Michael play again yesterday - Albirex win 3-1.
Nice TV interview of Michael - showing him many years in Japan. Intreview say he good defender and show good play in games. He show his family. Some ads at start but interview start at 1:40min.
Hahaha you say Lochhead fitter and play higher than Michael? J-League very high standard.
Lochhead is very fit and has played MLS but that was also in a different time. You find someone saying Lochhead is fitter and plays a higher level or admit your foolish lies.
Watched the highlights that were part of the interview, the move which started with Fitzgerald at their 18yd box and resulted in his cross for a goal was very impressive. It shows his attacking ability from the back, good composure and great passing ability - note 2 of the passes he made in the move were left footed, incl the cross for the goal.
I asked my Japanese colleague to interpret the interview - very interesting:
· Fitzgerald was very excited and happy when the top division J-League club signed him at 19. In his first season he thought that eventually he would get a chance to debut but it never happened and he started to lose confidence. He tried to be the player the coach wanted him to be but that made him play worse, and he ended up forgetting what his strength was.
He thinks playing at the JFL clubs helped his development, especially when he played the defensive midfield role before he went back to Niigata. It helped him be more comfortable on the ball and built his confidence to play out as a central defender.
His time in the lower division clubs made him hungrier as a footballer. When he got the opportunity to go back to Niigata he was so excited. Now he is keen to show his appreciation to the club for believing in him and waiting for him to develop and progress.
He says he doesn’t like losing the ball. He tries to play the ball out to the midfield rather than just clearing it. He believes if they don’t give away the ball, then they aren’t back on defence straight away. He is very confident playing out from the back and believes that it is one of his strengths.
He’s not perfect and still makes mistakes but he is continuing to learn with each game. He is keen to keep his position and play as many games as possible. He hopes to contribute to Niigata finishing in the higher ranks of the J-League table at the end of the season.
· The Head coach said they appreciated his calmness in both defence and attack. They needed someone calm to bring calmness to their game as that had been their problem.
· The TV commentator said He is not an old style central defender who is just big and strong and can win the ball. He is a smart player. He is very much a modern central defender.
· His central defender partner Ohi said, technically he is very good and has great ability to play out from defence. Ohi is confident giving him the ball as he knows he won’t panic and lose it or give it away.