“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Sanfrecce Hiroshima have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Hayato Araki was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mutsuki Kato is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
A point taken on 93 minutes is worth exactly one point and considerably more than that to a dressing room. This side does not stop, which is a reputation worth more than the result.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Yu Tsukanome will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Sanfrecce Hiroshima the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Daiju Sasaki and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Marked 7.43 on 15 actions at both ends of the pitch. Midfielders like this get described as unspectacular by people who have never tried to play against one.
A performance of 9.88 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
Squad16 Jun 2031
Sota Nakamura falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Two goals and a mark of 9.09 to go with them. Strikers are judged on afternoons like this one and remembered for far fewer of them than people imagine.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Daniil Dimitrișin will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Sanfrecce Hiroshima the goodbyes have quietly begun.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sanfrecce Hiroshima this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad9 Jun 2031
Mutsuki Kato falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
7‑3, and the margin flattered nobody — it could have carried another goal or two without complaint. Afternoons like this are why people keep coming.
Player ratings26 May 2031
A brace, and Soma Kanda takes the afternoon — 10.00
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Soma Kanda provided it, and the 10.00 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Sanfrecce Hiroshima can pretend not to have heard.
10 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Shonan Bellmare in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
A brace, and Mutsuki Kato takes the afternoon — 8.44
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Mutsuki Kato provided it, and the 8.44 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Sanfrecce Hiroshima is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Ask anyone on the way out what separated the sides and you will get one name: Mutsuki Kato. 5‑4 against Jubilo Iwata, and the applause at the whistle was mostly his.
9 goals in one match, Mutsuki Kato on the scoresheet, and a scoreline that will look like a misprint. Neutrals could not have asked more of Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Jubilo Iwata.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Mutsuki Kato was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Marked 9.04 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Marked 8.59 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Successful dribbles: 34. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
There is an age at which every good afternoon gets described as a throwback, which is unfair and also accurate. 8.18 at 35, and nobody on the pitch was better.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Yuki Kobayashi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Sanfrecce Hiroshima the goodbyes have quietly begun.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Sanfrecce Hiroshima have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
“The easiest signature of my career.” Hayato Araki and Sanfrecce Hiroshima agree another 2 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sanfrecce Hiroshima this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Sota Nakamura was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
A 3‑2 win over Avispa Fukuoka, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
3 straight away victories. Sides that win away are usually sides that can defend and can counter, and the table has begun to reflect what those journeys have earned.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Sanfrecce Hiroshima will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and it is not being withdrawn.
Hayao Kawabe and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mutsuki Kato is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
There is a particular warmth a ground reserves for a 22-year-old it feels ownership of. Nicolò Rota has it now, and everything he does for the rest of his time here will be measured against the goodwill he was handed for free.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Sanfrecce Hiroshima will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Yuki Kobayashi will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Sanfrecce Hiroshima the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Hayao Kawabe was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Marked 10.00 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
Defending was optional and nobody took up the option. 6 goals between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Sagan Tosu, and not one of the people who paid to be there will ask for the money back.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 12 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Sanfrecce Hiroshima will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Sanfrecce Hiroshima they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
5 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Sanfrecce Hiroshima has to find a result from somewhere.
Daiju Sasaki and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Sota Nakamura was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Sanfrecce Hiroshima will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sanfrecce Hiroshima this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad17 Mar 2031
Sota Nakamura falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Two or more conceded in each of the last 4 matches. It is not one mistake repeating itself, which would be the easier thing to fix; it is a different one every week.
The music was off and the showers ran late. What was said in that dressing room stays there, but Saturday will publish the minutes.
The dugout17 Mar 2031
The manager’s verdict
“That is on me. I pick the team and I picked wrong.” Managers say that when they mean it and when they need to be seen to, and after 0‑3 Takefusa Maeda left the room before anybody could ask which.
A bone, which is the one injury with a calendar attached. Sanfrecce Hiroshima will name a return date and, unusually for this business, will probably be right about it.
1‑5 to Nagoya Grampus, and it was every bit as bad as the number suggests. There are defeats you argue about and defeats you apologise for; this was the second kind.
