2012: The year so far...

The two words automatically pop into my mind to describe the Reds' season so far in 2012 would have to be "improved" and "stability". With the past few years that we have had; I'm not going to complain with how 2012 is travelling along.

Roughly one-third into the season and we appear to be sitting pretty in fifth place on the J-1 ladder. I know that FC Tokyo and Nagoya has a game in hand but I feel as though we have turned a corner from previous years.

Stability - Petrovic 2.0 has so far worked. From implementing a 3-6-1 formation to the players that he brought in; they have all played a part. The thing that has made the biggest difference is that there is no longer the tension lingering throughout the club. It seems that Petrovic 2.0 has taken ownership of the performance on the pitch and created a new belief .

Improved - Not so much the results, but rather the overall performance of the team. Last year especially we couldn't seem to find our direction and was playing like a rudderless ship. Players like Kashiwagi and Richardes were playing below expectations and no one could really provide that spark; with the exception of possibly Haraguchi.

I know I was against the signing when we signed Popo earlier this year (click), but I would have to admit that I might have to take a rethink of my thoughts. I'm not going to say that signing Popo was a good one, but the expectation of the signing has changed. When we signed a striker, my expectation was goals goals goals, which is something that he hasn't accomplished. He has however brought the best out of Richardes, been a teddy-bear for him as such and so far it has worked.

One thing that I would like to see changed (and could be because I'm an Aussie) is to see Spiranovic in the starting XI instead of Tsuboi. Heck it would be good to see Spira in the squad. To make me sound less Aussie-centric, I would rather have either Hamada or Spira in the XI rather then Tsuboi. It might be at the wrong place at the wrong time, but most of the goals that we have conceeded, Tsuboi seems to be at fault. (I admit that I might be biased).

The job is far from being complete, but I'm glad that we are now at least pointed in the right direction. Lets see what the final two-thirds of the season has install for us.

The many faces of Naoki Yamada

Thought this was hilarious! Wishing you a speedy recovery Naoki.

So how about these Reds...

Guess what?

Besides the fact that the Reds are winning? There is life yet in this blog. For those following this blog, I do apologise for the long silence. As I have mentioned previously time and time again, this blog is my labour of love and sometimes I just can't find the time for it.

When I first started this blog information on the Urawa Red Diamonds were not so easy to find in English. So as a way to improve my Japanese; I'd translate as much Japanese as I can to bring you news and information on the Reds to you in English. But now as the J-League has become much more popular and news on it (and the Reds) have become more readily available. Even if it comes in Japanese there are programs that translate it to English.

So does that mean it is the end of urdblog? Yes and no. Unfortunately I'm not able to give weekly updates on games etc like I use to; slightly too time consuming for my life right now. But I'm still very much passionate about my Urawa Red Diamonds to kill off this blog totally so I will continue to give my opinion on all things Urawa Reds; put in my 2 cents here and there. I am still on twitter (@urdblog) where you can follow me and I will try my best to keep you updated.

Thank you all so much for your support over the past few years; wasn't easy being a Reds supporter but it never is easy. Remember though...

WE ARE REDS!

Retro gone wrong

Who looks forward the day the new jersey is released? I can't be the only one that gets excited when this happens? Either way, that day was today. The Urawa Red Diamonds have unveiled the 2012 jerseys, all three of them (plus the goalkeepers jerseys). Yes that's right, this year we're going to have the usual home and away jerseys, but also a third alternative jersey.

The home jersey is something I'm not that fond of, but it might grow on me. With 2012 being the 20th year, a lot of J-League teams have gone "retro". Our jersey though is more "retro gone wrong". Something about just doesn't seem right, but like i said, I might grow on me (if i see it enough times).

The away (black & blue) and third (white & red) jerseys on the other hand, I do like. Yes it is similar to that of Juventus' pink "star" jersey and having an away jersey that is black and blue is similar to that of Manchester United but it's something different. The only thing I would change is possibly having black with a red diamond as the away colours (rather then blue), but overal I'm satisfied. 

I've mentioned to several people that I would give this season's jersey a miss, but after seeing the away jersey, I might be tempted to purchase one. Question is though, whos jersey should I sport? If Genki gets the number 9, it would have been an easy choice, but it looks as though he would remain in the 24. I'm tossing up between #3 Ugajin, #5 Takahashi, #7 Umesaki or #8 Kashiwagi? Must wait until the official numbers are released though. Your input/help is always appreciated!

How to line up in 2012

I know that the year is still young, but it's never too early to imagine. So with that in mind, I thought I'd have a go and imagine how the Reds will line up come the start of the season. Between now and the the start of the season, there are things I haven't accounted for (ie. new signings or injuries), but if the season was to start to day...I would go with one of the following (I wasn't able to decide on or the other).

Formation: 3-6-1
--------------------Kato---------------------
-------Spira---Nagata---Makino-------
--Takahashi--------------------Ugajin--
--------------------Keita--------------------
--------Kashiwagi-------Naoki---------
------------------Richardes---------------
--------------------Genki-------------------

Petrovic 2.0 was known to run the 3-6-1 formation at Hiroshima. If that was to continue this year, I think we'd look like the above. This allows for us to play a back three of Spiranovic-Nagata-Makino, we would play mainly through the middle of the park, with Takahashi and Ugajin running the flanks and Genki upfront. Keeping the ball on the ground would be the primary focus here, with the arial attack would be from one of the back three pushing up. 

