A 'Baptista' of fire for Nelsinho
July 22, 2009: The manager out, the team next to bottom of the table, a home defeat in their most recent game and a key defender dismissed and now suspended...
On the surface of it things look bleak at Hitachi-dai, home of Kashiwa Reysol.
But if you stand back for a moment and look at the big picture, there is still plenty of time for Reysol to turn it round and avoid another relegation.
Even though the 2-0 defeat at home to Gamba left them with just 15 points from 18 games, they are only four points from safety and seven points out of 11th place. With 16 games remaining there are more than enough points available to scramble up the table, and their situation is by no means as desperate as JEF United's was last season.
The man they have turned to is Nelsinho Baptista, formerly of Verdy and Grampus and, at one point, close to being the coach of the national team.
The Brazilian's first job will be to tighten up the defence, as Reysol's goal difference of minus 18 could be a factor in whether they stay up or go down at the end of the season. And I don't just mean the back four, but Reysol's defensive work throughout the team, especially in the centre of midfield where they are particularly lightweight.
Nelsinho will be looking for someone to hold the team together in that critical area, and allow the more attack-minded members of the squad to flourish.
The new coach will have seen already that he has an abundance of decent forwards, from the eccentric Franca to the dangerous Popo, from the honest graft of the workhorse Kitajima (so unlucky not to score with his adventurous snap shot that hit the bar against Gamba) to the tricks and flair of the youngster Otsu, and from the speed and energy of Lee to the bustling runs and shooting power of Suganuma.
The raw materials are there for goals, but Nelsinho will have to find the right combination and make sure everyone is playing for the team and not for themselves.
The last team he would have wanted to face on his Reysol coaching debut, though, would be Antlers -- and Antlers away. But at least this "Baptism of Fire" will give him an idea of the difference between top and bottom, and the task in hand for the rest of the campaign.
ends
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