The Vissel Kobe Gazette
Squad7 Oct 2030
Houssem Bayoud keeps the receipts
“I remember the meeting. I remember exactly what was promised in it.” Vissel Kobe may remember it differently, which is precisely the problem.
Squad7 Oct 2030
Tetsushi Yamakawa stays put
“The easiest signature of my career.” Tetsushi Yamakawa and Vissel Kobe agree another 3 years, and the manager can plan around him rather than about him.
Player ratings7 Oct 2030
Nothing got past Seiya Baba
24 defensive actions and a clean sheet at the end of them. A defender's afternoon can only be told by what did not happen, which is why nobody makes a highlights package out of one and every manager in the division would take it.
Boardroom7 Oct 2030
Vissel Kobe to lose Austin Ludwik for free
There is no worse way to lose a footballer. Austin Ludwik has pre-agreed a move away, which means every appearance between now and June is made by a man the club can no longer sell, and somebody upstairs will be asked why the contract was allowed to get here.
Squad7 Oct 2030
Yosuke Ideguchi in a row with a teammate
It was not about football and everybody who saw it knows that. Two men who have to play together on Saturday said things at Vissel Kobe this week that will take longer than a week to unsay.
Market7 Oct 2030
Austin Ludwik has one foot out of the door
Terms are settled between the clubs and the rest is paperwork and a photograph. Around Vissel Kobe they have already started talking about him in the past tense.
Squad7 Oct 2030
Words at Vissel Kobe training over how hard people work
Somebody said out loud what several people had been thinking. Tetsushi Yamakawa 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.
Match5 Oct 2030
Vissel Kobe get the job done against Albirex Niigata
A 1‑0 win over Albirex Niigata, earned rather than given, and the sort of afternoon that sends everyone home talking about next week instead of this one.
Player ratings7 Oct 2030
Ali Lajami shuts the door
Defensive actions: 17, and a clean sheet at the end of it. A centre-half's best afternoons look like nothing happening, which is precisely the point.
In brief
- Player ratings Nobody could get near Yu Tsukanome
- Market Raheem Edwards brings the grey hairs Vissel Kobe lacked
- Player ratings Nothing got past Takuya Iwanami