2022 Shimizu S-Pulse season explained

The 2022 season was Shimizu S-Pulse's 29th season in the J1 League. It also was their 6th consecutive season in the J1, since coming back to the J1 in 2017.

Overview

It was another season where difficulties and struggles hit Shimizu S-Pulse back and forth during the year. Under Hiraoka's management, Shimizu's lack of matches won and players not on their best form were a determining factor for their average-to-poor performances in each of the 3 competitions they played in.

Prior to the start of the season, Shimizu had made 5 signings, while at the same time gradually announcing 10 departures from the team. Se-hun's arrival from K League 1 powerhouse Ulsan Hyundai completed Shimizu's 6 signings at the start of the year. These signings included 2 J1 League players, a J2 League player, a recently-graduated High School student, Japan's starting goalkeeper, and a promising South Korean talent. Still, they couldn't figure out a way to be increasingly benefit from the transfer management throughout the season. Spilling away 3 defenders and making no replacements in the sector also gave Hiraoka headaches with the starting XI, as the team had in total 6 available defenders. Several times through the season –including its start– Teruki Hara had to be played at the defense, despite being a midfielder. Full-backs Katayama and Yamahara frequently played in different positions, with Yamahara playing on both sides of the pitch, as a full-back on the left and on the right. The same applied to Katayama, who additionally played a few times as a center-back.

Some players in special surprisingly didn't keep their good form this season. The more evident examples were Matsuoka and Oh Se-hun. Matsuoka, who played a large amount of matches in the previous season at club and national team level, surprisingly saw little game time under his management. Shimizu S-Pulse rarely made use of the squad rotation despite having more than 15 available options for both the midfield and attack. The situation was influenced by the players' not-so-good-form on most of the season. Oh Se-hun was other player who couldn't live up to the expectations. After debuting on 6 April, he scored a goal on his second match for the club, run out of form, and little game time was given onwards.

Some players in special were, however, highly utilized by both managers, with Shuichi Gonda, Reon Yamahara, Eiichi Katayama, Ryohei Shirasaki, Thiago Santana and Teruki Hara playing the most minutes among the Shimizu's players throughout the season, including the starting XI.

At the very start of the season Shimizu had a tiny unbeaten streak at the J1 League, with no loss in their first 2 matches. However, their league situation as firmly more delicated as the time passed, winning only 1 of their next 15 matches at the competition, from March to May. It wasn't much different from their J.League Cup campaign, failing to progress from the group stage, despite being unbeaten in the first 3 matches. Giving Tokushima Vortis their lone win at the group by a three-goal defeat influenced the Shizuoka side's hopes of clearing the group stage to turn into dust. Being it the last straw, Hiroaki Hiraoka was sacked.^[2] Shimizu saw reinforcements being made during the mid-season. Former Japan international footballers Koya Kitagawa and Takashi Inui were signed to the club, alongside Yago Pikachu, who was signed from Fortaleza, playing as a starter in most of the matches with the club in the Brasileirão and in the Libertadores. Despite no defensive signings (Pikachu can play as a right-back, but is primarily a midfielder), after hiring Brazilian manager Zé Ricardo,^[3] the club saw an improvement in performances and results since his signing. Under Hiraoka, only 2 wins were earned in 16 J1 matches, while under mid-season hired Zé Ricardo, they were able to win 4 matches, draw 3, and lose 3, out of his first 10 matches at the club.

However, on the last few rounds of the J1 League, a poor form hit Shimizu. As the league became more and more competitive for the teams in relegation danger, Shimizu got trapped in a heavy turmoil of uncertainties about their stay in J1 League, as few points separated the team at the bottom of the league and the 14th-placed team, to compare. On the last round of the season, Shimizu stayed for some minutes in the relegation play-offs zone. They were winning Sapporo by 3-2, with Kyoto Sanga drawing 0-0 against Júbilo, so Shimizu only needed to score more one goal, to match Kyoto's goal difference to finally be ahead of them in the standings, or to hope Kyoto Sanga conceded a goal. However, they conceded two goals, one at the 86th minute, and one at the added time. This 4-3 defeat away at Sapporo Dome led Shimizu S-Pulse to be relegated to the J2 League, returning to the second division after six seasons in the top-flight.

Squad

Players' age displayed in this section dates to the start of the season. ^[4]

