As the Japanese national team's World Cup campaign in Qatar came to an end, so did the Japanese professional league. The excitement of the Japanese national team beating Germany, Spain and other European powerhouses to reach the round of sixteen, Urawa Red Diamonds reaching the AFC Champions League final, and Yokohama Mariners regaining the league title continue to mesmerize Japanese fans. As the 2022 Japanese professional league officially wraps up, numerous personnel changes have ensued, and today we're going to take a look at them all.
lit. legendary general retires in a torrential stream
When it comes to the most notable retirement news at the end of the season, it is none other than Shunsuke Nakamura's announcement of hanging up his boots. The 44-year-old left-footer, who helped FC Yokohama qualify for the Japanese League during his time with the club, has finally brought his career to a successful conclusion. In fact, Shunsuke Nakamura has been plagued by a right ankle injury for the last season, and has played very little time, and has gradually become the spiritual leader of the team, so it is reasonable to announce his retirement now.
Also announcing his retirement is former North Korean footballer Jung Dae-Se, 38, who is arguably North Korea's most recognizable player in recent years, and is still remembered for singing the national anthem for South Africa in the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
At the club level, Jung has played for Kawasaki Striker, Shimizu S Pulse, Niigata Swan and Machida Zevia in the JFL, scoring a total of 111 goals in J1 and J2, making him one of the hall-of-fame players in the Japanese soccer world. In addition, he has also played for Pochen and Koln in Germany, making him arguably the most successful player in North Korea in recent years.
Traditional powerhouses strive for breakthrough
Yokohama Mariners won the Nippon Professional League title, Sanfrecce Hiroshima won the League Cup, and Nippon B club Kofu Kazuhayashi won the Emperor's Cup in a blowout, breaking the monopoly of the traditional conferences. And some of the traditional powerhouses, after a disappointing season, can't wait to make big changes and try to rebound in the next season.
Kashima Antlers Recruiting
Kashima Antlers once again failed in all three categories last season, failing to qualify for next season's AFC Champions League, which was absolutely unacceptable to the management. Iwamasa Daiki, who took over the coaching of the team in the middle of last season, has been retained, and he has to deliver results next season. In order to improve their results, they first recruited striker Zhi Nenkei from Kawasaki Striker to join the team, and Zhi Nenkei scored 7 goals for Kawasaki Striker in the JLF last season, and it is believed that Kashima Antlers will be able to share the responsibility of scoring goals with Yuma Suzuki when they get him to join the team.
In addition to Tomonori Kei, Kashima Antlers also acquired Tomoya Fujii from Sanfrecce Hiroshima. Tomoya Fujii, 24 years old, plays as a right midfielder or right wingback, and his performance last season was quite eye-catching, and can be said to be one of the key contributors to Sanfrecce's good results, and his average of 6 crosses per game is the best statistic in all of the Nippon Professional League, so Kashima Antlers will rely on him to strengthen their side attacking ability next season.
Urawa Red Diamonds, Osaka Flyers change managers
Urawa Red Diamonds, despite making it to the AFC Champions League final, did not have much success in the local league, so the club announced that they have replaced Spanish coach Lekado Rodriguez with Polish coach Sigurszawa, who at 50 years old has a lot of experience in coaching and has led Polish clubs Krakow and Ljiljpuszcznań to win domestic league and cup championships, and has been to the U-23 national team of the UAE in the Middle East. Perhaps Urawa have seen the success of Sanfrecce Hiroshima's European reforms and will try to emulate them next season?
As for Flying Foot Osaka, who only managed to survive relegation, there will be a change in management next season, with Spanish coach Puertus replacing Hiroshi Matsuda in the coaching position next season. Puertus has coached Tokushima Whirlpool before, and although the club's performance was not outstanding, it was known for its solid defense in the J-League, and it seems that Osaka Flyers invited him to join the club to make up for the flaws of the defense, which was often full of holes.
Ballerina outsiders looking for a breakthrough
In recent years, the Japanese national team has been doing well in the international arena. In addition to a well-developed youth training system that continues to supply fresh blood to the soccer world, Japanese players are full of adventurous spirit and have the courage to go out to seek new challenges. In the coming season, two more international players have announced their exodus.
Kawasaki Striker center back Akira Taniguchi, who has just played for the Japanese national team in the World Cup final week, has been performing quite well and has reached the peak of his career at the age of 31. Akivu Taniguchi, who has been playing only for Kawasaki Striker, has recently decided to start his career as an expatriate in the 2023 season, joining Qatar's Al Reen to start his "Gold Rush" journey.
In fact, Akio Taniguchi is not very old, since the outstanding performance in the World Cup to get appreciation for the opportunity to get "gold", absolutely once in a lifetime, may wish to see if he can be like the three arrows of Hiroshima veteran Shioguji years, in the Middle East to break into a career.
If Akira Taniguchi is a veteran, then Tomohiro Kobayashi, who plays for Kobe Victory, definitely qualifies as a junior. The 22-year-old center back recently confirmed that he will move to Soviet Premier League giants Gerardi in January 2023, becoming the fourth Japanese player in Gerardi's squad. Tomohiro Kobayashi made 41 appearances in all competitions for Kobe Victory last season, making him a mainstay of the team, and he has also represented Japan's U-21, so if he can capitalize on his opportunity at Zelouti, he could be a big player in the future.
Meritorious Warrior Leaves to Extend Career
Stadium is always the stage for heroes, some players are getting older and difficult to meet the needs of the team, even if they once made great achievements for the team, but ultimately it is difficult to escape the fate of leaving the team. In Yokohama Mariners debut Nakagawa Teruto, has helped the team win 2 times JLF Championship, in 2019 also won the JLF MVP, recently announced that he left the team to join FC Tokyo.
Teruto Nakagawa is small in stature, but fast and skillful, creating a lot of threats in the front line of the Yokohama Mariners. However, the team's sharp focus on rejuvenation in recent years and the emergence of a lot of new stars in the front line indirectly led to a gradual decrease in the playing time of the 30-year-old winger, so it is no wonder that he had to move to seek a new breakthrough. Despite announcing his departure in advance, Teruto Nakagawa was given a chance to play in a friendly against Roma, allowing him to say goodbye to the Yokohama Mariners fans, and with his status in the Yokohama Mariners, I believe that he will be warmly welcomed by the Yokohama Mariners fans when he returns to the pitch on behalf of FC Tokyo in the future.
In addition, Brazilian center forward Andersen Batlle, who has played for Flying Foot Osaka for many years, has recently announced that he will join the Kyoto Immortals next season. 35-year-old Andersen Batlle is a hard-working man with a great impact on the front line in his prime, and his biggest achievement is of course to help Flying Foot Osaka to complete the Triple Crown of the Japanese home country in the 2014 season, in which he himself became the MVP of the Nippon Professional League, so to speak, his fame and fortune have come to him. He also became the MVP of the JFL this season, so it can be said that he has gained both fame and fortune. Andersen Batlle played for Osaka AFC for 6 and a half seasons, scoring 85 goals in all competitions, and his departure will be missed by Osaka AFC fans.
At this moment, many Japanese teams have already entered the vacation stage to prepare for the next winter training to welcome the new season; I believe that after the reopening of the transfer market in January, there will be more remarkable transfer news, so remember to pay close attention to all the fans of the J-League at that time.
J.LEAGUE Hong Kong】Japanese League Monthly Highlights (November)
