J1 Round 11 review: Machida go top, Hiroshima get battered. Two defenders hit 100.

Yengi was injured in the warm-up, Nishimura came into the XI and scored a hat-trick. Pretty decent way to make your case.

Machida were already three ahead before Matsuzaki picked up his second yellow. The red helped turn it into a hammering, but Shimizu were well beaten before that. Three straight league wins and three straight CS for Machida now. Thats why id separate the attacking performance from the extra space after the dismissal when judging what carries into the next game.

Nishimura got 83.9, although the more ridiculous score came from Shoji: 100 with 52.2 AA. Akimoto added 81.5, Lavi 78.5 and Soma 75.2. Mae also got 70.6 with 35.6 AA, which is easily missed among all the goals.

Ogawa scored and completed the game, finishing on 62.7. I like the minutes, but theres still competition across that attack. Nishimura taking his chance doesnt tell us whether Yengi will be fit or who Kuroda prefers when everyone is available.

Thats the main thing to follow before the weekend. A hat-trick is lovely. Knowing whether he starts again would be lovelier.

They were already 2-0 down when Haller was sent off after 66 minutes. The red made a bad evening worse, but cant explain away the whole performance.

Onaga and Matheus Jesus scored before the break, then Yasuda came on and added two. Matheus finished on 92, Yasuda 82.6 from 37 Sorare-recorded minutes. Huge upside, but very different minutes to build a lineup around.

Asano started and came off at half-time. Encouraging that hes back in the XI, less useful if you were hoping this meant regular full games. Haller got 13.5, while Osako finished on 0. Pretty grim if you stacked them.

Higashi still managed 56.3 with 21.3 AA. Thats one of the more useful numbers here for me. The team got battered and he still gave you something.

Ominami came off after 22 minutes. No explanation yet, so keep an eye on it. Haller is listed as suspended for Round 12 too. Hiroshima have changes to make and a fairly big response to find.

Tokyo's winning run ends, but thats six league CS in a row. I still like what they are doing defensively, even when the goals dry up.

Inamura got 100 with 45.04 AA. Kim Seung-gyu 74.1, Ko 72.4 with 37.4 AA. Scholz only got 60.3, so there was still a fairly big difference between picking the right Tokyo players and simply picking Tokyo. The clean sheet helps the defence, but the AA is what separates those returns. Id compare the individual roles before treating a Tokyo stack as interchangeable.

Kashiwa started Nagai, who finished on 72.6. Mitsumaru added 65.02 with 30.02 AA. Useful points from a game without a goal.

Fujio started and played 65 minutes, with Hosoya getting the last 12. Thats another lineup where Hosoya isnt first choice. I wouldnt treat him as nailed atm.

Toshima came off at half-time. No injury confirmed. Nagai gets this start, with the longer-term goalkeeper choice still open.

Five changes, with Ito, Wakizaka and Yamamoto all on the bench. Kawahara, Ozeki and Yamaichi started. Hasebe clearly felt he could change quite a lot without giving the game away.

Ito came on after 59 minutes, assisted Marcinho two minutes later and then scored himself. 73.5 in 31 minutes. Brilliant contribution, although only 3.5 AA, so the goal and assist did most of the work. I like the impact. I wouldnt turn it into an expectation of the same return from another substitute appearance.

Kawahara got 72.4 and Marcinho 71.2. For Kobe, Osako scored and finished on 65.6, while Gonda managed just 21.3.

Gonda started, with Shota Arai on the bench and Maekawa out of the squad. I still need the news on Maekawa's availability.

There are also two proper availability checks here. The official record lists both Pedro Romano and Iino as concussion substitutions after 67 minutes. Id want clearance news before trusting either for the weekend.

Matsumura puts them ahead in the 95th minute. Arai equalises in the 97th. All that work to get in front and they still leave with a point.

Elber had come off the bench to equalise first, with Suzuki providing the assist. Kashima have players making contributions, but the attacking minutes are still being shared around.

