2 Jul 2009(Thu)

July 1, 2009: What a letdown, Kawasaki Frontale and Nagoya Grampus being drawn together in the AFC Champions League quarter-finals.

It was a similar feeling to when two English teams have to play each other in the UEFA Champions League; you wish for something different, a new challenge against a team from a different country rather than another couple of matches against opponents they meet on a regular basis anyway.

I was really hoping that the two J.League clubs would be kept apart in Monday’s draw, and that Japan would have had a chance to get both teams through to the semi-finals. It could also have meant that Japan would not be represented at all in the last four, nor, more importantly, in the final at Tokyo National Stadium on November 7 – but it was a chance worth taking as I have faith and confidence in the J.League teams.

On a purely practical level, at least Japan will have one team in the semi-finals, and on current form you would have to say Frontale are the favourites to win through this two-leg quarter-final against Grampus.

Frontale, remember, were the first J.League club to advance to the knockout stages of the ACL, clinching their place in the last eight before Reds in 2007, when Urawa would go on to win the title.

On that occasion, Frontale went out of the competition without losing a game, drawing both legs against Sepahan of Iran before losing a penalty shootout at Todoroki.

Two years on they look much stronger and have more self-belief, and should have too much firepower for a Grampus team struggling to match the consistency of last season. Josh Kennedy, the towering Australian striker signed from Karlsruhe, will add a new dimension to their play, and give the Frontale defence plenty to think about, but overall Kawasaki look better equipped to win this one.

The feeling within Asia is that if you can stop Kengo Nakamura you can stop Frontale, but this is way off the mark in my opinion and fails to recognise the talent in that team, and the threat in the air, on the ground and down the wings. Kengo is a key player, of course, but there is much more to Frontale’s game than the smooth-operating playmaker  --  greatly admired by JEF United Chiba boss Alex Miller.

There is no chance of Dragan Stojkovic putting all his eggs in one basket and focusing solely on stopping Kengo, as he knows as well as anyone there is much more to Frontale’s game. In his second season as Grampus manager, the young Serb will need everything he has learnt so far to come out on top of this one when the two teams meet on September 23 and September 30.

ends