The J-Talk Podcast

We all thought the madness of J1 Matchday 1 would take some topping, well, the second round kicked off on Friday night, and Shonan vs Yokohama FC set the tone for another incredible top flight matchday.

We begin our roundup with the three teams who won for the first time this season: Kawasaki, in that epic VAR-controversy-laden encounter up in Kashima; Niigata, who turned on the style in Hiroshima; and Fukuoka, who left it late at home against Cerezo Osaka (to 32:50).

In Part 2 we chat about the three teams a perfect two wins from two: Yokohama F.Marinos, Kobe and Nagoya (to 48:55), and then finish with the three draws, including the fantastic Kanagawa derby that got the matchday rolling on Friday Night Football.

With the new J3 season kicking off this weekend, Mike 'The Magic' Innes (venerated creator and host of the 'J-Talk: Short Corner' mini-pod) is back with a fourth and final in-depth preview episode, bringing us up to speed with the five remaining clubs in the third tier for 2023. 

Mike also cast his expert eye over the opening weekend's fixtures in his Round 1 Preview.

Thank you for all of the listener questions for this one - hope everyone enjoys the episode, and the brand spanking new J3 campaign!

Timecodes:

01:10 to 05:00 - Ehime FC

05:00 to 08:30 - Giravanz Kitakyushu

08:35 to 12:10 - Tegevajaro Miyazaki

12:10 to 15:55 - Kagoshima United

16:00 to 19:30 - FC Ryukyu

20:30 to Finish - J3 Round 1 Preview

The 2023 J2 season finally got underway last weekend, so James Taylor and Jon Steele joined forces to review all the action and discuss some of the main talking points from the opening round. First, James rounded up Saturday’s games, then Jon did the same for Sunday. After that, James and Jon talked about Iwaki v Fujieda, Iwata v Okayama, and Tokushima v Oita, before finishing the episode with a brief look ahead to round 2.

 

00:00 to 09:10 Saturday roundup (James)

09:10 to 17:00 Sunday roundup (Jon)

17:00 to 24:15 Iwaki v Fujieda

24:15 to 33:00 Iwata v Okayama

33:00 to 42:50 Tokushima v Oita

42:50 to end Matchday 2 preview

The new top flight season kicked off on Friday night, and Stuart Woodward and Alex Bishop guest to help us round it all up.

We begin with surprise leaders Shonan, who rode a Yuki Ohashi hat trick to a VAR-assisted 5-1 away thumping of Tosu (to 13:45), before Stuart hops on board to chat about Yokohama F.Marinos's victory in the battle of last season's top two (to 34:30).

Then Alex joins to discuss FC Tokyo's victory over Urawa (to 49:50), before we wrap up wins for Kashima, Nagoya and Kobe (to 1:06:40) and finish with the three draws from Saturday, and look ahead to the Matchday 2 slate.

With the new J3 season hurtling towards us, Mike 'The Magic' Innes (host of the 'J-Talk: Short Corner' mini-pod) continue his in-depth previews of each team in the third tier for 2023.

In Part C, Mike turns the glare of his forensic gaze onto both newly-promoted teams, a pair of perennial strugglers at the wrong end of the table, and an upwardly-mobile outfit who will start the season in a brand spanking new stadium (next door to the old one).

Thank you for all of the listener questions - keep them coming for Part D!

Timecodes

01:00 to 04:40 - FC Osaka

04:40 to 08:20 - Nara Club

08:20 to 12:00 - Gainare Tottori

12:05 to 15:30 - Kamatamare Sanuki

15:30 to Finish - FC Imabari

FC Tokyo manager Albert Puig returns to Kai-Guys Radio, and talks to Thomas and Alex about the challenges of changing the culture of the capital club in his first season, and the mentality of Japanese players, before reflecting on Japan's performances at the World Cup.

On the eve of a brand spanking new J2 season, the JTET machine is back in action to complete their preview of the upcoming campaign.

