Episode 241 - J1 Matchday 25

Adrian Serna and Neil Debnam return to the podcast to offer very different perspectives on J1 Matchday 25.

In Part 1 Nagoya correspondent Adrian revels in Grampus's remarkable (my word of the week) transformation that has seen them rise from the foot of the table to 11th after seven straight wins, the latest of which was a 6-1 away pasting of Iwata on Saturday night. We discuss how Nagoya's five big summer transfer window additions have helped turn things around, Jo's remarkable (there's that word again) purple patch, and the progress of Adrian's crowdfunding campaign to get a tattoo of Grampus manager Yahiro Kazama's face on one of his butt cheeks (to 21:45). We then finish off Part 1 with a check on the Matchday 25 results for other teams in the bottom half of the table (to 30:30).

Then in Part 2 Kawasaki correspondent Neil is in a slightly more somber mood after Frontale wasted their chance to keep a semblance of pressure on leaders Hiroshima by losing 2-0 away at second from bottom Gamba Osaka on Saturday. We analyze Frontale's failure to build momentum throughout the season, and particularly since the league resumed after the World Cup, and wonder whether the team has returned to its previous flaky ways (to 45:30). We then wrap up the episode with a check on the remaining results from the matchday, and touch on Hajime Moriyasu's first Japan squad, with the Samurai Blue set to face Chile and Costa Rica in the next week.

Follow my guests on twitter:

Adrian - @758adrian

Neil - @frontalerabbit

Neil's Frontale Rabbit blog