In Danish dazzler Kasper Junker is it a case of third time lucky? Biggest Loss: Yusuke Segawa – While he blew a few key chances at critical points last season, Segawa's link up play and movement proved to be crucial, not only in his team's relative success, but also in aiding the goalscoring exploits of team-mate Machino. How good a guide the past is for predicting the future, I'll let you make up your own minds on that one. Arai kei knock-up game. One to Watch: Pieros Sotiriou – With Morishima and Mitsuta riding shotgun either side of him, is Sotiriou destined to be the angel upon the Christmas tree for Skibbe as he seeks to deliver a first J1 title to the Edion Stadium since 2015? One to Watch – Again, this might not be the best player in the squad or the one most likely to attract European scouts, rather someone whose good, bad or inconsistent form will heavily affect the outcome of his team's campaign.
Best Signing: Yusuke Segawa – His overall numbers for Shonan last season may not be that impressive at first glance, but it's worth considering that Segawa recorded a higher xG total than 13 goal team-mate Shuto Machino. A good start in the league and lifting the ACL in the spring should make the rest of the year so much smoother. However, as we all know, Japanese football has a habit of turning round and biting you just when you least expect it, so please forgive my unease at feeling so positive about Shonan. His Kashima side were able to meander to 4th last season despite seemingly being out of form for a good chunk of the campaign. Best Signing: Kota Yamada – following a couple of years under the tutelage of Peter Cklamovski at Montedio Yamagata, ex-Marinos starlet Yamada is primed and ready for a return to the big time. Seriously, thanks very much for your support and enjoy J1 2023. What then will 2023 bring? This is a new feature in the pre-season post, but versions of it have been a staple of my Gamba match previews for several years. Arai kei knock up game of thrones. Notes: While expected to be competitive 12 months ago, few were bold enough to predict a second title in four seasons. It's also highly possible that the majority of the veteran's appearances could come from the bench, in which case he may feature on either wing. Anyway, no matter whether this is your first time hearing about this blog or your 100th visit, thanks so much for supporting my work and I hope you enjoy what lies ahead.
Should kantoku Yomoda be able to find the right blend then they may turn a few heads and shoot up the table. While Ryu Takao has proven to be a solid gatekeeper, Handa's pace, energy and attacking prowess give the Ao to Kuro an added edge down the right flank which will surely compliment Keisuke Kurokawa on the left nicely. Calm and composed on the ball with a keen eye for a pass, measuring up at 185cm, 83kg, he's more than able to mix it up physically also. Here's hoping, for their sake, that the move pays dividends. 7 goals in his first 6 J1 games back in 2021 had opposition defences cowering in fear, but his career in Saitama never really went according to script in the 18 months that followed. Yokohama F. Marinos. Additionally, I'd bank on them adding an attacking player from overseas before the season kicks off. One to Watch: Atsuki Ito – Fast becoming Mr. Arai kei knock up game 1. Urawa, Ito has improved year on year since turning pro and with doubts surrounding how well suited fellow midfielders Ken Iwao, Kai Shibato or Yuichi Hirano are to a title challenge, a lot of pressure will come to rest on his young shoulders as he seeks to provide a reliable link between Urawa's extremely impressive back and forward lines. 2021 and 2022 Stats. His 13 efforts in 2022 incredibly saw him finish just 1 behind the league's overall top scorer, though it was a large overperformance versus his xG tally. The 2023 version follows a pattern that those of you familiar with my work will recognise, but I've also thrown in a couple of additions that will hopefully enhance your reading experience. First of all, I don't think you have to be a particularly brilliant finisher to score in the region of 10 goals per season for Marinos, you just need on-field minutes. One to Watch: Takuro Kaneko – After a real breakthrough season in 2021, Kaneko seemed to plateau a touch last term, though in retrospect he did provide a career-high 5 assists. Best Signing: Marius Høibråten – Alex Scholz's previous centre-back partner Takuya Iwanami never fully managed to endear himself to the Reds faithful during his 5 year spell in Saitama, meaning that for many, it's high time he moved on to fresh pastures.
