Football Season Guide

Missed out on a top 3 finish last season by a single point. Had to settle for fifth place in the end. Had a solid campaign and could have easily even challenged for the title if their luck with injuries was better. Striker Aleksandar Cavric was effective when fit but he missed nearly half of the season. Captain Shibasaki also had health issues for most of the year. Despite the decent campaign the Board felt the need to change managers. Vastly experienced Toru Oniki, in charge of Kawasaki Frontale for the last 8 years, is now the head coach. Oniki’s desire to play open and attacking football should make Kashima one of the highest-scoring teams in J1 this season. This expectation is also backed by the group of star strikers in the squad. Leo Ceara scored 21 goals for Cerezo Osaka in 2024 and now he will team up with Yuma Suzuki (15 goals last term) in attack. Also, Cavric was signed outright and if he stays healthy the Slovak is easily capable of adding 10+ goals to the tally. The main departure this winter was that of playmaker Shintaro Nago. However, if the team’s captain Gaku Shibasaki manages to stay healthy this shouldn’t be felt much. It seems the new head coach is happy to trust the same back 4 with the two new defenders added to the squad (Kim and Koike) more likely to be used as supporting options. The young right-back Kimito Nono scored 9 league goals last season and if he continues his rapid development in 2025 he could become a major factor.