Expectations are always through the roof for Kashima Antlers. Such is the nature of having eight Meiji Yasuda J1 League titles, six J.League YBC Levain Cups, five Emperor’s Cups and an AFC Champions League to your name. What will the league’s most decorated club do in 2023?

Last season

It was a bizarre season for Antlers. New boss René Weiler missed preseason and the first four matches of the season due to COVID-19 protocols, but the team didn’t seem hampered as they won three of those four contests then the first three after Weiler was able to take charge.

Unfortunately, things got rockier from there. Injuries hampered the side and they never seemed to find a groove again, eventually leading to the ouster of Weiler in August. Club legend Daiki Iwamasa took over as the new manager and in his 10 matches, Kashima won two, lost two and drew six, finishing a bumpy campaign filled with disappointment, but one that still ended with a strong fourth place finish.

Goal for 2023

No team in the history of the Meiji Yasuda J.League has won more titles or taken more points than Kashima. With that type of history and the fervent support Antlers get from their red-clad fans, the goal for every season is to compete for trophies and 2023 is no different.

That Antlers could go through rocky waters for essentially all of 2022 and still finish in the top four is a testament to their talent. This is Iwamasa’s first manager job and the expectations are very high for his team, but that is the nature of the beast and the pieces are there to add to the trophy case.

What to watch for

Ryotaro Araki became the second teenager to ever hit double digit goals when he scored 10 for Kashima in 2021. It looked like he was set to become the next big Japanese star, but injury limited him to only 13 games last season. Antlers need him to be fit and regain his match-winning form from two years ago.

While Kashima are hoping Araki can play like it’s 2021, they’ll also need Yuma Suzuki to play like it’s the start of 2022, when he scored six goals and added six assists in the first 15 games before cooling off. If they get that type of play from Araki and Suzuki to go along with the addition of Tomoya Fujii, that could be the spark to push Antlers back to the top.