No.	Pos.	Nat.	Player	Date of birth (age)	Fully signed in	Signed from / Last club
Goalkeepers
1			Takuo Ōkubo	February 19, 2022	2019	Sagan Tosu
21			Shuichi Gonda	February 19, 2022	2022	Portimonense
25			Kengo Nagai	February 19, 2022	2021	Giravanz Kitakyushu
31			Togo Umeda	February 19, 2022	2020	Shimizu S-Pulse U-18
41			Fugetsu Kitamura	February 19, 2022	Not fully signed	Shimizu S-Pulse U-18Type 2
Defenders
2			Yugo Tatsuta	February 19, 2022	2017	Shimizu S-Pulse U-18
4			Teruki Hara	February 19, 2022	2021	Sagan Tosu
5			Valdo	February 19, 2022	2020	Ceará
7			Eiichi Katayama	February 19, 2022	2020	Cerezo Osaka
29			Reon Yamahara	February 19, 2022	2022	University of Tsukuba
34			Taketo Ochiai	February 19, 2022	2023	Hosei University DSP
38			Akira Ibayashi	February 19, 2022	2021	Sanfrecce Hiroshima
50			Yoshinori Suzuki	February 19, 2022	2021	Oita Trinita
Midfielders
3			Ronaldo	February 19, 2022	2021	Flamengo
6			Ryo Takeuchi	February 19, 2022	2013	Giravanz Kitakyushu
8			Daiki Matsuoka	February 19, 2022	2021	Sagan Tosu
11			Katsuhiro Nakayama	February 19, 2022	2021	Yokohama FC
13			Kota Miyamoto	February 19, 2022	2020	FC Gifu
15			Takeru Kishimoto	February 19, 2022	2022	Tokushima Vortis
16			Kenta Nishizawa	February 19, 2022	2019	University of Tsukuba
17			Yuta Kamiya	February 19, 2022	2022	Kashiwa Reysol
18			Ryōhei Shirasaki	February 19, 2022	2022	Kashima Antlers
22			Renato Augusto	February 19, 2022	2019	Palmeiras
23			Yuito Suzuki	February 19, 2022	2020	Funabashi Municipal High School
27			Yago Pikachu	February 19, 2022	2022	Fortaleza
32			Benjamin Kololli	February 19, 2022	2021	Zürich
33			Takashi Inui	February 19, 2022	2022	Unattached
34			Yuta Taki	February 19, 2022	2017	Shimizu S-Pulse U-18
37			Daigo Takahashi	February 19, 2022	2018	Kamimura Gakuen High School
42			Aoi Ando	February 19, 2022	Not fully signed	Shimizu S-Pulse U-18Type 2
43			Riku Yamada	February 19, 2022	Not fully signed	Shimizu S-Pulse U-18Type 2
44			Ryunosuke Yada	February 19, 2022	Not fully signed	Shimizu S-Pulse U-18Type 2
Forwards
9			Thiago Santana	February 19, 2022	2021	Santa Clara
10			Carlinhos Júnior	February 19, 2022	2020	Lugano
14			Yusuke Goto	February 19, 2022	2020	Oita Trinita
20			Oh Se-hun	February 19, 2022	2022	Ulsan Hyundai
35			Sena Saito	February 19, 2022	2023	Ryutsu Keizai UniversityDSP
45			Koya Kitagawa	February 19, 2022	2022	Rapid Wien

Transfers

Arrivals/loans in

Pos.	Nat.	Player	Date	Type	Signed from / Last club
		Nagi Kawatani	23 October 2021	Full transfer	Shizuoka Gakuen High School
		Yuta Kamiya	22 December 2021	Full transfer	Kashiwa Reysol
		Shuichi Gonda	23 December 2021	Full transfer	Portimonense
		Takeru Kishimoto	25 December 2021	Full transfer	Tokushima Vortis
		Ryōhei Shirasaki	27 December 2021	Full transfer	Kashima Antlers
		Daigo Takahashi	30 December 2021	Back from loan	Giravanz Kitakyushu
		Hikaru Naruoka	30 December 2021	Back from loan	SC Sagamihara
		Ibrahim Junior Kuribara	7 January 2022	Back from loan	Suzuka Point Getters
		Oh Se-hun	24 February 2022	Full transfer	Ulsan Hyundai
		Togo Umeda	10 June 2022	Back from loan	Fagiano Okayama
		Koya Kitagawa	19 June 2022	Full transfer	Rapid Wien
		Yago Pikachu	17 July 2022	Full transfer	Fortaleza
		Takashi Inui	22 July 2022	Full transfer	Cerezo Osaka
		Takumi Kato	6 October 2022	Back from loan	SC Sagamihara

Source: J.League

Departures/Loans out

Pos.	Nat.	Player	Date	Type	Loaned to/Transferred to
		Toru Takagiwa	17 December 2021	Full transfer	Tokyo Verdy
		Keita Nakamura	23 December 2021	Full transfer	Kashiwa Reysol
		Shota Kaneko	24 December 2021	Full transfer	Júbilo Iwata
		Hideki Ishige	27 December 2021	Full transfer	Gamba Osaka
		Yosuke Kawai	27 December 2021	Full transfer	Fagiano Okayama
		Ryo Okui	28 December 2021	Full transfer	V-Varen Nagasaki
		Elsinho	30 December 2021	Contract expiration	Unattached
		Erick Noriega	30 December 2021	Full transfer	SV 19 Straelen
		Noriaki Fujimoto	9 January 2022	Full transfer	Vissel Kobe
		Hiroshi Ibusuki	14 January 2022	Full transfer	Adelaide United
		Kanta Chiba	23 May 2022	Loan transfer	FC Imabari
		Takumi Kato	31 May 2022	Loan transfer	SC Sagamihara
		Akira Silvano Disaro	11 July 2022	Loan transfer	Montedio Yamagata
		Ibrahim Junior Kuribara	19 July 2022	Loan transfer	Fukushima United
		Shuta Kikuchi	22 July 2022	Loan transfer	FC Imabari
		Riyo Kawamoto	1 August 2022	Loan transfer	Thespakusatsu Gunma
		Nagi Kawatani	2 August 2022	Loan transfer	Iwaki FC
		Hikaru Naruoka	22 August 2022	Loan transfer	Renofa Yamaguchi

Source: J.League

Competitions played in

J1 League

See main article: 2022 J1 League.

