Machida Zelvia’s potential as seen in La Liga’s anti-football. Will the “Kuroda style” take root? The time to judge this is when the team can no longer win.”/>
Coach Kuroda leads Machida. He is creating a sensation in J1, his first challenge, with his incredible desire to win. Photo: Yuki Nagashima
(SOCCER DIGEST Web)
In other words, the question is whether the club is a club that supporters truly want to live with. If you think about FC Machida Zelvia, which has been the talk of the town this season in the J.League, for better or for worse, that’s what you’ll end up with.
A professional sports club does not belong to the manager or the players, much less the owner. It belongs to fans and supporters. Club management would not be possible without the support of the team on a daily basis.
Needless to say, it is not a tool for media or social media controversy. The physically-oriented style has been ridiculed as an “extension of high school soccer,” and there have been many reports of people throwing water at the ball during throw-ins and penalty kicks, but there have also been reports of people spitting out foreign objects as a conditioned reflex. Honestly, I’m tired of all the slander and slander that has no trace of productivity.
It has been over 10 years since joining the J League. For Machida, a new club, they simply chose the best way to establish themselves in J1 and prove their worth. That’s why he was invited by coach Tsuyoshi Kuroda, who demands hard work above all else, and who has an astonishing focus on victory that makes his opponents tired.
What’s more, they are sticking to that style and are confidently competing for the championship in their first J1 tournament. Some viewed the summer reinforcements that included the acquisition of current Japanese national team players Yuta Nakayama and Yuki Soma negatively, calling it “money-driven violence,” but if you have money, you should use it. It is a truism that professional clubs invest in order to win. If I were to criticize, it would be rather the lack of goodwill of the long-established club, which is left behind by newcomers.
As exemplified by FC Barcelona, Spain’s La Liga has traditionally been dominated by clubs based on ball play, that is, elegant passing. What many fans want is spectacular soccer that is rich in entertainment.
Among them, Getafe, led by coach Jose Bordalas, stands out. If I had to describe it in one word, it would be “anti-football.” There are many people in Spain who are bitter about his style, which is based on high lines and high presses, does not shy away from fouls, and sluggishly destroys the strengths of his opponents.
Quique Setién, a follower of Johan Cruyff and former manager of Real Betis and Barça, is the most prominent among them, and he despises Bordalas by saying, “That’s not soccer,” and has never shaken Bordalas’s hand after a match. I hated hair.
Still, Bordalas achieved results by being anti-football. After taking charge of Getafe in the 2016-17 season when they were in the second division, they returned to the first division in one year, and the following season, their first year of promotion, they made a huge leap to eighth place. Furthermore, in the 2018-19 season, they pushed the team to 5th place and earned the right to participate in the EL (Europe League). The whirlwind continued unabated on the European stage, and the following year they achieved the feat of making it to the top eight in the EL.
Additionally, his accomplishments in raising the level of La Liga by a notch in terms of intensity cannot be overlooked.
By the way, Bordalas was once one of Cruyff’s followers. The reason why he sought results rather than spectacle at Getafe was because, considering the club’s annual budget, which is said to be about one-tenth that of Barça or Real Madrid, he was concerned about how to survive in the first division with limited strength. This is simply because they chose the best option.
As it is — despite differences in budget size within the league — it can be traced to Machida’s current path.
As a result, the “Bordalas style” has become a brand in La Liga. The club once brought back the coach in 2023 after leaving Getafe after the 2020-21 season, but by the time he became a regular in the first division, it seems that the image of “Getafe = Bordalas” has firmly established itself. be.
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There is no set method for promoting a club’s significance and identity. This may be far from entertaining, but the bottom line is that if the supporters are satisfied, there is no reason for the outfield to complain.
If so, is there a possibility that the “Kuroda style” will take root in Machida, and by extension, in the J.League?
The time to judge this is when the team can no longer win. Machida has given up possession and has covered up accusations that they are anti-football, but when the important results are no longer being produced, will fans and supporters continue to shower their love on the club?
Betis, a prestigious team in Spain, has a famous phrase like this that has been passed down like a password among Beticos (Betis supporters) since 70 years ago, when they were in the third division.
“Viva Betis manquepierda! (Long live Betis! Even if we lose)”
Of course, a victory for the team is an irreplaceable joy, but even if we lose, we will always be Betico. Because for them Betis is a feeling, a part of their life, their life itself.
The question is whether Machida can become a club that supporters want to live with. As an outsider who doesn’t follow the J League on a daily basis, if I could give you one piece of advice, it would be one thing.
Even if the soccer is rough and sloppy, it never becomes mean. The reason Getafe’s fierce soccer style was recognized in Spain was because Bordalas instilled strict discipline, and although their behavior was rough, they maintained their character. In the future, if Machida shows even the slightest “baseless” side, the media and SNS will no doubt expose their fangs again, and most of all, it could cause supporters to lose interest.
There are only five rounds left in the J1 League. Machida has fallen back to third place due to the recent losses, but even if he were to miss out on the great feat of being promoted and winning his first championship, will his fans and supporters be able to shout their joy?
“Long live Machida! Even if we lose”
Written by Jiro Yoshida
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