In this episode, Jon Steele and James Taylor run the rule over the J2 clubs based in southwest Japan and Kyushu, with help from club-specific correspondents Victor Arroyo (Kanazawa), Daniel Kuroda (Nagasaki), and Garry Irwin(Kumamoto).

The boys (men) then reviewed some of the best J2 club slogans for 2023, and looked ahead to some of the key weekend fixtures in a Round 1 preview.

To finish off our preseason preparations, Jon added a quick review of Kofu's big day out at Kokuritsu Kyogijo for their Super Cup match against Yokohama Marinos, while mentioning some other eye-catching friendly results for J2 sides who took on J1 opposition.

We hope everyone enjoys the show, and the season ahead!

Timecodes:

01:35 to 08:15 - Fagiano Okayama

08:15 to 17:00 - Tokushima Vortis

17:00 - 30:35 - Zweigen Kanazawa

30:35 to 37:40 - Renofa Yamaguchi

37:40 to 46:15 - Oita Trinita

46:30 to 56:35 - V-Varen Nagasaki

56:35 to 01:03:45 - Roasso Kumamoto

01:03:45 to 01:11:00 - J2 Team Slogan Roundup

01:11:00 to 01:16:20 - J2 Round 1 Preview

01:16:25 to Finish - Super Cup & Preseason Friendly Roundup

*To aid with your enjoyment, here are the questions that we asked our correspondents to think about when recording their preview segments...

1)  What do you think of the new signings that your team has made, and who will be the most important in 2023?

2)  What do you think about the departures from your team this winter, and which player departure are you most disappointed by?

3)  If your team has a new manager, are you happy with the appointment? (If your team has the same manager, are you comfortable with them?)

4)  Where do you think your team will finish this season? (Head & heart!)

5)  What are you most looking forward to in J2 overall this year (this could be related to your team, or the division in general)?

*You can follow our contributors on Twitter here:

Victor Arroyo - @JFootballAnaly1

Daniel Kuroda - @NagaSapo_EN

Garry Irwin - @GarryIrwin

We wrap up our previews with the final two teams, with the help of some special guests.

In Part 1, after a brief review of Saturday's Super Cup, we welcome first time guest Manny Padovan to chat about Yokohama FC, who returned to the top flight at the first time of asking in 2022. Has their busy offseason in the transfer market steered them in the right direction, and can they defy expectations by surviving in J1 (to 34:55)?

Then in Part 2, Pratik, Tony and Stuart from the Tricolore Pridecast give us their rundown of defending champions F.Marinos. Can they cover for some key departures and maintain their spot at the sharp end of the table?

Finally, your co-hosts give their thoughts on some F.Marinos players to watch (to 1:06:30), before previewing some of the big games kicking off the season in Matchday 1.

We look ahead to the new top flight season for FC Tokyo, Shonan and Kawasaki.

In Part 1 Alex Bishop from FC Tokyo Kai-Guys presents a thorough preview of the capital club in a solo Kai-Guys mini-pod, before your hosts give some brief thoughts and a couple of Tokyo players to watch (to 28:25).

Then in Part 2 we discuss Shonan: Can they follow-up last season's 12th-placed finish, how long can they hang on to Shuto Machino, and is Song Bum-keun the signing of the season (to 47:00)?

And finally, Neil Debnam returns to the pod to discuss the departure of Shogo Taniguchi, a potential change in formation by manager Toru Oniki, and the season ahead for Kawasaki.

Mike 'The Magic' Innes, firm but fair supremo of the 'J-Talk: Short Corner' mini-pod, continues his J3 season preview series with a look at five more sides who will be battling it out in Japan's third tier over the forthcoming campaign. 

As usual, in-depth analysis awaits!

Timecodes

01:00 to 04:20 - Nagano Parceiro

04:20 to 07:20 - Matsumoto Yamaga

07:20 to 10:15 - Kataller Toyama

10:20 to 13:45 - Azul Claro Numazu

13:45 to 16:50 - FC Gifu

Parts C and D are coming soon - in the meantime, be sure to follow Mike on Twitter @GoGoOmiyaArdija!