Japan has always been a powerhouse in the global women’s game, with the Asian nation producing some outstanding talent over the years, and they remain the only country from their continent to get their hands on the Women’s World Cup trophy (having achieved that feat back in 2011).
Central to that has been the strength of their domestic pyramid, with their top-flight (the WE League) regarded particularly highly and responsible for launching the careers of several world stars, including Roma Femminile duo Saki Kumagai and Moeka Minami, Manchester City Women’s Yui Hasegawa and retired former Aston Villa Women and Arsenal Women midfielder Mana Iwabuchi.
As a result, there is always a great deal of excitement and anticipation whenever a new season gets underway, and the 2023/24 campaign has not disappointed in that regard. There have been individual and team performances aplenty to savour, and one team that has really caught the eye has been Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies. The Saitama-based side have been the team to beat for a period of time now, and their recently acquired second consecutive league title was well-deserved, giving them two reasons to celebrate after also lifting the AFC Women’s Club Championship trophy at the weekend for the first time, having seen off South Korean champions Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels Women in the final.
With that in mind, this tactical analysis will take a closer look at Urawa’s game plan to see why Naoki Kusunose’s side have been such formidable opponents, with it clear that they are a force to be reckoned with in any competition that they enter. The analysis will break down the tactics that have been present in so much of their play and will shine a light on the players who have been instrumental in making the current season one to remember.
Positional flexibility
Japanese tactics have long been based on teams retaining possession for extended periods of play and moving the ball around the pitch at a continual speed. It is clear when watching Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies that they, too, want to play at a high tempo and control the flow of their matches.
However, whilst they are more than happy to make the ball do the work, there is a key demand for player to also move around the field, with a lot of their build-up play characterised by constant positional alterations.
This is something that every player in the team has really bought into as the campaign has gone on, none more so than the two full-backs, Yu Endo and Yuki Mizutani. Both have constantly been seen moving up the field whenever Urawa have had possession and acting as additional midfielders, and that has then allowed Urawa to push more numbers into the final third and so gives them a greater chance of making their opportunities count.
What is important to note, though, is that both players don’t move forward at the same time, with the risk of doing so being that the two centre-backs are left too exposed should possession be lost. As a result, one moves forward, and the other stays back, which then allows Urawa to both support attacks but also leave themselves with enough protection behind to stave off the threat of counterattacks. In this case, it is Endo who has made the move forward, with her recognising the long clearance up the field made by Cerezo Osaka Yanmar Ladies defender Riko Tsutsui and moving to intercept the ball before it can be met by any of the opposing team’s players.
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