![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/Kubo.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&ssl=1\")
Aside from\na single season in the second tier in 2011 the capital city side has spent the\nlast 20 years in the top flight, yet the highest they have finished in that\ntime is fourth \u2013 which they managed in 2003 and 2015. In terms of trophies, the\nAjinomoto Stadium cabinet houses just two League Cups (2004 and 2009), an\nEmperor\u2019s Cup (2011), and the J2 title (also 2011).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Last year it looked for a spell as though the curse may be lifted, but despite sitting second after 21 rounds of the 34-game season they faded terribly when results really mattered, ultimately finishing sixth after winning just four of their last 17 matches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The team\nshook that disappointment off impressively and burst out of the traps in 2019,\nclaiming 30 points from a 12-game unbeaten run to start the season, and between\nrounds eight and 28 they were sitting pretty atop the rankings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There have,\nhowever, been blips.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The team\nlost three in four between the end of May and end of June, claimed just one win\nin six between 17 August and 5 October, and is currently on a run of only four\nwins in their last 11 \u2013 including draws in each of their last two, which has\nhanded the initiative to a relentless Marinos. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The loss\nof their key \u2013 perhaps only \u2013 player capable of making something happen from\nnothing undoubtedly served a huge blow to the side, with the aforementioned\nKubo upping sticks the moment he turned 18 and signing for Real Madrid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In this\nrespect, there is a clear parallel to be drawn with Tokyo\u2019s most successful\ncampaign in recent memory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Yoshinori\nMuto was the outstanding player in the J.League at the start of 2015, inspiring\nTokyo to a second place finish in the first stage of the season before leaving\nfor Mainz. Deprived of their star player the club unsurprisingly tailed off,\nultimately finishing sixth in the second stage and fourth overall.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was\na similar effect this year too, with Tokyo losing their first two games without\nKubo after his transfer to Madrid was confirmed, and missing his sparkle as\nthey have seen themselves reeled in by Marinos.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There has also been a glaring lack of goals, demonstrated most clearly by the fact that Kubo remains the team\u2019s third highest scorer with four.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Diego\nOliveira is their most accurate marksman on 14 and strike partner Kensuke Nagai\nis next on the list with nine, but the bulk of that pair\u2019s efforts came earlier\nin the season, with them having managed just three between them in the last 11\ngames. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Despite\nthat, Tokyo have just about managed to keep themselves in the title picture and\nhead into the final game of the season knowing glory will be theirs if they can\nreplicate their scoring feats against Marinos from June.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This is\ndown in no small part to the steadying influence played by Hasegawa. The\n54-year-old guided Gamba Osaka to a domestic treble in 2014 and brings a steel\nand consistency to the way his teams play, if not always flair and panache.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This Tokyo\nside is a team of six-out-of-ten players giving six-out-of-ten every week. It\u2019s\nthe archetypal unit worth more than the sum of its parts, with one of them\npopping up with something special from time to time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Masato\nMorishige did just that a couple of weeks ago, the centre-back steering home an\naudacious injury time effort on the bounce from 30 yards to snatch a 1-1 draw against\nShonan Bellmare \u2013 a strike that has just about kept Tokyo in the fight ahead of\nSaturday\u2019s do-or-die clash.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In recent\nyears Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Kawasaki Frontale have been able to shake off\ntheir also-ran tags and followed maiden titles with subsequent success, and if\nTokyo can find a route to glory this weekend they could also discover a new lease\nof life with the monkey of that first J.League title off their back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If they can\u2019t, then their most successful season to date will be seen as yet another opportunity wasted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Photos:<\/strong> J.League<\/em><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" It only marked the halfway point in the season, but when FC Tokyo came from behind to beat Yokohama F.Marinos 4-2 on 29 June it looked like a statement was being made. Despite conceding first in the clash billed as an early signifier in the 2019 title race, Tokyo maintained their composure superbly and were […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":950,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_gspb_post_css":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[514,133,134],"class_list":["post-946","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis","tag-club-football","tag-fc-tokyo","tag-j-league"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"yoast_head":"\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/12\/FC-Tokyo.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&ssl=1\")