I started at the very start by explicitly saying young players in the U21/U23 categories so I'm really not sure why you're bringing up "relatively younger" guys like Kazuki Nagasawa and Takuya Aoki. This is not what I am talking about, you brought this word "relatively" out of nowhere for no relevance. Daizen Maeda signed for Matsumoto Yamaga, not exactly a powerhouse of Japanese football. Just under half their new signings are over 30 years of age, did they even bother looking for younger talent to rejuvenate the team? Their youngest player Yuta Koide at 23 years of age has played a measly 7 games. In case you didn't realise across the European continent there are countless U23 players from Spain, France, England, Germany and Italy playing regular football at a very competitive level every single weekend. Sure, they don't all play at the very same club inside their own country but these promising players are snapped up by clubs and their academies in other countries and become exposed to first team football very early. How many Japanese players are in academies in Europe? Not many? I thought so, Tatsuya Ito is the one exception at Hamburg. Well, where else in the world are young Japanese players going to land their first professional contract? The J League and their opportunities aren't exactly helped when clubs like Ventforet seem hellbent on signing veterans rather than gambling on a younger player with potential.
What made you pick these numbers, I don't remember bringing up random numbers nor did I say every club has to have 50% of their line up being U23 players.
Well, you were complaining because of the over-30 players, and I told you it is the same case with other teams, even Urawa wasn't playing some players in their twentiess in favour of older players. Yes, you can find many scattered U-23 players playing regularly across Europe (the same could be said also about J-League), but how many of them are starters in the same team? (With the exception of the leagues of Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland and Austria, in which you can find many U-23 players starting). The answer is: few! Again: Do your job, and try to have a better understanding of how the world of football works.
Takano and Koide, both 23, were starters in the last 6-8 games. But, again, Ventforet isn't the team that will gamble with younger players based on their talent-pool and ambition, so your blames are totally misplaced. You can for example blame FC Tokyo for buying players like Takahagi, Maeda, Peter Utaka and Okubo for example. The same could be said about Urawa and Gamba for instance, but not Ventforet, not at all! They are the last team you will expect to see them gamble with young players.
There are at least few factors for this state: 1) you played half a season on good level in J League and everyone is waving goodbye when promising players under age of 23 go to Europe 2) many clubs send their younger players for their 武者修行 in the lower league/teams, especially in top J League teams that fight every year for the trophies. So it's rare to stay in top J League when you're not delivering week-in and week-out. The best example would be, as mentioned, Daizen Maeda recently, and on the opposite side a handful of names like Ryota Oshima or Yusuke Ideguchi 3) many youngsters are overhyped when they didn't do a thing and maybe it's a fact that they aren't good enough that stops them from being starters 4) lower J League teams who fight against relegation don't have time to rear talents as there's wide financial gap between staying in Division 1 and playing in Division 2 (an example of Ventforet) 5) veterans are in high esteem throught all of J League clubs.
Again, you have to understand the world of football and how it works. In Europe players from big clubs can be loaned to other teams in inferior leagues/teams/divisions to gain experience, because they have no nationality restrictions for EU players. But when they got a young Japanese player they will have to deal with nationality restriction issues. That's said, I think the initiative of having U-23 teams in J3 will be beneficial. Albirex Niigata did a good move by creating a satellite team to compete in Singapore's league to let some of their youngsters and fringe players to play there and gain experience. But playing in South East Asian league, Sattelite league or J3, cannot be compared to playing in Belgium, Netherlands, Austria and Switzerland for instance. That's another reason of the difference in youth development and integration between Japan and Europe. As I told you, you need to understand how the world of football works before raising such a premature argument.
That's exactly what I'm taking about. In Europe, if you're a promising young French/Spanish/German/Belgian teenager you can travel to another country and land an academy, professional/loan contract in a club (playing at a competitive level) outside of your own domestic league should you be ignored by these clubs. That is why it does not matter there are not many specific Ligue 1/La Liga/Bundesliga clubs starting 2-3 U21 players every single weekend. There are just as many first team football opportunities for these same players abroad. However, like you said a young Japanese player has many barriers to going to Europe so young. That is why for these young players their only options are to land a professional contract at the 18 J1 clubs should they be ambitious or the 22 J2 clubs (worst case scenario). Only 18 clubs, that is a very small number of clubs providing a pool of future/potential JNT players if clubs like Ventforet have a rock hard mantra on signing veterans purely for their swan song.
