13 Mar 2003(Thu)

They say that first impressions are often the best.

If this is so, then Gamba Osaka need to sharpen up if they are to realise their potential and win the J.League championship this season.

I went to Banpaku Stadium on Saturday afternoon to watch the Gamba-Cerezo Nabisco Cup derby match, as it gave me a good opportunity to see two Kansai teams in action before the start of the league season.

I have tipped Gamba to win the championship this year, and will continue to do so, even though they looked a little slow up front.

But two important points emerged from the game.

First, they won, 1-0, without playing well, thanks to a late goal from substitute Matsunami. He must be a wonderful player to have on the bench, as he always tries his best when he gets the chance and is always dangerous.

Second, Gamba did not condede a goal, against a potent Cerezo attack led by new captain Akinori Nishizawa, supported by the precocious Yoshito Okubo, with the veteran Hiroaki Morishima behind and the awkward-to-mark Marcelo Baron coming off the bench.

Gamba's three-man defense stood firm, with the impressive Yamaguchi on the right, Miyamoto in the middle and the under-rated Kiba, the captain, on the left.

Gamba manager Akira Nishino feels his two new South American players, Francisco Arce of Paraguay on the right flank and the Brazilian Galeano in central midfield alongside Endo, will be a big improvement on last year's duo: Marcelinho Carioca and Fabinho.

Arce, who has a very similar running style to the Marinos-bound Cafu, will torment defenses with his free kicks, corners and crosses this year, and the big center forward Magrao should profit immensely from this service. Araiba will also provide quality crosses from the left, so Gamba will be able to attack with width on both sides.

Asian Games hero Satoshi Nakayama impressed for Gamba when he came on, working hard down the left wing, but Gamba missed the spark of Yoshihara.

Yoshihara, once described by Philippe Troussier as the Romario of Japan for his penalty-box prowess, is a dynamic, aggressive player, who is a real handful for opposition defenses.

When he is in top condition he will help Gamba's cause a lot.

As for Cerezo, a 0-0 draw would have been an encouraging result, but Matsunami's late, scrambled goal spoiled everything.

I was very impressed with the Cerezo midfielder Kudo, who has a good touch on the ball and always takes the easy passing option when he has possession.

So often players attempt an ambitious or adventurous pass, which may come off once in 10 attempts, but Kudo prefers the shorter, simpler pass. I am sure his manager, Nishimura, prefers the easy option, too.

Late in the game, Kudo dropped back to right-back, and he was beaten by Futugawa before the Gamba playmaker crossed into the middle for Matsunami's goal.

It was a cruel ending for Kudo and Cerezo, but this is the difference between J1 and J2, and they know they must concentrate and contest every ball ferociously for the whole game.

Gamba are good enough to win the championship, but need a fully-fit Yoshihara in the forward line.

ends