Truth be told, while there are a number of talented youngsters in their ranks who'll surely have visiting scouts purring, a lack of depth at centre-back and centre-forward allied to a general dearth of top flight experience across the board could prove to be their achilles heel. 5 goals and 8 assists in 2022, Toru Oniki will be looking for more of the same this term. Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo. Should Høibråten settle in as quickly as his Danish counterpart then we can expect to see a robust Reds rearguard in 2023. I didn't play League for, let's just say, a pretty long time, and I just rolled Rek'Sai in ARAM so I decided eh, why not. Why the hell would they remove the ability to knock up multiple people? Best Signing: Riku Handa – With the team's reputation taking something of a hit from two torrid seasons in the bottom half, Gamba have been forced to shift focus and look to young talents that fall into the low-risk, high-reward category. These are not meant to be seen as the predicted starting lineups for round 1, think of them more as the players who will feature most across the course of the year. Notes: After a couple of dismal years by their standards, Gamba seek to rise again under the guidance of former Tokushima boss Dani Poyatos. Shot out of the blocks 12 months ago with 6 goals and 6 assists in the opening 15 games, but could only follow that up with 1+3 in the remainder of the campaign. Probably more of the same to be honest. That he's moved on to neighbouring juggernaut Kawasaki speaks volumes of his abilities, and the likes of Hiroyuki Abe and Kosuke Onose have big shoes to fill in the wake of his departure.
One to Watch: Paulinho – A seemingly spur-of-the-moment loan pickup from Ukrainian side Metalist Kharkiv, out of match practice, the Brazilian didn't feature a whole lot in Kyoto's nervy run-in last season. Seemingly more focused on assists than scoring himself these days, mature enough to don the captain's armband and enough of a club legend already to become the successor to Yasuhito Endo in the number 7 shirt, Nerazzurri fans can't wait to see Usami link up with Issam Jebali, Juan Alano, Naohiro Sugiyama and the host of other attacking options at the club. That's not to say they won't miss the likes of Diego, Koizumi and Miyashiro, and they'll definitely need an unheralded signing or two to come through to replace them. Able to play as an orthodox left wing-back or as a wide centre-back in Shuhei Yomoda's 'Diet Petrović' 3-4-2-1, competent defensively and useful in attack, this is one hole the Fulie could have done without having to cover. In that case, Fujii becomes a candidate for a full-back berth. With a rock-solid defensive line, the versatile Izumi back on board and their own version of O Tridente in attack, anything other than a genuine assault on the top 4 will, and should be, treated as a failure by the Giallorossi faithful. Notes – Me trying to add some colour commentary to the graphs and tables contained in the next section of the guide. Best Signing: Jordy Croux – Think back to Léo Ceará's headed equaliser in the 2-2 draw between Cerezo and Marinos last term, now close your eyes and imagine the Brazilian in a pink jersey and that it's Jordy Croux, not Tomoki Iwata, supplying the delicious cross. Comments: A midfield diamond with Sano at the base, Pituca and Higuchi wide and Araki at the tip is an option too. Notes: A suspiciously quiet winter in northern Hokuriku sees an extremely settled squad gearing up for Albirex's first J1 season since 2017.
In cases where numerous players may see significant minutes in a certain position I've listed alternatives below the main choice (players may appear as alternatives for more than one role). One to Watch: Matheus Savio – the effervescent Brazilian looked like he'd become the player Sunkings supporters had long dreamed he would, with his 6 goals and 3 assists in the first half of 2022 proving the catalyst for Reysol's surprise bid for a top 4 spot. Inoue first caught the eye with Trinita back in 2021 and has since experienced relegation from J1, in addition to Emperor's Cup and promotion playoff heartache, so he most definitely arrives at the Nissan Stadium battle hardened. Biggest Loss: Takaaki Shichi – Following a stuttering start to his professional career, Shichi has been on a sharp upward trajectory throughout the past 4 seasons. Notes: A solid defence, a settled playing staff, a clear modus operandi and a couple of exciting attacking additions, 2023 should, in theory, see Fukuoka steer well clear of the dreaded drop zone. However, I plumped for Kamifukumoto, one of the pleasant surprises of 2022 following an indifferent previous campaign with Tokushima. His work-rate and passing abilities should be able to shine through in what is a midfield stacked with talent at the Ajinomoto Stadium, though failing that they could always re-patriate him to full-back, an area of the field where they're not quite so well covered. Ryota Oshima unfortunately seems to be getting struck down by injury on a more and more regular basis meaning the onus will once again be on Yasuto Wakizaka to be creator in chief for his side. Best Signing: Ryoga Sato – After two consistent goalscoring seasons amidst all the off-field turmoil that engulfed Tokyo Verdy at times, Fukuoka native and Higashi Fukuoka High School Old Boy Ryoga Sato has earned his shot at the big time with hometown club Avispa. The odds on the reverse happening are a tad more likely though, I'm afraid.