This. The veterans are held in extremely high esteem here in the J League (much higher than nearly every major domestic league worldwide), some of them purely because of their age because they have not delivered great performances in years. Sure, guys like Kengo/Shunsuke Nakamura, Yuki Abe, Hitoshi Sogahata and Yuji Nakazawa are playing excellent for their age and brilliant mentors for up and coming players. But these are the exceptions.
Sanfrecce Hiroshima secured their J1 place next season by defeating FC Tokyo 2-1. Cerezo Osaka secured an ACL spot for the next season, regardless of the outcome of the Emperor's Cup. Shimizu S-Pulse squandered a 2-0 lead at their home stadium, and ended up losing 2-3 against already relegated Albirex Niigata. If they won this match they will retain their J1 status and Ventforet would be relegated. Omiya Ardija who recorded a 0-0 draw against Ventforet is relegated. The final J1 spot will be contested next week between Shimizu and Ventforet Kofu. Shimizu will play away against Vissel Kobe, while Ventforet will host Vegalta Sendai. Ventforet have 29 points (-17 GD) and Shimizu have 31 points (-20 GD). Ventforet can secure their J1 place for next year by a win + Shimizu either losing or drawing. While Shimizu need a win, or a draw/lose if Ventforet fail to defeat Vissel Kobe.
On the top of the table; a win by Kawasaki during their midweek match against Urawa will narrow the gap between them and Kashima to 2 ponts with 1-match remaining for both teams. While a draw or lose for Kawasaki will hand the trophy to Kashima before the last round.
A lot of players do get quality experience through loans to weaker / lower division clubs. And many promising academy/HS graduates continue their training via university teams. You also need to consider that a club like Ventforet will lose the race to sign top prospects and will have few, if any young players who can compete at the J1 level. In any case, defining age 23 as the cutoff for a "young" player is somewhat arbitrary. A 24-25 year old who came up through the university system (Nagasawa, Kurumaya, Muto) is by no means "old" and should be seen as a player who is still on an upward development trajectory. Not everyone is going to take the league by storm between ages 18-21.
Someone mentioned to me that they would be safe and clear of the drop. Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeell..................... The music to that was sort of fun. And so there's this. Seeing his look over to the supporters like "hey, I'm trying to speak here" plus his lack of bow to the supporters end before and after speaking leads to believe he's not too keen on those from Gambino, etc. Mess.
It's Gamba! But seriously, since he announced that he's leaving with the end of this season it snowballed down the hill into the abyss. There's not much love for you even after you brought all of the trophies possible to win in Japan in the few last seasons. After all you're as good as your last game in football.
Managers overseas are more likely to gamble on youngsters unfortunately. Directly signing for a J2 club out of high school/youth football or being loaned straight there is the best bet. Guys like Kazama and Yanagishita gave youth lots of chances this year at Nagoya and Kanazawa. Off the top of my head youngsters like Sugioka, Miyahara, Aoki, Tomiyasu, Iwasaki, Maeda, Ishida, Motegi, Shouji and Hirato were established first team players this year. Big question is, for someone like Shouji who played 20+ consecutive games on loan at Kanazawa will he be given a chance at Cerezo next year or will they sign a "big name" player?
Also worth mentioning that if Consadole win their last match, they can finish as high as 10th on the table, above powerhouses like Gamba and FC Tokyo. That has to be one of the best achievements in the league if so happens.
What's stopping the Japanese or for that matter Chinese teams to land similar satellite-club deals with clubs from Austria, Switzerland Sweden, Norway etc? Surely a club like Urawa or Evergrande have the financial muscles to choose a semi-good club from those countries, and feed them players The 2nd best players at Urawa would probably all be a starter for 80% of the clubs in Austria/Norway, so it should be a good deal for both parties. . Or even choose a 2nd tier club with ambitions of getting promoted. That would be very interesting, and could be a way to even out the difference between East and West.
Hallelujah! Kawasaki did it and won against Urawa! Now all they need to clinch the title on Saturday is to defeat already-relegated Omiya Ardija at home, and Kashima Antlers to either draw or lose away against Jubilo Iwata who are fighting for the 4th place spot. Jubilo already defeated Kashima 0-3 at Kashima Stadium, while Kawasaki defeated Omiya Ardija 0-2 away in the first leg. I am rooting for and sympathising with Kawasaki.
Ref had helped them immensely tonight... I hate to say that but I will be rooting for Antlers in the final game.