This post on Gamba Osaka wraps up our series of Asian Champions League team profiles. Check out previous posts on Chonburi FC, Chunnam Dragons and Melbourne Victory.
City: Osaka, Japan
Stadium: Osaka Expo ‘70 Stadium (capacity 21,000)
Coach: Akira Nishino
While the Melbourne Victory kicks off its Asian Champions League campaign tomorrow against Korean FA Cup winners Chunnam Dragons, I decided to get a detailed look at our third opponent, Gamba Osaka.
For an insider’s perspective, I enlisted the aid of Soccerphile’s J. League Correspondent, who was happy to answer some questions about last year’s Emperor’s Cup runners-up.
Gamba have just won the Pan Pacific Championship in very impressive fashion, with an impressive 6-1 win over Houston Dynamo. How scared should Melbourne Victory fans be?
Not very. The crucial thing to consider from that tournament is that both of Gamba’s victories came against MLS sides. I mean no disrespect to the MLS when I say this, but I think Gamba Osaka will be far more concerned by the prospect of playing against a physically-aggressive Australian side.
With that said, obviously the 6-1 win over a Houston side that easily beat Sydney FC will make plenty of Australians sit up and take notice. Ironically Gamba were missing around six or seven of their starting eleven through international duty, so it was very much a second-string Gamba side that travelled to Hawaii.
Nevertheless I think Gamba are no doubt the weakest of the three Japanese sides in this season’s AFC Champions League. The last time Gamba played in the Champions League they finished third in their group behind Jeonbuk Motors FC and Dalian Shide, and they traditionally struggle away from home, both domestically and internationally.
So I don’t think that Melbourne Victory fans should be scared of Gamba Osaka – if anything the two sides are quite evenly matched. What will hinder Melbourne’s chances is a lack of match sharpness. That’s especially the case given that I think, technically-speaking, Gamba might still be a class above Melbourne.
Who do you think are Gamba’s key players?
Their key players are midfielder Yasuhito Endo and striker Bare.
Endo is the fulcrum of the side. He’s involved in practically every attacking move, and if Melbourne can close down his distribution then they’ll go a long way to winning the two fixtures. He’s also a dead-ball expert and he scored from a trademark free-kick in Japan’s recent World Cup win over Thailand. He takes most of the team’s corners and has one of the best passing ranges of any player in Japan.
There other key player is Bare, although that should be obvious given his four goal haul against Houston. He’s been scoring goals in Japan for a few years now – he single-handedly kept Ventforet Kofu in the top flight in 2006 before joining Gamba to become their top scorer in 2007. He’s not a particularly skillful player and he struggles when he’s man-marked, but when he has time and space he’s a difficult striker to contend with.
There are plenty of weaknesses in the Gamba side though. Full-back Akira Kaji loves to maraude forward and is susceptible to balls played in behind him, while teenager and fellow full-back Michihiro Yasuda is prone to defensive errors – so much so that Gamba recently signed Hiroki Mizumoto as potential cover. Central defender Satoshi Yamaguchi is slow to turn and could struggle with the pace of Archie Thompson, and his former defensive partner Sidiclei has just joined Kyoto Sanga FC. So Gamba also have several weaknesses.
How impressive is Gamba’s support?
Again, not very. Urawa Reds’ participation in last season’s AFC Champions League gave Australians a severely distorted view of just how enthusiastically the Japanese support this tournament. For further proof, see Kawasaki Frontale’s crowds last year. Their largest attendance for a Champions League fixture at their 25,000 capacity Todoroki Stadium was 13,507 for the second-leg of their quarter-final fixture with Sepahan, yet they averaged crowds of 17,338 in the league. That’s not an isolated case.
Two seasons ago Gamba drew 12,470 fans to their 21,000 capacity Expo ‘70 Stadium for the visit of eventual champions Jeonbuk Motors FC, but only 5,555 showed up for the match with Dalian Shide, and far fewer turned out to see them hammer Da Nang 15-0.
That’s not to say that Gamba fans won’t turn out for the visit of Melbourne Victory. But it bears remembering that Osaka is a baseball town, and that the Hanshin Tigers are one of the most popular teams in Japan. Osaka lies a long way away from the Kanto plain – where football is popular, and the new baseball season will be in its infancy when Melbourne Victory come to town.
Plenty of Gamba fans will be gearing up to travel to the regional derby with Vissel Kobe on April 26 as well, but the one thing in Victory’s favour is hosting Gamba at the Telstra Dome just prior to travelling to Japan. If Melbourne can draw upwards of 30,000 for that fixture, then you might see Gamba fans reciprocate the favour, although even then there are several J. League teams with far more vociferous supporters.
Be sure to check out the Soccerphile blog for regular reporting into all things J. League.
3 comments ↓
Good insights. Looking forward to these games!
Interesting interview. Sounds like we might be in with a chance. I will be at the dome tomorrow night, I hope all of you will be there too.
I dunno, i still think there the teamnto beat, not to say the others will be a walk in the park i dont think we should take anyone lightly, i see them as probably the most favoured ot win our group, but in saying that, if we can beat them, at home at least, were through…..here’s hoping and will see you all tomz at the dome!
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