[Analytical Cuisine]Niigata is in danger of losing 19th place in the J2 relegation, but if the total number of shots is enough to be sixth in the league – Analytical Cuisine – Soccer Column: Nikkan Sports

July 6, 2025 at 10:53

◇Round 23◇Day 5◇Sanga S

J1 Albirex Niigata lost 1-2 away on the 5th, losing to Kyoto Sanga FC, suffering a four-game losing streak. Compared to the match against Machida on June 29th, when the team lost 0-4, each player had a strong struggle, including offense and defense at the ball. In the 29th minute of the first half, midfielder Danilo Gomez scored a spectacular mid-range shot with his left foot to take the lead. However, five minutes later, they took advantage of a momentary gap and conceded a goal, and they were taken from the counter in the extra time of the first half, when they were attacking.

The final line where defender Inamura Junsho transferred to Celtic (Scottish) was 40-year-old defender Chiba Kazuhiko started for the first time in 16 games, and there was no registered defender on the bench. The kitchen situation is severe, with multiple goals conceded in four consecutive games, conceded a total of 12 goals. The passing success rate was also low for Niigata, at 74%.

He is 19th in the J2 relegation zone with 19 points remaining. They are one point behind last place Yokohama. Although it is in a difficult situation, if you interpret the data positively, it doesn't seem like everything is wrong. The total number of shots in the 218 league matches the sixth place in the league, and is able to close to the goal.

Manager Irie cited the “quality at the end” as a challenge, and in order to improve the accuracy of his shot, he said, “how to move the ball at the previous stage.” How good can you shoot? We believe that doing so will improve our decisiveness, but at the same time, it will also be necessary to improve the shooting skills of each player.[Ishikawa Hidekazu](Nickan Sports.com/Soccer Column “Analytical Cooking”)