Going through the motions: Tokushima Vortis vs Verdy

Sometimes this blog writes itself. Today is not one of those days. Verdy begins a three game stretch against the bottom of the J2 barrel after a hellish 4 game schedule which left the squad spiraling downward into 7th place. A disappointing loss was laced with a sliver of hope after Verdy was able to break through for 3 goals against Fortress Consadole before being let down by a porous defense.

Even though Vortis sits in a lackluster 11th place, the squad has shown much improvement over last seasons disaster, especially on the defensive end. Vortis has a better goals allowed average than the more prestigious back 4 of Verdy, limiting opponents to a respectable 11 goals in 9 games. One of the bright spots in the back 4 has been the play of 20 year old former Gamba man Daiki Niwa, who has alternated between defense and the midfield. Offensively, the options are few, but striker Toshiaki Haji has been known to bun somebody for a score.

The biggest question right now is what Ramos will decide to do with a lineup that has been innefective and dysfunctional. Another poor performance resulting in 0 points could be the demise of Verdy's legendary talisman. A poor performance resulting in victory might be even worse, acting as a perfume to mask the stench eminating from poor play, uninspired tactics, and ridiculous team selection.

Soilent Greens Wishlist for the game

GK Yoshihara

DF Fukuda Togawa Tsuchiya Hattori

MF Ze Luis Nanami

Kanazawa Hiroyama

FW Hulk Funakoshi

Bench: Muro, Kaimoto, Sato, Inoue, Hiramoto

I'm not sure if Saito is hurt or just in the doghouse. If Rui isn't going to put Diego in a place where he is effective, then drop him because he's hurt the offense. I thought about messing with the back line but this is the best group available. I'm pushing for two fast wings in the midfield...........Verdy would be in first with two speedsters on the wings combined with power in the middle.

Verdy should win with a decent lineup set up to exploit the less athletic Vortis squad. If they play hungry and get the ball to their offensive weapons it should be an easy Wednesday night. However if they play like the first 20 minutes of the Sapporo match, it will be a long night. Anything less than 9 points is call for a sea change.