J1 League Matchday 34: FC Tokyo aim to achieve the impossible and claim first league win in club's history

FC Tokyo face a gargantuan challenge this weekend as they aim to leapfrog current leaders Yokohama F Marinos and claim their first league title. The two challengers face off at Yokohama’s Nissan Stadium in front of a sell-out crowd in what is reported to be the highest recorded J League attendance to date.

After leading the pack for twenty straight matches, and starting the season with a 12-match unbeaten run, Tokyo have faltered at the last hurdle with Marinos set to pip them at the post.

Yokohama are currently top of the table with 66 points while Tokyo have 63. They also have a 7-goal advantage over their pursuers, meaning Tokyo will need to win by 4 clear goals to clinch the title.

Tokyo’s success was largely achieved at the beginning of the season. The contribution made by Takefusa Kubo before his departure for Real Madrid has been eked out with Hasegawa’s counter-attacking approach turning stale in the latter stages of the season. Their past two matches have played out as mediocre 1-1 draws against bottom-half teams Shonan Bellmare and Urawa Reds.

The confirmed absence of club top scorer Diego Oliveira through injury and doubt over speedster Kensuke Nagai adds further insult to injury for FC Tokyo’s hunt for goals.

Kenta Hasegawa is likely to opt for young Japan international Kyosuke Tagawa as a viable replenishment in attacking threat. Energetic wing back Sei Muroya will also miss the title-deciding game through suspension having picked up a yellow card in Tokyo’s previous game against Urawa Reds.

Yokohama have set the league alight with their recent spurt on the home stretch of the 2019 season. They are unbeaten in 11 games, 10 of which were wins.

Head Coach Ange Postecoglou’s open style of all-out attacking play has delighted many a J League enthusiast, with fans from his home country of Australia travelling to Japan to witness him lift the shield first hand at the Nissan Stadium this weekend.

Notable contributions have been made by overseas arrivals such as Marcos Junior, Erik and Edigar Junio. Progress made by prolific forward Teruhito Nakagawa has also paid dividends with 15 goals tallied so far.

On the surface, only complacency stands in the way of Marino claiming their first league title in 14 years. That said, Tokyo boast the better head to head record. They are the only team to put 4 goals past Yokohama this season when they were soundly swept aside by the capital city club.

In 2018 Tokyo beat Yokohama 5-2 at home and then 1-0 at the return fixture. The front footed, open playing style of Marinos has left them exposed to such rampant defeats at times. The leakage at the back seems to have been addressed, however, as they have only conceded 6 times in the last 8 league matches.

All said and done it seems that the most formidable approach for both sides would be to stick rather than twist in this penultimate match.

Should Tokyo opt for an irregular all-out attacking approach then they leave themselves open at the back. A cheap goal conceded would put Marinos on a plus 5 goal difference, a bridge too far for a club that has struggled to find the net as of late.

In converse fashion, it would be unnatural for Marinos to sit back and defend as they have become used to dominating possession far up the pitch. Such a change in strategy may lead to organizational confusion that could be capitalized on by a team that pounces on defensive mistakes.

Whilst previous meetings between the two sides suggests that goals should be aplenty, it is likely both sides will approach with caution with the onus on Tokyo to take the game by the horns.