Is the partnership destined to become the stuff of legends or ultimately prove to be nothing more than a mirage? Notes: If the bottom 3 all had to contend with relegation in 2023 then Kyoto would be a team with a fair bit to worry about. Biggest Loss: Tomoki Takamine – He said he wanted to become an international footballer and was leaving childhood club Consadole in order to achieve his lofty goal. Comments: 4-4-2 / 4-2-3-1 with Shiihashi partnering Takamine in the middle and Mitsumaru dropping out of the above eleven is also a possibility. Comments: If the rumours linking Shinji Kagawa with a return to Cerezo are true then I'd expect them to sometimes operate in a 4-2-3-1 / 4-4-1-1 system with Kagawa playing just behind the main forward. With the Puig-era in full swing and the average age of the lineup getting lower, it's high-time some of their young guns displayed a bit of x-factor of their own. Biggest Loss: Tomoya Fujii – J1's sprint king revelled in new German kantoku Skibbe's gegenpressing system before injury curtailed his season. The German has at his disposal a talented squad, slightly lacking in numbers, which leaves the Viola's chances of success balancing on the proverbial knife-edge. Additionally Murakami vs Nagaishi for the starter's gloves is a toss up at the moment. Peter Utaka would have been the hands down winner any time up until late summer last year, while Takuya Ogiwara, now back with parent club Urawa, will also be a hard act to follow.
Obviously new signings will be made in the summer, but unfortunately I'm not in possession of a crystal ball to make forecasts that far in advance. Shinozuka saw a shoulder injury restrict him to just 14 appearances during his loan spell from Kashiwa. Comments: Expect a fair bit of chopping and changing at wing-back early in the year. One to Watch: Mateus Castro – He was almost like a one-man band at times last year, contributing 8 goals and 5 assists including a wonder-strike at home to Iwata. This shows another table that long-term readers will be familiar with and the colour code to assist you in understanding it can be seen below. While 13 goals and 10 assists during 2 seasons spent in the fantasista position speak highly of his abilities, his 114 through balls played in 2022 (2nd most in J2) give an even better indicator of the type of talent the Sunkings now have on their hands. One to Watch: Koki Ogawa – It couldn't be anyone else could it? The midfield may be set up with Inagaki sitting and 2 players ahead of him and a front 2 rather than the 3 illustrated above. Best Signing: Taiki Hirato – A class act for Machida in recent years, Hirato gets a well deserved second shot at the limelight after rather surprisingly not seeing much playing time at Kashima, the club that raised him. The Tricolore replaced him in bulk as they simply couldn't find a replica and it'll be fascinating to see how Takumi Kamijima (Kashiwa) and Takuto Kimura (Meiji University) get on under the bright glare of the spotlight at Nissan Stadium. His deadly double at home to JEF Chiba last summer drew comparisons with Ayase Ueda and I'm honestly surprised a side like Kashima didn't move for Ogawa in the off-season. Yamasaki is another centre-forward option, but he might not start a lot.
Just how deep that feeling continues to run very much depends on how Yonemoto, Nagasawa and Yamada do in plugging the Silva shaped whole at the heart of the Grampus engine room. Step forward left-footed Norwegian Marius Høibråten who'll form what could well be the J.
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