Some afternoons a goalkeeper is the team. 8 saves, several of them the sort nobody expects to see stopped, and a scoreline that flatters everybody in front of him.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Sanfrecce Hiroshima they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sanfrecce Hiroshima this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Successful dribbles: 21. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Sota Nakamura is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Sanfrecce Hiroshima will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Sanfrecce Hiroshima have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Sanfrecce Hiroshima can pretend not to have heard.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Gabriel Mujica will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Sanfrecce Hiroshima the goodbyes have quietly begun.
The offer went to Shonan Bellmare this week and it is theirs to answer. First bids are rarely meant to succeed; they are meant to find out how loud the door closes.
Daiju Sasaki was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad17 Feb 2031
Sota Nakamura falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Vegalta Sendai will keep picking him until June and will get nothing for him after it. Yamato Wakatsuki has pre-agreed a move to Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and the only people who lose in that arrangement are the ones who let the contract run down.
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Sanfrecce Hiroshima will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Hayao Kawabe and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Sanfrecce Hiroshima is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Sota Nakamura is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Not now, not at any price the club was prepared to say out loud. Universidad de Chile have kept their man, and Sanfrecce Hiroshima go back to a list with one name crossed off it.
In brief
The dugoutThe manager makes an example of Soma Kanda
Bones knit. That is the one merciful thing about this injury and the reason Sanfrecce Hiroshima will talk about it more openly than they would about a knee. He will be back, and roughly when they say.
Fee agreed, terms agreed, medical booked. Shion Homma will be somebody else’s player by the weekend, and around Sanfrecce Hiroshima the goodbyes have quietly begun.
Everything agreed with Fiorentina, everything agreed with the player; a doctor is the only person left to persuade. The photograph is a day or two away.
The rules permit it and it stings anyway. Gabriel Mujica has agreed terms with Albirex Niigata for the summer, and until then he pulls on this shirt as a player who has already chosen his next one.
Daiju Sasaki and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Sota Nakamura was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
The deal with Gamba Osaka is done in every sense but the one that puts him on the pitch. Nothing goes wrong at this stage, except on the occasions when it does.
Hayao Kawabe was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Sota Nakamura is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima asked and Santos said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Sanfrecce Hiroshima can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Sanfrecce Hiroshima is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sanfrecce Hiroshima this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Sota Nakamura was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
A conversation in the manager’s office, and a commitment that came out of it. Promises like that are cheap to make and expensive to break, and Soma Kanda has written the date down.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and both men came out saying it was fine.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Sanfrecce Hiroshima can pretend not to have heard.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sanfrecce Hiroshima this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Squad16 Dec 2030
Sota Nakamura falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
A club from his own country has asked the question, and he has never pretended he did not want to be asked. Sanfrecce Hiroshima have a conversation ahead of them that they will not win with money.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Ko Shimura trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sanfrecce Hiroshima this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Sota Nakamura was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“I have tried. I have really tried, and every day I wake up in the wrong place.” Nobody at Sanfrecce Hiroshima can coach that out of a man, and nobody there is pretending to.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Shusuke Ota trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
Nothing in writing and nothing in public: a word about playing time, given face to face at Sanfrecce Hiroshima. The team sheets over the next month will show whether it was worth having.
Hayao Kawabe and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
Squad11 Nov 2030
Sota Nakamura falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Sanfrecce Hiroshima know it.
Every shape has positions in it and this one does not have his. Sanfrecce Hiroshima will either change the shape, change his job, or change his club, and he is waiting to hear which.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Sanfrecce Hiroshima has been clear about where Toya Myogan stands, which is more than many ever get.
“Thirty minutes, door closed, everything said. We shook hands after.” Whatever was in the room stayed in the room, and Ryo Germain trained the next morning like a man with less to carry.
The clubs have agreed terms, and what remains is formality: a medical, a photograph, a signature. Nobody at Sanfrecce Hiroshima is pretending he will be back in the shirt.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and it is not being withdrawn.
Soma Kanda was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad28 Oct 2030
Sota Nakamura falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
“I was told straight, and I would rather have it straight.” The manager at Sanfrecce Hiroshima has been clear about where Kaishin Sekiguchi stands, which is more than many ever get.
