he Kanagawa derby between
2020 champions Kawasaki
Frontale and 2019 champions
Yokohama F. Marinos tops the bill
on the opening day of the 2021
J.League season on February 26.
But the question inJapan today is not which but if
any club can catch Kawasaki, who swept all before
them to win their third title in four seasons in
record-breaking form in last year’s punishing,
tightly squeezedJ.League schedule.
The big changes at Kawasaki for 2021 are in
midfield, where longstanding playmaker Kengo
Nakamura has retired and versatile defensive
midfielder Hidemasa Morita, now 25 and knocking
hard on the national team door, has left for Santa
Clara in Portugal. Morita’s main replacement to
anchor midfield is former Sao Paulo and Rio Ave
midfielderJoao Schmidt (27), who has more than
proven his worth at Nagoya Grampus during the
past two seasons.
While Kawasaki blinked in 2019, Yokohama’s title
year, Yokohama have enjoyed a wild roller-coaster
ride in their first three seasons under former
Australia coach Ange Postecoglou. They only
avoided the relegation play-offs on goal difference
in 2018, won the title in nearly invincible form at
the finish in 2019, and, as defending champions,
crawled back to wind up ninth last year after
spending most of the first half of the season in the
bottom half of the table. Yokohama have brought in
two new Brazilians to firm up midfield, Elber (28)BOLIVIA:Club Bolivar become
a part of the City Football Group.
ENGLAND:Sheffield United win
their first Premier League game of
the season, beating Newcastle1-0.
WednesdayJanuary 13
KUWAIT:Kuwait SC come from a
goal down to beat Al Qadsia 2-1 in
extra-time to win their third Kuwait
Crown Prince Cup in a row.
ThursdayJanuary 14
CANADA:MLS side Montreal
Impact change their name
to Club de Foot Montreal.
FridayJanuary 15
NEW ZEALAND:Auckland City
announce that they will withdraw
from the FIFA Club World Cup
due to quarantine measures.
ENGLAND:Former Arsenal and
Minnesota Kicks goalkeeper Geoff
Barnett passes away aged 74.
SaturdayJanuary 16
ENGLAND:West Bromwich Albionbeat Wolves 3-2 in the first derby
between the sides since 2012.
SundayJanuary 17
ENGLAND:The top-of-the-table
Premier League clash between
Liverpool and Manchester United
ends 0-0. Later, Manchester City
thump Crystal Palace 4-0.
ITALY:At the top of Serie A, Inter
seal a vital 2-0 win overJuventus.
MondayJanuary 18
ENGLAND:Bournemouth re-signformer Arsenal and England
midfielderJack Wilshere.
TuesdayJanuary 19
GERMANY:Bayer Leverkusen
go second in the Bundesliga with
a 2-1 victory over Dortmund.
WednesdayJanuary 20
ITALY:Juventus beat Napoli 2-0
to win their ninth Italian Super Cup.
ENGLAND:Manchester City go
top of the Premier League with
a 2-0 win over Aston Villa.J.League
preview
Last season’s runaway
leaders are strong favourites
to seal back-to-back titlesT
from Bahia and Leo Ceara (26) from Vitoria, but
have a lot of ground to make up.
The main challenge to Kawasaki is expected
to come rather from Gamba Osaka, runners-up
last season in both the league and Emperor’s Cup
and still looking to go a step further under 2020
J.League Manager of the Year Tsuneyasu Miyamoto.
Gamba lost their main striker, Ademilson, at the
end of last season, his contract revoked after a
hit-and-run drink-driving incident, but have found
an in-form replacement in tall Leandro Pereira (29),
third in the 2020 scoring rankings with15 goals in
26 games for Sanfrecce Hiroshima.
With attacking midfielder Tiago Alves (28) also
joining fromJeonbuk Hyundai Motors, Patric and
Takashi Usami still there, plus Olympic hopeful
Kazunari Ichimi (23) back from his loan to
Yokohama FC, Gamba have plenty of exciting
options in the attack.
Besides, Gamba have also acquired South Korea
midfielderJu Se-jong (30) from FC Seoul, the
player best remembered for robbing Manuel Neuer
and providing the 75-yard feed for Son Heung-minJapan
MIKE PLASTOWHolders...Kawasaki
Frontale added the
Emperor’s Cup to
their trophy haul
on New Year’s DayPostecoglou...
Yokohama F.
Marinos boss