Vissel Kobe are about to embark on their ninth consecutive season in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 LEAGUE, tying their longest spell in the top flight, and they are coming off of the best-ever campaign in club history. Can Andrés Iniesta and Co. continue to climb higher?

Last season

Kyogo Furuhashi led Vissel to an excellent first half of the season, topping the league in goals before his July transfer to Celtic FC in Scotland. Losing such an impactful scorer would sink many teams, but not Vissel. They replaced Furuhashi with Yoshinori Muto, saw Iniesta get into top form, shored up the defense, and maintained an elite attack as they raced away to third place for the best finish in Vissel’s history.

Key additions

Tomoaki Makino is in to provide some experience and steel in the center of defense and Koya Yuruki will add to the midfield, both from Urawa Reds. Takahiro Ogihara could also be a game-changer in the center of the pitch after coming over from Yokohama F·Marinos, offering the Ushi some bite and freeing up teammates to get forward.

Key departures

Douglas has gone to Kashiwa Reysol, taking from Vissel one of the forwards that helped step in after Furuhashi left, but a full season of Muto can help stem that loss.

Defender Thomas Vermaelen will also not be with Vissel, having retired after playing an important role last campaign and representing Belgium at UEFA Euro 2020. Makino in particular will be tasked with filling the void left by Vermaelen.

Goal for 2022

What does a club aim for after the best season in their history? Maintain, of course. Vissel would love to stay among the top teams in the league, and even challenge for the title, but showing well in their other competitions is also a priority.

That means a deep cup run, be it in one of the domestic cups or in the AFC Champions League. The only other time they played in the continental championship, in 2020, they reached the semi-finals. Making the final four again would be a triumph, especially if they can put together another top league campaign.

What to watch for

It’s hard to overstate the impact Iniesta made in the second half of last season. After missing the early part of the campaign through injury, the Spaniard took a bit of time to find his fitness but then became an absolute force for Vissel. His passing was as good as ever, finding players short and far, dictating tempo and creating chances. He added some spectacular set pieces too, getting on the scoresheet himself. With Iniesta clicking, Vissel were a constant threat and were able to hold onto their top three finish with relative ease.

Iniesta is 37 years old now and has had some injury issues, like at the beginning of last season. If he can stay fit, though, Vissel have a weapon in the midfield that can find ways to dominate the opposition, unlock defenses, and give Kobe’s forwards the service they need. We saw vintage Iniesta for much of his time on the pitch last season, and it would be a treat to see him shine again in 2022.