During 2019, Shonan Bellmare maintained their J1 League status by the skin of their teeth. Having finished in the relegation playoff spot, Bellmare faced the J2 League’s Tokushima Vortis in the playoff game.
Having gone a goal behind, an equaliser from Temma Matsuda proved to be the Hiratsuka club’s salvation as the match finished 1-1. As league rules dictate that the J2 League side must be victorious to achieve promotion, Bellmare retained their top-flight status.
So this term, it is likely that Bin Ukishima will be hoping that his side fares better after he was promoted from being the side’s assistant manager to manager in the latter stages of last season.
While a 3-2 defeat in the opening game of the 2020 J1 League season against fellow strugglers last term Urawa Red Diamonds was not ideal, there were certainly green shoots at the Shonan BMW Stadium Hiratsuka.
This tactical analysis will highlight three key features and a weakness of Shonan Bellmare’s tactics in their first game of the season before the league’s suspension. The scout report will also use analysis to explain how those tactics could be key this season.
Wide and expansive play
During their opening game of the season against Urawa Reds, Ukishima’s side looked to play as wide and expansive as possible where they could. This was predominantly done through the roles of the two wide midfielders in their 3-5-2 system Toichi Suzuki and Hirokazu Ishihara. When the home side was in possession, the two players would stretch the pitch as wide as possible by hugging the touchlines.
As can be seen in this annotation, with Shonan Bellmare in possession early in the game, both Suzuki and Ishihara look to get as wide as possible quickly. Despite the ball being on the left-hand side of the pitch, Ishihara still moves to hug the touchline on the right-hand side. With the three central midfield players in the 3-5-2 system, the width of their play allowed Bellmare to stretch the Urawa club’s midfield.
As can be seen in this annotation taken seconds before the home side opens the scoring against Urawa Reds, one of the wide midfielders would come slightly narrower when in the final third. When either Suzuki or Ishihara would have possession wide on their flank, the wide midfielder on the opposite side of the pitch would drift narrower into the half-space, to create a front three with the two strikers.
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