Hasegawa calls for team effort from Tokyo against Ulsan
FC Tokyo’s AFC Champions League knockout stage prospects will rely on the efforts of every player when they face group leaders lsan Hyundai, according to head coach Kenta Hasegawa.
Their Round of 16 hopes back on track after a 2-1 win over Shanghai Shenhua on Friday, second-placed Tokyo now face the challenge of facing a red-hot lsan Hyundai side who have won all their matches in Doha and remain unbeaten in the tournament.
In fact, Hasegawa’s side are the only team in Group F to have avoided defeat against the Koreans. The teams played out a 1-1 draw in February, but the Tokyo boss believes that match has limited relevance for the one to come at Education City Stadium, saying his side must all pitch in if they are to challenge Kim Dohoon’s in-form outfit.
“Everybody is a key player,” said the former apanese international. “This is the third
game with a three-day break. Nobody is in their best condition, so we need teamwork. We have to win as a team.
“We played each other back in February, but it’s a different team now with a different system and different players. They’re on the top of our group ranking and they have top players, so we will have to
have the force to win.”
FC Tokyo were on the front foot for the majority of their previous matches against Shanghai Shenhua, ending up with one win and one defeat from their two back-to-back clashes.
But lsan appear to be a different proposition. The K League runners-up have had more than 60 per cent possession in all three of their outings in atar, but Hasegawa declared his side will not change their tactical approach in order to counter a side packed with attacking talent.
“We don’t have any special tactic for lsan,” he said. “We don’t change our plan based on our opponent’s players.
“They are good at keeping possession, and sometimes we can be good in possession too. They are very strong in their transition between defence and attack, and it’s important to stop that.”
Depending on the result of the clash between Shanghai Shenhua and Perth Glory also on Monday an FC Tokyo win may seal their progression to the knockout stage with a game in hand, but lsan enter the match knowing that a win will be good enough for them not only to advance, but to do so as group winners.
That would not only give Kim the chance to rest his stars in the final group stage match on Thursday, but also ensure they avoid the Group E winners, likely to be the rampant Beijing FC, in the Round of 16.
Despite the compelling prizes on offer, Kim said he was looking no further than the next match.
“I think that every single match is the most important at the time, rather than thinking about the other matches that are coming next,” he explained.
“I think we have to think about this game first, then we can think about the others. That’s why we have to prepare a lot and we will try our best to win every single game.”