J1 League Results

Source: J.League

J. League Cup

See main article: 2022 J.League Cup.

J.League Cup Results

Emperor's Cup

See main article: 2022 Emperor's Cup.

Emperor's Cup Results

Overall record

This table shows their basic statistics throughout the season. In a troublesome season in result and performance terms, Shimizu couldn't make a solid run in neither of the three competitions it played in.

Appearances and goals

No.	Pos.	Name	J1 League		J.League Cup		Emperor's Cup		Total
			Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	Takuo Okubo	0+1	0	5	0	0	0	6	0
2	DF	Yugo Tatsuta	24+2	0	2+2	0	2	0	32	0
3	MF	Ronaldo	11+8	1	0	0	0	0	19	1
4	DF	Teruki Hara	21+4	0	2+1	1	1	0	29	1
5	DF	Valdo	7+1	1	2	0	0	0	8	3
6	MF	Ryo Takeuchi	7+4	0	3	0	2	0	16	0
7	DF	Eiichi Katayama	24+8	2	2+1	0	0	0	35	2
8	MF	Daiki Matsuoka	10+12	0	3	0	0	0	25	0
9	FW	Thiago Santana	27	14	2+1	0	2	2	32	16
10	MF	Carlinhos Júnior	16+6	3	0+3	0	0	0	25	3
11	MF	Katsuhiro Nakayama	13+5	2	3+2	0	1	2	24	4
13	MF	Kota Miyamoto	16+4	0	2+1	0	1	0	24	0
14	MF	Yusuke Goto	7+8	0	1	0	1+1	0	18	0
15	DF	Takeru Kishimoto	1+9	0	4+1	1	1	0	16	1
16	MF	Kenta Nishizawa	7+3	2	1+1	0	1+1	0	14	2
17	FW	Yuta Kamiya	14+7	1	4+2	1	0+2	0	29	2
18	MF	Ryohei Shirasaki	31	4	2+1	0	0+1	0	35	4
19	FW	Akira Silvano Disaro	0+3	0	1	0	2	3	6	3
20	FW	Oh Se-hun	2+11	1	1+1	0	0+1	0	16	1
21	GK	Shuichi Gonda	33	0	1	0	1	0	35	0
22	MF	Renato Augusto	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
23	FW	Yuito Suzuki	16+4	3	1+3	0	0	0	24	3
24	DF	Shuta Kikuchi	0	0	3	0	3	0	6	0
25	GK	Kengo Nagai	0	0	0	0	1	0	1	0
26	MF	Yuta Taki	0+9	0	3+1	1	0+2	0	15	1
27	MF	Yago Pikachu	8+4	0	0	0	0	0	12	0
29	DF	Reon Yamahara	30+3	2	4+1	0	1	0	39	2
30	FW	Kanta Chiba	0	0	1+1	0	0	0	2	0
31	GK	Togo Umeda	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
32	MF	Benjamin Kololli	3+17	3	2+1	1	1	0	24	4
33	MF	Takashi Inui	12+3	4	0	0	0	0	15	4
34	DF	Taketo Ochiai	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
35	FW	Sena Saito	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
36	MF	Ibrahim Junior Kuribara	0+2	0	0+2	1	0+1	0	5	1
37	FW	Daigo Takahashi	1+5	1	3+1	0	0	0	10	1
38	DF	Akira Ibayashi	2+2	0	3	0	1	0	8	0
39	MF	Nagi Kawatani	0	0	0+1	0	0+1	0	2	0
40	MF	Hikaru Naruoka	0	0	2+1	0	1	0	4	0
41	GK	Fugetsu Kitamura	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
42	MF	Aoi Ando	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
43	MF	Riku Yamada	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
44	MF	Ryunosuke Yada	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
45	FW	Koya Kitagawa	4+6	1	0	0	0	0	10	1
50	DF	Yoshinori Suzuki	33	1	2+1	0	1	0	37	1
–	FW	Takumi Kato	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Notes and References

1. Web site: Shimizu S-Pulse J1 stats. 22 August 2022.
2. Web site: 平岡 宏章監督　契約解除のお知らせ. 22 August 2022. 30 May 2022. ja. Shimizu S-Pulse.
3. Web site: ゼ リカルド監督就任のお知らせ. 7 June 2022. 22 August 2022. ja. Shimizu S-Pulse.
4. Web site: TOP TEAM. 22 August 2022. s-pulse.co.jp. Shimizu S-Pulse.