Japan J1 League Season Review of the Opening Games
The opening fixtures’ results and performances are not necessarily indicative of how a season will finish. Things can change dramatically. However, they are the beginning of the narrative, how the season’s story starts. Patterns emerge over those early games and projections can be tentatively - emphasis on tentatively - made.
J1 League’s Global Status
The JLeague’s status in world football has grown in recent years after a number of exports from the league have made successful careers in the European leagues, namely the Bundesliga, and Fernando Torres signed for Sagan Tosu and Andres Iniesta and David Villa signed for Vissel Kobe. The country has always had a strong infatuation with soccer but now the globe is beginning to take note of their substance.
Another way the league is attempting to improve its profile is via participation in the FIFA eWorld Cup, organised and played on the FIFA game series. There is a long line of interest in certain sports and teams which stem from video games. The Football Manager game series prides itself on inspiring a fandom of niche teams after players manage them virtually to success. Other sports have a history of this too, with companies and teams sponsoring personalities and professionals who stream online. GGPoker and Chess.com use this approach to great effect, with streamers and events representing their brand and increasing the exposure of their brand and their chosen sports - poker and casinos games, as well as chess, have become popular with Twitch’s - the live-streaming platform - viewers. The J1 League’s profile could benefit from its involvement in the competitive FIFA scene.
VAR
On the field, the J1 League’s 2021 season sees the return of video assistant referee technology. Many fans around the world bemoan its use, stating it slows the game down and forces the game to be judged on impossible milliseconds and millimetres. J1 League fans are no different.
The Japanese FA states that using VAR is essential for it to be consistent with the global game, so that they can achieve their goal of being a league which has a reputation in line with that of the major European leagues.
Team Performances
Season-to-season there will be consistencies and surprises. There will be teams which are overperforming and underperforming. This can create a certain chaos. However, fans of the Japanese top division have one constant which they can rest their minds and centre themselves on: Kazuyoshi Miura - aka ‘King Kazu’ - the fifty-four year-old Yokohama FC striker who is about to begin his thirty-sixth campaign.
King Kazu’s team have started the season in dire form, losing all six games, only scoring four and conceding eighteen. However, last season’s performances indicate that this isn’t far from their normal. They’ll need something spectacular to keep them up, it looks like.
Kawasaki Frontale have begun their title defense in a determined fashion. They’ve won six of seven games and are the league’s leading scorers with nineteen. They drew with Iniesta’s Vissel Kobe in their last game, which ruined their perfect start to the season.
Gamba Osaka will be hoping to continue their upwards trajectory. They’ve moved from fighting relegation to a comfortable mid-table side to their second-place last season and will be hoping with some more backing they’ll be pushing Kawasaki for the title. It’s competitive at the top-end, though, with Kashima, Hiroshima, and Nagoya all strengthening their claim to silverware. Kashima have started the season slowly while Hiroshima and Nagoya are unbeaten. It could be a wonderful race for the title and ACL qualification spots.