Yokohama Mariners lit up their own stadium to face Hokkaido's Gonzaga Sapporo in a highly anticipated first leg of the Japan League's eight-team tournament. The two teams have contrasting strengths, with the Mariners switching tactics quickly since their managerial change, both offensively and defensively, while Gonzaga Sapporo's paper defense seems to be too much to withstand. the W-Level strikers have been firing on all cylinders, with a strong goal scoring momentum, having scored 3.5 goals in just three halves.
The Mariners recently hired former Australian international Kewell, who played for Leeds United and Liverpool, to take charge, and the man is a master tactician. Despite having led the team to the AFC Champions League final, he lost the victory due to the hype of Iain, and the league results slipped as a result. In desperation, the hierarchy handed over the reins to assistant coach Hanh Johan Jetsen.
After John Jetson took over, he advocated attacking tactics, and the team quickly rose from the doldrums, with 6 wins and 1 loss in the last 7 official matches, which boosted the morale of the team. In these 7 matches, the team scored 20 goals, including 4 goals in the last 5 matches. Although the hope of winning the league is slim, the Mariners must go all out for the local cup. This year, they have already gone through to the last eight of the Nippon Confederation Cup, and the geographical advantage allows them to strive for the lead in the first round.
By contrast, Gonzaga Sapporo are second in the league, having conceded only 55 goals in 29 games, but lack stability on the defensive end. Even if they advance to the last eight of the Nippon Confederation Cup, they can only be considered to stand out among the teams in the lower divisions. More importantly, they have lost their last four matches against the Mariners and are demoralized. Whether they can withstand the Mariners' bombardment in this match will be a major point of interest.
