side Consadole Sapporo and Kyushu outfit Sagan Tosu, with Tosu making their top flight debut after 13 seasons in J2. Northern side Vegalta Sendai could also struggle, with the popular outfit riding a wave of emotion on the back of the Tohoku earthquake to finish fourth last time around.
Predictions
Champions: Nagoya Grampus
Runner-up: Kashiwa Reysol
Relegated: Albirex Niigata, Sagan Tosu, Consadole Sapporo
Copyright: Mike Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com
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