As the B team continues to struggle, there is an upcoming match with Musashino where Tachibana used to play. To make matters worse, they run into both Nakkano and Kaneda who now play for Musashino. Though Kaneda has a chip on his shoulder against Ashito. While it is clear that his beef is a little over the top, it is clear that he is much more motivated than he was in tryouts.
One thing that clicks for Ashito in playing defense is communication. He makes a great play when he communicates and makes an error when he doesn’t communicate. Coach Nozomi showing once more he is a great coach when he gets Ashito to understand his mistake. We even see Togashi and Takeshima make a huge error when they fail to communicate. Ashito even commenting on this shows he is grasping things at a great rate.
In the match, we get to see Team A’s captain Kenta Yoshitsune show what the difference in skill is between Team A and B even if he is coming off an injury. He can dribble in various 1-on-1s, and if Team B players were better skilled, more opportunities would be available. The fact that Yoshitsune is aware of their limitations is pretty insightful on the aspects that Ashito himself needs to improve.
Yoshitsune complimenting Ashito is a pretty big deal because it’s clear that team A has taken notice of Ashito. Of course he has a long way to go at this point, but hearing Yoshitsune say he is on his own path is pretty inspiring. While Ashito’s passion in being the best forward is more than fine. It is a reminder Ashito has skills that others can only dream of having. More likely, Fukuda wants to maximize Ashito’s potential.
Towards the end of the match, the fact that Ashito did not take the shot when he did is interesting. As Ashito is trying to open up his options, he sees Togashi and provides an assist to them. It prompts Fukuda asking him why he didn’t shoot and why did Ashito pass? Interesting that Ashito face looks dejected; it shows his passion is still to score. Well, it’s going to require steady progress and won’t happen overnight. The opportunity to move up to the A team would be huge for Ashito.
With all this being said, it is even more curious that Ashito noticed that Tachibana is offside. While this shows the improvement by Ashito at the same time, it’s concerning for Tachibana. The fact that he requested not to play against his former team is even more concerning.
