In that case, Fujii becomes a candidate for a full-back berth. Notes: Going by the goals he set out when he first joined the club, the Skibbe project is running well ahead of schedule. Arai kei knock up game 2. Biggest Loss: Ataru Esaka – After a bright and breezy opening to his career at the Saitama Stadium through the back end of the 2021 campaign, Esaka failed to reach those heights again in his sophomore year and has now opted to take what is becoming a more and more well trodden path from the J League to the K League. This year though he should be fully up to speed and ready to deliver performances befitting a player who, with the greatest respect to Sanga, had global geopolitics turned out differently, would have been strutting his stuff at a higher level. One to watch for sure. Kosei Tani may be gone after 3 generally excellent years down on the Kanagawa coast, but in Song, the Seasiders have as good a replacement as they realistically could have wished for.
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. Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Best Signing: Matheus Thuler – I've cheated here slightly as Thuler has turned his loan move from Flamengo into a permanent deal after turning out 7 times for Vissel in J1 last season. Arai kei knock up game 1. With that said, I don't feel this is the weakest group of players in the division and coached by the wily, experienced Cho Kwi-jae they ought to have just about enough finesse to remain in the top flight.
He'll now continue his much travelled career with Kanagawa giants Kawasaki, can he oust Frontale's long-standing custodian Jung Sung-ryong? 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. 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. 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. Arai kei knock up game of thrones. It's also possible for Skibbe to set up with Notsuda holding in midfield, Morishima and Mitsuta further forward and Sotiriou partnered by Ben Khalifa in attack. A stand out for Omiya in 2019, his performances have meandered downwards since.
Future club legend, or the latest in a line of overseas attackers to promise heaven and earth, then ultimately fail to deliver? Biggest Loss: Ryuji Izumi – The Swiss army knife's departure will be felt more keenly than Kashima may have expected when they chose to let him return to former side Nagoya, who in turn will get a bigger shot in the arm than his rather unheralded unveiling would suggest. If Muscat can keep the ship sailing in the right direction, bank on them being there or thereabouts come the business end once again. Biggest Loss: Yuji Takahashi – With the departures of fellow defenders, Takumi Kamijima (Marinos) and Takuma Ominami (Kawasaki) eating up many column inches, Yuji Takahashi taking the plunge down to J2 along with new employers Shimizu may have passed many observers by. The odds on the reverse happening are a tad more likely though, I'm afraid. Comments: Expect a fair bit of chopping and changing at wing-back early in the year. However, they got there relatively comfortably in the end thanks to Kevin Muscat's squad management keeping everyone fit and on their toes while delivering some, at times, dazzling attacking football and generally standing firm at the back. 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?
2021 and 2022 Stats. 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. One to Watch: Kuryu Matsuki – FC Tokyo are a team that have relied on moments of individual, usually Brazilian, brilliance to get them over the line for a few years now. One to Watch: Cayman Togashi – I labelled Togashi a non-scoring centre-forward prior to him promptly silencing me with a double in Sendai's crucial 3-2 win over Gamba at Panasonic Stadium back in 2021. Hiroshima still have options out wide, but none quite as dynamic or relentless as the Gifu Express. Teams are listed below in the order they finished the 2022 campaign and each club's mini-section contains the following information. Is a slip back from the heights of last season inevitable or do they have a realistic shot of moving a couple of rungs up the ladder? Fans may lament his loss and reminisce about the good times, but it's hard to argue against the notion that the Brazilian's best days are behind him. Does the 28 year-old Brazilian have enough fire in his belly to prove people like me wrong? Notes: Current kantoku Daiki Iwamasa was an Antlers legend as a player, but doubts persist as to whether he has the mettle to cut it as a boss. One to Watch: Koki Ogawa – It couldn't be anyone else could it? When and why the fuck did they remove the multi knockup on this champ's W?
A smart piece of business yet again from Marinos methinks. Biggest Loss – The opposite of best signing. Comments: 4-4-2 is generally Hasebe's go-to formation, but playing that would involve dropping one of their star centre-backs for a winger. Biggest Loss: Yuki Kobayashi (defender → Celtic) – One of two Yuki Kobayashis to leave the Noevir Stadium in the winter, with the midfield version venturing north to Sapporo. Shinozuka saw a shoulder injury restrict him to just 14 appearances during his loan spell from Kashiwa. Is the partnership destined to become the stuff of legends or ultimately prove to be nothing more than a mirage? More questions than usual down Frontale way this year, does Oniki have the answers? The answers to these questions will go a long way to defining the Fulie's year.
You made it this far? Best Signing: Song Bum-keun – Surprising and welcome in equal measure, the transfer of World Cup 2022 squad member Song from South Korean powerhouse Jeonbuk to suburban Shonan has certainly raised a few eyebrows in East Asian football circles. 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. 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. Comments: Kobayashi likely isn't really an option on the right-wing, I moved him there to help illustrate that Miyashiro and Yamada will vie for the starting centre-forward spot in the early months of the 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. How will he do with a stronger supporting cast surrounding him in 2023? Though if you're a Sapporo fan, the fact Takamine has headed to a divisional rival that finished a mere 3 places above you in J1 last season must sting a fair bit. He'll be hoping to use this upcoming year to reverse the sense of 'what might have been' that surrounds his career. Nakano debuted at right wing-back as a special designated player in the 0-0 draw with Tosu in round 1 last season, though he can also operate as as centre-back, which is where he and fellow varsity recruit Taichi Yamasaki (Juntendo University) may ultimately end up as Michael Skibbe seeks to reduce some of the burden on the ageing Sho Sasaki and Tsukasa Shiotani.
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. 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. If he re-discovers his shooting boots in the more attacker friendly surrounds of the Todoroki Stadium then Frontale fans could be in for a real treat. Notes: A suspiciously quiet winter in northern Hokuriku sees an extremely settled squad gearing up for Albirex's first J1 season since 2017. 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. Biggest Loss: Tomoya Fujii – J1's sprint king revelled in new German kantoku Skibbe's gegenpressing system before injury curtailed his season. One to Watch: Shuto Machino – Having bagged the highest tally of goals for a Bellmare player in J1 since 1998, some speculated Machino would head back to his former side Yokohama F. Marinos, yet here he is ready to spearhead the Shonan attack once again.
Jean Patric was the Cherry Blossoms' hero with his brilliant last minute winner away to Gamba in the Osaka Derby last summer, but in reality, and I swear this isn't sour grapes, given he was a regular in Portugal's top flight prior to heading to Osaka, his overall contribution could be viewed as underwhelming. Notes: Kenta Kawai is back for a second season in charge no doubt thrilled to bits that his Sagan side haven't been asset-stripped quite as much as in recent years. 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. 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.