20 Jan 2009(Tue)

With a first ever Asian title, third place in the Club World Cup, and victory in the Emperor’s Cup to boot, the 2008 season was – on paper – the finest in Gamba Osaka’s history. The fruits of autumn and the performances of Yasuhito Endo et al in midfield, however, served to paper over some serious cracks in the side that require urgent repair. Amidst what was admittedly a congested league table, a team that had enjoyed year-on-year improvement up to 2007 saw both its points and its goals tallies drop away dramatically, and with significantly more goals conceded as well, Gamba could only finish the season in eighth place – their lowest for five years. In these frugal times, the Japanese transfer market has been no less stagnant this year than the European, but in light of such clear need for reinforcement, it is no surprise that Akira Nishino has been one of the busier managers so far.

 

Most striking about Gamba’s troubles last term was the lack of goals. Of course, Bare’s sudden departure in July hardly helped matters – as evidenced by the ten games Gamba went without a win immediately afterwards – but with the hapless Roni proving less than able a substitute, the goals for column fell from the 70+ figures recorded in the previous three seasons to just 46. Nishino, however, is well versed in freshening up his forward line, and just as in the previous four seasons with Araujo, Magno Alves, Bare, and Lucas, the manager has kept with his tried-and-trusted method of bringing in overseas players with J League experience. Leandro struggled with injuries in his final year at Vissel Kobe but boasts a record of 55 goals in 115 games throughout his Japanese career, while Korean international Cho Jae-Jin returns to the J League, where he scored 53 goals in 122 games with Shimizu S-Pulse, after a year back home. Alongside Lucas, Masato Yamazaki, and Ryuji Bando, Gamba now appear to have an embarrassment of riches in the striking department.

 

If Nishino’s experience in rebuilding his forward lines is unquestionable, the defence is another matter entirely. Gamba have always been more of the ‘you score three, we’ll score four’ variety than of one to keep things tight, but replacing the defenders that won the J1 title in 2005 has been somewhat problematic. This time last year, much was expected of new recruits Hiroki Mizumoto, Yohei Fukumoto, and Mineiro, but for varying reasons, each signing was an unmitigated disaster as the three players managed just 346 minutes of league action between them before leaving within the year. This time, Nishino has understandably plumped for greater experience, with the reliable Kazumichi Takagi looking a sensible choice for the heart of the defence. The signing of Park Dong-Hyuk, meanwhile – under the new rule that allows teams a fourth overseas player, on the condition that they are from Asia – was rather more out of left field, with the defender having been out of the Korea squad since 2005, but Park was selected for the K-League’s best XI last season, and was a member of the Ulsan Hyundai Horang-i side that humiliated Gamba with a 6-0 hammering in the A3 Champions Cup in 2006.

 

One player who won’t be joining Gamba, however, is Tsuneyasu Miyamoto, who has instead opted to sign for Vissel Kobe after his Austrian adventure with Red Bull Salzburg. Miyamoto was loved by the masses and the sponsors alike during his 15 years with Gamba, but he was not without his critics; some felt he would not exert himself for Gamba as he would for the national team, and indeed he was occasionally dropped by his club while continuing to serve as Japan captain under Zico. Many Japanese footballers plying their trade abroad ultimately return to their alma maters in the J League, but Masashi Oguro had already been allowed to move to Tokyo Verdy, and the prospects of Nishino giving a second chance to Miyamoto were probably quite slim in the first place as well.

 

Miyamoto’s time in the Austrian Bundesliga was neither a success nor a failure, but undoubtedly key to his decision to move to Kobe was the determination of the club and its owners to qualify for the AFC Champions League in 2010. With this the objective, Vissel too have engaged in much transfer activity, with former Japan striker Kazuki Ganaha and Marcel of Benfica being brought in to replace Leandro and Yoshito Okubo in the forward line. Away from Kansai, the market has generally been quiet so far, but one move that does stand out is the arrival of Davi at Nagoya Grampus. The Brazilian scored 16 goals last year (including one in Nagoya on the penultimate matchday) for a woeful Consadole Sapporo side that managed to accumulate just 18 points all season, but in a team that thrives on the assists of J League Rookie of the Year Yoshizumi Ogawa, much will be expected of Davi as Grampus compete for titles at home and abroad.