12 Apr 2007(Thu)

April 10, 2007: Judging by events at Ajinomoto Stadium on Saturday, Albirex Niigata have built a tidy team as they continue to establish themselves in the top flight.

The former JEF United stalwart Sakamoto had a particularly impressive afternoon in the 3-1 defeat of FC Tokyo, making life extremely uncomfortable for one of my favourite young players, Inoha.

Sakamoto used to play all over the place for JEF, such was his versatility on either flank, in defence or in midfield, but with Albirex he has settled into the left back slot in an orthodox back four.

With the explosive Shingo Suzuki in front of him, this is a dangerous combination, and Inoha's lack of natural pace was exposed at right back in Tokyo's four-man defence. I would prefer to see Inoha in the centre of defence or in defensive midfield, where his qualities can really shine through.

Sakamoto opened the scoring for Albirex with a lovely little goal, robbing the ball from a floundering Kawaguchi as easily as taking candy off a baby. Kawaguchi had come back to help out Inoha, but got himself into all sorts of trouble -- and Sakamoto saw his moment and pounced ruthlessly like a praying mantis. It was all over in a blur.

There is a bit of height in the Albirex team, too, notably the two central defenders, Nagata and Chiyotanda, and striker Yano. It is easy to see why national coach Osim has had a look at Yano, as he never stops running and always seems to find some space. He reminds me a bit of TBS's favourite footballer Kubo -- raw and unpredictable, awkward for opponents to mark.

On the foreign player front, Silvinho conducts the Albirex midfield and controlled the game against Tokyo, while the sturdy Edmilson is top quality in attack. He scored once and could have had a couple more, and he remains crucial to the team's future.

The third foreign player is Marcio Richardes, formerly of Sao Caetano, and he looked lively on the right side of midfield, cutting in towards goal.

Unlike Tokyo, Albirex kept their shape as a team and passed the ball accurately; Silvinho was at the centre of everything -- including Tokyo's consolation goal when he turned in Norio Suzuki's cross from the left.

Yes, Albirex looked a confident and well organised team. Not championship-winning material, but one that should be able to stay closer to the top of the table than the bottom and give any opponent a decent game, home or away.

The final word must go to the Albirex keeper, Kitano. Without wanting to exaggerate, he produced a truly world-class save at the end to deny Lucas. Tokyo's cultured Brazilian forward thought his curling shot from the edge of the box was in all the way, but Kitano, at full stretch, pushed it over the bar with his right hand.

It was a magnificent save, a candidate for Save of the Season if the J.League or one of the TV companies had such a competition.

ends