It’s interesting for the A team at Esperion a challenge for them is filling in the starters who will be away in the international matches. As 4 players end up getting called up for the matches in the Czech Republic. The players end up being Yoshitsune, Yamada, Takasugi and surprisingly Akutsu. The fact that Akutsu got selected really speaks to how capable he is as a player. Granted the gap between him and Ashito speaks for itself.
It’s interesting how the air in the room differs from before and after it is noted that Akutsu is going, but Kiriki doesn’t end up going. We know how Akutsu has not had any desire in being a mentor. Interestingly the same could be said for Kiriki. There is no doubt Akutsu can be a toxic teammate. But still its clear that Kiriki wasn’t expecting Akutsu to be selected over him. Not that he has been nominated captain in the meantime how does he respond is critical.
Ashito’s dilemma with Hana continues. Ashito is still young, but we know how much Hana’s support means for him. Hana fills a different void for him that Anri has, which is why the talk Anri has to Hana that Ashito gets off his game. Although that’s not exactly fair for Hana. Hana’s presence has a presence of support similar to Ashito’s brother and mom. While Anri is closer as one of the guys for Ashito. Which is part is due to how much she loves soccer compared to someone like Hana.
Makes sense for Fukuda to ask for Nozomi to come watch the match against the first years in the match. After all Nozomi has spent extensive time with them coaching them on the B team. It’s interesting how their practice leading up to the match leads them. It’s a very fundamental style of defense, but with the flaw of playing too safe. For instance pushing the ball out of bounds rather than stealing it. Which is why you see the time of possession much more in favor of Tokyo Vans Youth.
It’s good to see Togashi seeing the flaw in their safe play of defense and encouraging them to push forward. One big important part of defense is giving the offense an opportunity to attack and score. In any sport time of possession can be a big factor in who wins. To also add Akiyama mentions vertical distance as it is an important factor in defense as space on the field isn’t just horizontal with the defenders. It also gives a better position to initiate their offense.
Kiriki really shows his talent as a playmaker. As it shows the clear technical talent gap compared to the first years. Although you can tell that Fukuda notices the selfish play from him. We can see what ends up causing the first score that Esperion lets up at the end of the volume. Kiriki not trusting his teammates when he needed to caused him to be trapped. It’s clear that Tokyo Van Youth coach noticed that and was able to capitalize on it. Now the question is what does Fukuda do because the first years are doing a really good job and it’s the captain who is not holding up his play to standard?