Formation: 4-3-3
-------------------Kato---------------------
Takahashi--Spira--Makino--Ugajin
-------------------Keita--------------------
--------Kashiwagi----Naoki------------
-----------------------------------------------
---Umesaki-----Ranko-------Genki---

This looks more familiar with how we lined up last year, but having Umesaki and Genki on the wing we looked potent in 2011. I know senior management would want to find a place for Richardes, so that might mean either Naoki or Umesaki will be coming off the bench. Also, either Spiranovic, Makino or Nagata will sit on the bench alongside Hamada, which would still be a solid CB combination (no more Tsuboi or Nobu Yamada at CB?!). Not 100% confident with Ranko upfront, but I'd rather him then Popo.

On to some transfer news; the media still can't make up it's mind whether Yuki Abe is returning or not. If Abe does return, does our team captain lead from the bench or will Petrovic 2.0 install a new captain?

The need for a striker

As I have been saying over and over; we need a striker who can produce goals. For a while now, it's been our biggest need, there has been attempts to fill that need but we're still looking. The big question though is who can we bring in or is there anyone from within who can feel that need? Well lets have a look.

Firstly, lets have a look at who we have from within our current squad.

Tatsuya Tanaka has been hit by injuries the last couple of years and even when healthy hasn't produced goals on a consistant basis. Tanaka is more of a winger rather then an out and out striker though, and lacks the size to be a "target" up front.

Sergio Escudero has been around for a while but is still only 23 years old. For all the promise he has shown throughout the years, there has been as much disappointment. A goal scorer though he hasn't been. Sergio has always been on the fringe of the starting XI but just hasn't been able to stake his claim. Maybe this year with a lack of striker, could be the year for Sergio to shine?

Genki Haraguchi was our top scorer in 2011 but wasn't deployed as our primary striker, rather playing on the wing. Can he play more central to be the primary target? Does he lack the size? Think Lionel Messi. I don't want to compare Genki with Leo (Leo is smaller then Genki) but just to give you an idea of the possibilities. Genki was our "x-factor" in 2011 and wouldn't be surprised if nothing changes in 2012. I do believe that Genki will one day be our "number 9", but is 2012 too soon?

Ranko Despotovic was brought into the fold only 6 months ago and hasn't delivered the goals. The signs has shown that he is capable and has the ideal size. Ranko was the top scorer in the Yamazaki Nabisco Cup, where he scored 4 goals in 5 appearance. So Ranko can score goals and if he can bring his league cup form into the J-League all this need for a new striker will be over. The biggest question is can he?

Finally there's Adilson Ferreira de Souza (Popo). As I have mentioned before I don't know if we brought him in to score goals or to be Richardes "teddy bear". I have no doubt he will be given the opportunity but whether he will deliver is the biggest question. Do I see Popo scoring 10 goals for us in 2012? No, but hopefully I'm proven wrong because if I am there would be alot of happy people in Red.

So are the above players the answer? If they aren't who can we bring in? We've tried to lure Kazuma Wantanabe, Mike Havenaar and Tadanari Lee; but they all rejected us. So who else is left? One of the biggest "circumstance" we have to consider is that the striker has to be a local player. We already have the 3+1 internationals, ironically 2 of them are strikers. So lets see who's out there? (Please note that more then likely the following players are contacted to their current clubs and have zero to no chance of joining the Reds).

Yohei Toyoda was the top scorer for the J2 in 2011 with Sagan Tosu. But then again Hiroyuki Takasaki was J2's top scorer in 2009 with Mito Hollyhock and the proceeding two years only scored 3 goals for us. Was it due to the lack of opportunity or something else? Toyoda is a less likely option as he is moving to the J1 with Sagan Tosu. (Update: Only fully transfered to Sagan Tosu this off season)

Kensuke Nagai is the third option up front at Nagoya; behind Kennedy and Tamada. To get more J1 opportunities, would Nagoya consider loaning Nagai to the Reds?

So what are our chances for claiming a striker or should we expect to go with who we have? We all know that Petrovic 2.0 wanted Tadanari Lee, so does that mean he's not happy with our current crop of strikers? Will Popo be more then just Richardes' teddy bear? There are many questions regarding our strikers, but only time will tell how it pans out.

For me personally, I'd like to see how Genki pans out has our target up front. How about you?

Not sure about this one

As I have been continually saying this off season, we need a stiker, and now that we have signed Adilson Ferreira de Souza (Popo) from Vissel Kobe, I will continue to state our need for a striker. Popo, at best, is a mediocre striker.

To be honest, I'm not sure whether we brought Popo in to score goals or to keeps Marcio Richardes happy. Both Richardes and Popo are from Andradina, Brazil (a city in Sao Paulo) and are childhood friends. It's no secret that Richardes didn't perform well for the Reds in 2011, so would bringing in someone to keep him "happy" off the field improve his performance on it? Popo could be a name for a teddy bear right?

I do hope that I'm proven wrong regarding Popo because we need a goal scorer, but to see Popo score 10 goals this year, now that would be a miracle!

On to other transfer news; Kazuki Hara has been loaned out to Kyoto Sanga FC for the season and the return of Yuki Abe is still in the balance. Depending on where you read, Yuki Abes return would be finalised over the next few days, or Abe has no idea regarding the move. Let's see what happens...