Sendai 0-0 S-Pulse

Barry writes:

Sendai 0-0 S-Pulse

Att. 11585

Line Up

GK Usui

DF Muramtsu
DF Hiraoka
DF Bosnar
DF Ota

MF Yamamoto
MF Edamura
MF Ono

FW Omae (yellow 50)
FW Brosque
FW Takagi (yellow 89)

Subs Used

Takahara on for Ono (53)
Kobayashi on for Brosque (69)
Nagai on for Omae (77)

Report

A frustrating game to watch, especially as Bosnar nearly won it in the 85th minute, but hey ho. Noone has beaten Sendai at the Yurtec this season, so there's always that. But, oooooh, it felt like a game we could have won and for that I'm RUING our missed opportunities. With so many games coming thick and fast, our team was inevitably changed considerably from Saturday.

Perhaps the most noticeable was Muramatsu falling to the back four, and Takahara being rested. But in addition Yamamoto, Edamura, Hiraoka and Takagi all started. Such an altered team was always going to lack a certain level of cohesion and so it proved. There was maybe a handful of the sweeping moves we're best at, but aside from Bosanr's chance, we just never managed the end product. Eddy got away from his marker from a long freekick and met the ball behind the main mass of players in the penalty area. He headed down into the ground and it bounced up and over. The keeper was beaten so had it been on target it was in.

Positives? Hmmm - well we've now only lost one in ten, winning five of those. That is pretty good form, and plenty reason enough to have confidence going into the second half of the season. Kobayashi is looking better and better, and Usui kept another clean sheet with a couple of crucial saves.

Niigata at home in three days and I'm guessing Taka will be back in the starting XI. With so many games in such a short period it's a test of squad depth, wallet contents and girlfriend patience, but I bloody love it, and I know you do too. So see you up Nihondaira on Saturday. :)

Ghotbi Says

Was able to grab this off the TV, so it's 99% the man himself's words.

"We are very much happy to be able to support and help the people in Sendai. I believe Sendai people are the real champions of the J. League regardless of results or where they finish in the league, they are the champions of all the people in the world. We want to support and help them all the way until they recover from the disaster they experienced.

It's difficult to play so many games in a short time, especially players nursing injuries or who are older ages. Then you add the complication of the the temperature and the humidity, so I have to manage the selection.

I think defensively we were very organised but after about 15 minutes we lost control. Sendai are so powerful and are so hard working as a team. It's hard for any team to play against that. I thought overall we did a very good job especially in the 2nd half.

I always try to play for three points and I tried to win the game in the last 30 minutes and the changes were for that, but unfortunately we couldn't covert the chances we made.

One of the things the fans really like is passion. That's the foundation of all the teams who are successful; they play with passion. I'm hopeful that we can keep improving and I think the results are showing that. With a little more time I think we can make a team that the whole of Japan can be proud of."

Videos

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