Quite the surprise for Kuroda to put his body on the line to stop the goal. As we have seen, Takeshima and now Kuroda two players who Togashi has had beef with. Nozomi’s words to Togashi might be the most crucial because what motivates you doesn’t matter. Some people are motivated by pride, money, winning, etc. At the end of the day, the most important thing is staying motivated and pushing forward. As Ashito mentions, the focus on winning is important.
Fukuda’s words with Nozomi are interesting because there are many times when we can see he is a great coach. In fact, he is puzzled by Fukuda because his methods don’t necessarily make sense from a coach’s POV. However, Fukuda’s words on the difference between a teacher and a coach are important. Sometimes you need to be more direct and teach them where to go. Sometimes players like Togashi won’t do that without being direct. Seeing Nozomi willing
The big change in the 2nd half is Togashi is the one responsible for defending Kaneda. As Nozomi illustrates, Togashi’s intensity towards defending is great, but his size, where he is at, is where he can be in trouble. When someone his size matches up against someone smaller, well, it isn’t a surprise if the refs blow the whistle. But he is on the path to doing great things, and him keeping at that will very likely get him on the A team, where his defensive capabilities will no doubt be of great use. Togashi puts up a great performance and can shut down Kaneda. As he is a player, Togashi can use his size to its full capabilities.
Ashito’s impact really is felt first with the diagonal run. It’s more so the point that so many options are opening up that a mix-up like this one is very much effective. Ashito’s impact has taken the deadly defensive press of Musashino and created chaos. Even allowing himself to score. Now we go Kuroda, Ashito, Togashi and Ootomo all joining the A team, which is great. Although nothing for Tachibana.
