Partners: GoodsFromJapan | JapanVisitor | PortugalVisitor

Omiya Ardija Coach Robert Verbeek

C.G. Williams talks to Omiya Ardija Coach Robert Verbeek

Dutchman Robert Verbeek knew he'd have his work cut out for him when he took over as manager of J.League also-rans Omiya Ardija ahead of the 2007 season.

After two years in the top flight, Ardija finished no higher than 12th by employing a defense-first game plan that brought respectable results but was, even at the best of times, rather hard on the eyes.

Verbeek arrived in Japan eager to inject Omiya's game with the kind of razzle-dazzle that Dutch teams are known and respected for around the globe.

A week before Omiya's season opener against Gamba Osaka, Verbeek was cautiously optimistic about his restructuring plans.

"I want the team to play attacking football, to play with style and to give the fans something to enjoy," Verbeek said at the time. "It won't be easy, and to be honest I won't know exactly where we stand until after the game against Gamba because it's hard to gauge a team through practice games alone."

Verbeek quickly found out the hard way where his team stood in relation to the rest of the league.

Omiya won only one of their first nine matches and quickly cemented their spot at the foot of the table along with Yokohama FC. But unlike Yokohama, Omiya were not being pummeled each weekend, largely because the Ardija players continued to cling to what they knew best - defense.

Gradually, though, the team is coming to grips with Verbeek's vision of attacking football.

Heading into Round 16, Omiya are undefeated in six matches and have taken points from some of the league's top teams in the process, including the Urawa Reds and Kawasaki Frontale. During the stretch, Omiya moved out of the cellar into 15th place. Not bad for a team that has only produced 10 goals all season.

"We're playing with a lot of confidence these days," Verbeek said during a recent interview. "I tell my players to have patience. In football you sometimes have to wait out the storm. The last two years Omiya's style was only to defend and I want to attack, attack, attack. But this takes time and a lot of energy."

When Omiya defeated Albirex Niigata 2-1 in Round 15, it was the first time all season they had scored more than a goal in a match. Not for lack of trying, of course. In their match against Kashiwa Reysol in Round 14, Omiya swept forward in waves for 75 minutes but lacked the decisive last touch to kill off their opponents and in the end had to settle for a scoreless draw.

Asked if he saw that match as a glass half full or half empty, Verbeek didn't hesitate: "Half full."

"It's the last pass. The last pass must improve. There are some moments where our forwards must play the ball earlier," Verbeek said. "Sometimes they hesitate a second too long and are called offside. Sometimes they don't shoot. I always tell them to take responsibility and shoot at the goal. Shoot more. Shoot, shoot, shoot. If you miss, it's not a problem. But if you never shoot, you'll never score."

Verbeek singled out forward Kota Yoshihara for stepping up to the challenge in recent matches, and said he would reward the 29-year-old with more appearances in the starting line-up if he continues to play with passion and aggression.

"I think we're more dangerous with Kota up front," Verbeek said. "Kota is always running, trying and creating for the other players. So I must give him the chance."

That said, Verbeek does not hide the fact that he is actively on the lookout for a new striker, preferably a foreign one, to help ease the pressure on both the team and himself.

"Yes, I am still looking. We had (a South Korean player) in mind but maybe he will be going to a club in Holland. We have to keep an eye on the budget and of course we already have some foreign players, so I have to be patient," he said. "Although my feeling is that I hope we're not too late, because we are playing so well but don't have the striker to finish games off and if we don't get the three points when we are playing this well ..."

Omiya play Jubilo Iwata, the Yokohama F Marinos and Gamba before the league breaks for the Asian Cup tournament being held in Indonesia, Thailand, Malaysia and Vietnam from July 7-29. It's a tough assignment, but Verbeek fancies his team's chances the way they've been playing of late.

And while he won't go so far as to predict victory over Gamba in the second encounter between the clubs this season, the 45-year-old said the league leaders can expect a much tougher opponent when they visit Komaba Stadium on June 30.

"Do we play like a bottom-of-the-table team? No. We are playing with confidence, like we're a fourth- or fifth-place team," Verbeek said. "You cannot compare this team to the way we were at the start of the season. We used to chase the ball and panic. Now we're much better.

"I'm very proud of my players, they way they train and the way they play. Yes, I want to see a few more goals and then maybe I'll be able to relax a little more. Because in the last minutes of a match, you never know. But even now in the last minutes we control the game more, we don't panic, we don't give stupid goals away. We've come a long way."

Related Links

Sef Vergoosen interview
Robert Verbeek interview
Pim Verbeek interview

C G Williams

"The Onside In-Site" Copyright © From 2000. All rights reserved. Soccerphile Ltd.