He looks like a man who lives here now rather than one who is working here. It took most of a season, and at Sanfrecce Hiroshima the difference is visible from the back of the stand.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and it is not being withdrawn.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sanfrecce Hiroshima this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Sota Nakamura was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
“The manager did not use many words, and he did not need to.” Takumi Tsuchiya has his answer from Sanfrecce Hiroshima; what he does with it is the next window’s story.
5 new signings in one window. Every one may be an upgrade and the side can still be worse for a while, which is the part of a rebuild the verdicts never mention.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and both men came out saying it was fine.
Numbers do not stay secret in a dressing room and never have. He is not asking for more than he is worth; he is asking why somebody beside him is worth more, and at Sanfrecce Hiroshima that is a harder question to answer.
“This is not anger. I have thought about it for months, and nothing that has happened lately changed my mind.” The request is on a desk at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and it is not being withdrawn.
Daiju Sasaki and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Sota Nakamura was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
A player who expected to start watched it instead. The manager will call it a decision for the team; Soma Kanda will call it something else in private.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Sanfrecce Hiroshima can pretend not to have heard.
At 33 he is supposed to be managing his minutes. Instead he was marked 7.93 and looked, for ninety minutes, exactly like the player everybody remembers.
4 matches now without a victory, and the excuses have worn thinner than the patience. Somebody at Sanfrecce Hiroshima has to find a result from somewhere.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Sota Nakamura was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Sanfrecce Hiroshima they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Centre-halves are allowed forward twice a season and are judged on what they do when they get there. Yotaro Nakajima scored, was marked 7.99, and got back before anybody noticed he had gone.
The rules permit it and it stings anyway. Shion Homma has agreed terms with Kashima Antlers for the summer, and until then he pulls on this shirt as a player who has already chosen his next one.
Successful dribbles: 23. He went past people as if he had been told there was a prize for it, and by the end the full-back had stopped pretending to try.
Hayao Kawabe was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad2 Sep 2030
Sota Nakamura falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima asked and Kashiwa Reysol said no without discussing a figure. It is the least ambiguous answer in football and the one clubs most often come back to test.
A brace, and Kento Shiogai takes the afternoon — 9.78
There is a particular kind of quiet from an away end watching one man score twice. Kento Shiogai provided it, and the 9.78 beside his name is if anything generous to everybody else.
The clubs have settled the fee and he has settled his wages. What remains is a medical and a photograph, and around Sanfrecce Hiroshima people have started saying his name in the past tense.
Terms were offered and declined. Whether it was the wages, the role or the town, nobody at Santos is saying, and nobody at Sanfrecce Hiroshima is enjoying the guessing.
Hayao Kawabe was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad5 Aug 2030
Sota Nakamura falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Hayao Kawabe and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad15 Jul 2030
Sota Nakamura falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
“I have given this everything, but my family is not here and neither am I, not really.” A footballer can be coached out of bad form. Nobody has ever been coached out of this, and Sanfrecce Hiroshima know it.
Nobody at Sanfrecce Hiroshima will say this on the record and the team sheets have been saying it for weeks. There is a small group in every squad who get picked when the fixture is difficult, and he has joined it.
In brief
Player ratingsThe one thing Kento Shiogai could not do
104 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Sanfrecce Hiroshima lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Sanfrecce Hiroshima have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Hayao Kawabe and a teammate went at it, and not about football. Training grounds are small places and a long season makes them smaller.
Squad1 Apr 2030
Mutsuki Kato falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
A performance of 8.12 does not come along often, and when it does the rest of the team becomes scenery. He was magnificent.
The dugout1 Apr 2030
The manager’s verdict
“I am not going to get carried away and I will not let them either. It was a good day. There will be harder ones.” Takefusa Maeda kept it short after the 1‑0 win, which is what managers do when they are happy.
“I have nothing bad to say about this place. I just need to be somewhere else.” It is in writing now, which changes what Sanfrecce Hiroshima can pretend not to have heard.
The kind of year that ends with a name being read out in a hall. Sanfrecce Hiroshima had the benefit of it every week and now have the problem of everybody else knowing.
Hayao Kawabe was at the centre of it, and by the time it was pulled apart there were three or four others involved. Training grounds are small places and long seasons make them smaller.
