A pacy, skillful and clever player, Consadole supporters and fans of the league in general are well within their rights to expect more from Kaneko in the months that lie ahead. 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. It's not that hard to do, and indeed it appears that the Cerezo front office have turned that dream into a reality this off-season by bringing the duo to the Yodoko Sakura Stadium. Best Signing – This won't necessarily be objectively the best player the team have signed over the winter, more the one I feel will have the greatest impact in 2023. Why the hell would they remove the ability to knock up multiple people? Should kantoku Yomoda be able to find the right blend then they may turn a few heads and shoot up the table. He'll now continue his much travelled career with Kanagawa giants Kawasaki, can he oust Frontale's long-standing custodian Jung Sung-ryong? Now, let me balance out that rather provocative negative comment by saying, there is an absolute ton of talent throughout this side. Probably more of the same to be honest. On paper avoiding 18th should be a relatively simple task, will it prove to be that way in reality? Notes: Under-achievers in 2021, over-achievers last year, somewhere between 7th and 15th seems about right in 2023, though the J League never operates in anything like a predictable manner, so best not all rush to back Reysol for 11th just yet. Arai kei knock up game play. While I'm confident you'll agree with some of the points below, I'm also sure there will be many choices and opinions that people will disagree with, and that's all fine, it's why we love the beautiful game so much, right?
Notes: I might as well spit it out right away, a total of 20 new faces drawn from J1, J2, varsity football, high schools, Brazil, Vietnam and South Korea gives me strong Matsumoto Yamaga vibes (for those of you new to Japanese football, they dropped from J1 to J3 in the space of 3 years on the back of similar scattergun recruitment). Arai kei knock-up game. S-Pulse's 191cm centre-back Yugo Tatsuta moves in the opposite direction and while he's younger and outdoes Takahashi in height and physicality, a large part of me senses that it's the Shizuoka side who've got the better half of that particular trade. 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. 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. 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.
Notes: How they manage the changing of the guard in attack and defence will surely determine their fate in 2023. He has commendably opted to remain with Avispa, but after a meandering career largely spent in J2 where he averaged a goal every 6 games, is it realistic to expect more heroics from him this term? When and why the fuck did they remove the multi knockup on this champ's W? Hello Everyone, Happy New Year and all the best to you and your team in 2023! 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. Notes: Albert Puig is about to begin his second season at the helm, and after a solid, if unspectacular 2022, what can we realistically expect in the coming months? Key performance indicators I've collected over the past 2 years and how those numbers stack up against fellow J1 sides. 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. 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. Arai kei knock up game of thrones. This is my fourth year in a row putting out a J1 starting lineups preview post and the response I've received to the previous 3 editions continues to blow me away. 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.
Also, who prevails in the Higashiguchi vs Tani battle is still anyone's guess. 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. 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. 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.
Biggest Loss: Jean Patric – Not a whole lot of competition for this category to be honest, which surely stands Cerezo in good stead for the upcoming campaign. Is the aforementioned combination with Croux about to become the Jordan and Pippen of the J League? Thuler's capture represents an extremely shrewd piece of business by Kobe. Best Signing: Seiya Baba – Comfortable on the ball and capable of playing centrally or out wide in defence or midfield, Japan Under-21 international Baba is made to order for Mischa Petrović's side. 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. 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.
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. 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. 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. He'll be missed by the Frontale fans, their marketing team and DOGSO loving refs alike, but after winning 4 J1 titles, 1 Emperor's Cup and 1 Levain Cup in 9 seasons in Kawasaki, it's hard to begrudge him moving on. How good a guide the past is for predicting the future, I'll let you make up your own minds on that one. 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. A stand out for Omiya in 2019, his performances have meandered downwards since. Where two alternatives are listed, the name on the left is the one I consider to be higher on the team's depth chart. I have done a great deal of research to get these lineups as accurate as I can to the best of my knowledge, but full disclosure, I've also acted on a few hunches and taken a punt on some lesser known talents (I guess there wouldn't be much point reading this article if I just stated the obvious). One to Watch: Koki Ogawa – It couldn't be anyone else could it?
Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo. If they can find some razzmatazz up front, then allied to a solid backline they may surprise a few people, though realistically we're unlikely to see them threaten the dizzy heights of the top half. 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. 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. One to Watch: Takashi Usami – Losing Usami to an achilles injury in round 3 last term ripped the heart out of Gamba, while his return, though unspectacular, had a real soothing affect on those around him. I was quite bullish about their chances twelve months back and they rather underwhelmed. Notes: With a highest J1 placing this side of the millennium in the bank, their coach and the bulk of last season's squad still in tow and only one relegation spot to be avoided in 2023, it's easy to be optimistic about Bellmare's chances. Comments: A midfield diamond with Sano at the base, Pituca and Higuchi wide and Araki at the tip is an option too. 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. However, in removing Patric from the equation, Gamba's front office have made it clear that long ball is a thing of the past and possession based football is the way ahead. Biggest Loss: Leo Silva – Nagoya got good mileage out of the veteran last term leaving many a fan to lament his departure.
Best Signing: Shusuke Ota – Fresh off a couple of excellent seasons with Machida Zelvia, livewire attacker Ota brings even greater potency to what is already one of the most dynamic areas of Albirex's squad. Hiroshima still have options out wide, but none quite as dynamic or relentless as the Gifu Express. 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. Ball playing, youth product Yuki Kobayashi was often a figure of stability at the back for Vissel during the early part of 2022 when it seemed that all around him was burning to the ground. I snowball a target and the enemy grouped up as 5 with low HP, I went in expecting at least a triple kill with her AoE Q + HoB. 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. 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. 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.
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. Biggest Loss: Taisei Miyashiro – His return to parent club Kawasaki should have come as no surprise to anyone familiar with Japanese football, and the success, or otherwise, of the man I'm about to talk about below will determine whereabouts between big loss and catastrophic departure Miyashiro and his 11 goals + assists from 22 appearances fits on the pain chart for Tosu. 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. Can he and the supporting ensemble contribute enough goals to keep the feel-good factor alive and kicking down Tosu way? 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.
That meant that at the age of 27, after a number of years of threatening to do so, Koya Yuruki finally made his breakthrough as a bona fide star in Japan's top flight. 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. 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. Finding the back of the net has been an issue for the Wasps since they returned to the top flight in 2021, so credit to the front office for pulling off quite the coup by re-patriating the highly touted Sato amid stiff competition.
One to Watch: Yuya Yamagishi – A double digit goalscoring season for a team not known for their attacking prowess saw the likes of Gamba and Kashima reportedly knocking on Yamagishi's door. 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. Either way, it's going to be fun finding out. 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. 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.
Biggest Loss: Tomoya Fujii – J1's sprint king revelled in new German kantoku Skibbe's gegenpressing system before injury curtailed his season. I'm guessing these are the kind of choices that might generate the greatest debate, so please cut me some slack, I like to use stats, but several players below have made the grade based largely on gut instinct developed over a decade watching the J. Notes: Cerezo enter 2023 with a settled, well-balanced squad, both in terms of age and ability, and are coached by a man who knows the club like the back of his hand. A few caveats here, * For simplicity's sake I've assumed every contracted player to be fit and available for selection when choosing these best elevens. Notes: A suspiciously quiet winter in northern Hokuriku sees an extremely settled squad gearing up for Albirex's first J1 season since 2017. Notes: Vissel supporters have a right to feel a tad puzzled by their club's recent transfer strategy. Biggest Loss: Shogo Taniguchi – A surprising departure, but ultimately a move to the Middle East represents a well earned payday for Taniguchi in the wake of his impressive World Cup showings. Does he opt for the best eleven players, or the system he's more comfortable with? The Cherry Blossoms have never won J1, I'm not saying this is going to be their year, but their fans absolutely have the right to expect them to improve upon last season's 5th placed showing.
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? Comments: New defenders Misao and Iyoha have both operated on the left side of back threes in recent years so Cho could, in theory, use the 3-4-2-1 formation that served him well during his time with Shonan. Step forward left-footed Norwegian Marius Høibråten who'll form what could well be the J. Unable to quite make the grade in the cut-throat atmosphere of Urawa's top team, a loan spell with Mito got his career back on the right path before 9 goals and 11 assists in his debut campaign at the Big Swan marked him out as a danger man of some repute. 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.