Football Season Guide

Will have been disappointed to miss out on a top 5 finish last season. Had a really positive campaign, for the most part, but lost stamina toward the end of the campaign and ended up finishing 6th instead. By no means a disgraceful finish but they wanted more, and based on how they performed in general, they should have gotten more. Have done pretty well in the transfer market, all things considered, keeping hold of star midfielder Morita, and adding the likes or Hirakawa to replace Fuki Yamada. Their attack looks stronger now they've got both Kimura and Someno vying for a starting berth. Kimura may have a slight edge but it's a coin toss as to who starts the most this season, assuming they keep the same approach as last season (one creator + one finisher in a front two). Lost a lot of bit-part/unrequired players pre-season so not an issue there. Again, they've had success in turning loanees into permanent members of their squad. Their mainstays have predominantly remained at the club, which should give them a good head start in the forthcoming J-League campaign as their cohesion is already present. There are no real concerns about this group of players. The latest reports indicate that everybody of note is fit, and their new recruits should be able to slot in seamlessly enough. It's difficult to imagine they can do as well as last season though. They were a surprise package then, having only just been promoted. Now their opponents know all about them. There's no doubt that this club longs to compete for silverware but it seems ill-equipped to do so, at least in terms of individuals. Collectively they're good enough to secure at least a midtable spot but anything higher than that should be considered a bonus as they'll need a lot of luck and complacency from opposing teams to make it happen.