13 Apr 2009(Mon)

April 9, 2009: A league table is not supposed to lie, and Nagoya Grampus are top of Group E at the halfway stage of the AFC Champions League.

With five points in the bag from three unbeaten games, Grampus are in a good position to clinch one of the two qualifying places for the round of 16.

But manager Dragan Stojkovic will no doubt feel that his team are lucky to be at the top of the table, and will not be fooled by their lofty position in a tight group involving teams from the big four of Japan, Korea, China and Australia.

Grampus have failed to win either of their home games to date, drawing with both Beijing and Newcastle, and have two away games among their last three fixtures.

One thing is for sure: there is going to be no room for experimentation or rotation in the second half of the campaign, after such a poor showing in the 1-1 home draw with Newcastle Jets in midweek.

The team looked very different from the one that finished third in J1 last season, with Tanaka in at right back, Takeuchi on the left in place of Abe, and Davi and Hanai up front.

Tamada started on the bench, along with a couple of unsung heroes in the swashbuckling centre half Masukawa and “volante” Yoshimura, and Grampus took a long time to get going.

They lacked intensity and motivation from the start, and it was no surprise they fell behind so early when Tarek Elrich reacted quicker than any Grampus defender to poke home a loose ball after Narazaki had parried a low shot against his right post.

Narazaki, however, can be excused of all blame for his team’s below-par display in the first half, as there is not much he can do from his position to stir them into life..

There were long periods of silence at Mizuho Stadium as the home team spluttered and gave the ball away, and the poker face of Pixy told its own story in the dug-out..

He wanted some fire, some passion and some pace, and turned to Tamada to provide it in place of Hanai for the second half. This had the desired effect, and it was Tamada who pulled his team level with a Shunsuke-style free kick that was much too good for the visiting keeper.

Grampus may have ended the day on top of Group E, but Stojkovic knows his team must show much more urgency and concentration if they are to stay there, or finish in the top two.

ends