Season 9 Preview

Offseason Review
Going in to the offseason Hyogo was looking to make a move or two in an attempt to regain the top spot in the league while their aging core of forwards is still intact and productive.  They struck out in the free agent market, but scored one big transfer that opens up a whole slew of tactical options for the Kobe Beef.  The huge transfer was none other than Ronaldo Mendez, who famously spurned the Beef for Kagoshima at the very last moment last season, but was made available by the Spurs due to his not meeting expectations n the pitch, and for causing chemistry issues that proved to be too big to ignore.  Fetching a J-League record transfer fee totaling nearly 2 million yen after salary, bonus money, and fees, Mendez is expected to get his head on straight to help the Beef attain their 4th J-League championship.

Other moves made by Hyogo include the signing of journeymen defensemen Choni Sindler and Shigeru Miyamoto.  Neither will be expected to contribute much other than to sub occasionally for the starting back line.  To fill out the roster minimum Hyogo also bought the contracts of three bench riders from new J-League entrant FC Hiroshima.  Kaoru Masashi, and brothers Osamu Motohashi and Morihiro Motohashi will be expected to carry the starters luggage, make sure there is always Gatorade in the cooler, and be the butt of locker room practical jokes.

Season Preview
Tactically speaking, Hyogo will once again employ the 4-3-3 this season as their formation of choice.  The signing of Mendez allows for the established Portuguese star on the club, Zé, to move from the midfield to the forward position, where he has some experience and can put his exceptional receiving abilities and eye for the goal to good use.  Scoring 22 goals as a midfielder last season, big things are expected from Zé on the front lines, and if he shows promise at that position the move could be permanent as star forward Malachy Krautstok is starting to show some age, although he still plays at an elite level.  Rounding out the front three will be veteran Togai Katsumoto, who led the team in goals last season.  Zuriel Linie and Davi Gellbart are probably two of the most talented substitutes in the league, both of whom having proved very capable of scoring lots of goals.

In the midfield team co-captain and center midfielder Shinsaku Shinji will once again act as the holding midfielder and anchor the teams defense, while still being responsible for distribution to the more offensively minded wingers Mendez and Sancho Ferriera.  The midfield is a definite position of strength for the Beef, as Zé is more than capable of moving back to the position if need be due to the depth up front, and Ilias Mohliwer is a very good defensive sub and would start for most teams in the league.  There is a lot of flexibility, and prospects are bright.  The only potential issue is whether the ubertalented Mendez can keep his temper in check and not hurt the team through bad fouls and red cards.

The starting back line remains unchanged from last season, which in this case is a very good thing as the Beef only allowed 37 goals last season while starting 18 year old rookie Habib Mündig for the majority of their games.  With a year under his belt and his improvement showing no signs of stopping anytime soon, Mündig is rapidly reaching the level of fellow elite defenders Masami Chiba and Takeichi Miyagi.  Co-Captain Chiba owns the air, and is as good a man marker as there is in the league, and anchors the defense with flair.  Miyagi is nearly as good on the back line, and has been quite effective in offensive set pieces.  Veteran Michinaga Matsuoka is entering the twilight of his career, and would like one more league championship before he retires.  What truly makes the Hyogo back line special is that their top three defensemen have the fitness to play nearly every game on the schedule, maximizing their talents.

Goalie Barnaby Lichteneger is again one of the best in the league, and should be in the net for nearly every game, only being subbed out against the bottom feeders for the occasional break by backup GK Josh Boswell.

With the Giant Robots taking a small step back due to free agency losses, and the free agent market proving very volatile this year, the Kobe Beef are in excellent shape, having brought back their entire starting 11 from last seasons 2nd place squad.  If Mendez can bring use his immense talents in a productive manner, Hyogo has to be considered a favorite for the J-League title.

Projected starting lineup:
GK: Barnaby Lichteneger (75 OV)
LD: Michinaga Matsuoka (60 OV)
LCD: Takeichi Miyagi (68 OV)
RCD: Masami Chiba (69OV)
RD: Habib Mündig (60 OV)
LM: Sancho Ferreira (64OV)
CM: Shinsaku Shinji (68OV)
RM: Ronaldo Mendez (76OV)
LF: Togai Katsumoto (61 OV)
CF: Zé Marceneiro (70OV)
RF: Malachy Krautstok (69 OV)

Top Subs:
GK, Josh Boswell, D Shigeru Miyamoto, M Ilias Mohliwer, F Davi Gellbart F Zuriel Linie