Squad31 Dec 2029
Sota Nakamura falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.
Another week, another link, another denial nobody quite believes. Sanfrecce Hiroshima know the market decides these things, not the back pages — but the back pages are louder.
“It had gone on long enough. I would rather have it out than leave it sitting there.” Ten minutes behind a closed door at Sanfrecce Hiroshima, and both men came out saying it was fine.
61 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Sanfrecce Hiroshima lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
Position 5 on 66 points. Every season is a story and this is the last line of it, and now the club has three months to decide what the next one is about.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sanfrecce Hiroshima this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Mutsuki Kato is at the centre of it, and the squad will now find out whether the standard rises or the pair of them simply stop speaking.
At 22 he is being sung about by people twice his age, which is an affection a signing has to earn over years and a local kid gets for turning up. It is also the hardest thing in football to live up to.
Marked 8.25 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
In brief
Player ratingsNinety minutes of Park Seung-Soo at his very best
The words a physio says slowly. 83 days is what the club will announce and everybody who has heard this diagnosis before knows the number is the least of it: the knee comes back before the player does.
A defender on the scoresheet, which happens rarely enough that everybody in the ground remembers who took the corner. 1 for him, and a mark of 7.59 for the rest of it.
11 home matches unbeaten. Visiting sides arrive already talking about the atmosphere, which is usually the sign that they have half-lost before kickoff.
Marked 10.00 — the sort of number a correspondent writes down twice to be sure. Everything he tried came off, and what he did not try was not worth trying.
6 goals. Both benches spent the second half looking at each other rather than at the pitch. Purists will complain about Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Shonan Bellmare in equal measure; everybody else had a wonderful time.
In brief
Player ratingsNinety minutes of Soma Kanda at his very best
117 days on the estimate, and a long, private, unglamorous year of a rehabilitation nobody watches. Sanfrecce Hiroshima lose a footballer; he loses considerably more than a season.
“Things were said to me before I signed. I am not going to repeat them, but I remember all of them.” Sanfrecce Hiroshima have not answered, which is an answer of sorts.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima had done everything except persuade the man himself. He stays at Santos, and the manager goes back to the drawing board with the money still in the bank.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Sota Nakamura was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
8 without defeat on their own grass. The pitch has not changed; the crowd has — louder earlier, and quicker to sense when the opposition would rather be somewhere else.
In brief
Player ratingsKento Shiogai was on a different afternoon to everybody else
127 days on the announcement, and a year of quiet, unwatched rehabilitation behind it. Sanfrecce Hiroshima lose a player for a season; he loses something harder to name.
22 in and 17 out, and no more changes for months. The manager has what he has, the supporters have their opinion of it, and the table will have the last word.
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Sanfrecce Hiroshima this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Somebody said out loud what several people thought about how hard another man trains, and Sota Nakamura was in the middle of it. The one dressing-room argument that is genuinely about football.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima offered $20.0K; Omiya Ardija said it was not close. The manager will be told the money is still there for the right player, which is what managers are told.
27 goals and a season average of 7.71. Form like that gets noticed well beyond this town.
Match4 Aug 2029
Soma Kanda wins it after the whistle should have gone
92 minutes played. Soma Kanda found the finish in time that only existed because of earlier delays, and Sagan Tosu went from a point to nothing inside one movement.
7 wins on the spin now, and the question has changed from whether the run ends to who ends it. Confidence like this cannot be bought; it has to be earned exactly this way.
$2.8M on the table at Kashiwa Reysol. The manager wanted him, the board agreed a number, and the only voices still to be heard are the ones at the other club.
He left as a boy and has come back still knowing where the away end is. Most signings have to be explained to a town; this one needed a photograph and nothing else.
The chase for Takumi Tsuchiya ended with $500.0K changing hands and Kashiwa Reysol out of reasons to say no. The supporters will judge the fee the only way that matters: on Saturdays.
Hayao Kawabe and a teammate said things this week that will take longer than a week to unsay. It was not about football, and both of them play on Saturday.
Squad6 Aug 2029
Sota Nakamura falls out with a teammate over standards
The oldest argument in any dressing room and the only one that is genuinely about football: one man thinks another is not putting enough in. It is also the row a manager privately does not mind having happened.