Arai scored both Kyoto goals and got 80.6. Suzuki finished on 74.5, Matsumura 65.5 and Elber 65.1 from 26 minutes. Bueno also produced 27.1 AA for 62.1, without an attacking decisive carrying the score.

Ceará is the bigger worry. Off after 64 minutes, with Sports Hochi reporting discomfort at the back of his thigh by 22 October. No diagnosis or return date yet, so thats the fitness news id follow hardest.

Tulio got the last 15 minutes for Kyoto. Good to see him involved again, but still a way from assuming normal starting minutes.

Two ahead through Miyaichi and Tono, then Fujimoto pulls one back and Yamada equalises in stoppage time. Verdy deserve credit for keeping at it. Marinos really should have seen it out.

Iikura returned in goal after Park played against Chiba. He got 48.9, while Tono led Marinos on 69.4.

Morita played the last half-hour and assisted Fujimoto, finishing on 60 with -2.9 AA. Good to see him involved, but I still want more minutes before relying on him.

Mizoguchi got 74.22, Yamada 66.7 from just four Sorare-recorded minutes. Lovely if you took the risk, but id still check the next XI before going again.

Chinen went off after six minutes. Amano came on, then went off himself. Japanese reports raised injury concerns for both, with no diagnosis or return date. Two fairly important follow-ups.

Their first league win since the opening weekend, and against another side who badly needed the points. Welton opened the scoring, Hashimoto equalised from a free-kick and Usami got the winner.

Usami and Welton both starting is the main Sorare development. Usami got 81.9 with 21.9 AA, Welton 64.8. Their recorded minutes were 84 and 79. Proper contributions.

Yamashita also got 72.3, which deserves a mention alongside the scorers. Ichimori finished on 28.8, so this wasnt a happy return across the whole Gamba stack.

I like those attacking players being back. Fukuoka led 14-3 on shots though. Gamba were efficient, but theres still plenty to sort out. The win helps, but that shot balance leaves me less convinced by the team than by Usami getting meaningful starting minutes.

For Fukuoka, Popo getting on is another step forward after the earlier bench appearances. The team still need results, though. They cant keep giving games like this away.

Nakayama scored early from Uchida's cross, then Sabbag equalised with Lucas Fernandes providing the assist. Sabbag starting and scoring helps his case, although id still judge the role over a few games.

The best score came from Yota Sato: 86.22 with 26.22 AA. Uchida got 69.4, Nakayama 63.9. For Cerezo, Sabbag finished on 68.1 and Lucas 63.

Takamine deserves a mention: 58 with 23 AA. Inagaki only got 42.8, Morishima 48.6. The familiar midfield names werent all delivering.

Schmidt completed the game for Nagoya. Fujii missed the squad, with no explanation in the match record. Thats the availability question to follow.

Kaneko, Nemoto and Sasa scored, with Chiba getting two of their own. Good attacking contributions again, but conceding twice at home isnt exactly reassuring for the defence.

Sasa came on at half-time and got 60 despite the goal, with -3.9 AA. Kaneko also finished on 60, while Nemoto got 64.76. The goals were important for Urawa, but didnt turn all three into huge Sorare scores.

Seko actually led Urawa on 75.5, followed by Savio on 73.4. Both provided assists. More useful returns than simply following the goalscorers.

Chiba's Nduka got 86.86 with 26.86 AA, the fourth-highest score of the round, despite the defeat. Tsukui added 66.4 from a short substitute appearance.

Hidano started, Komori came on in the second half. Sasa is making this v interesting. I want to see where they play him next.

Three straight league defeats before this, then Esaka scores twice and they keep a CS. He credited Lukao's hold-up play for the first and a planned set-piece routine for the second. Nice when the work on the training ground actually pays off. Thats the partnership id look at next: whether Lukao gives Esaka a useful way into the attack again, beyond simply chasing the player who scored twice.

Esaka got 79.8 in 66 minutes, Lukao 64.5. Moser finished on 79.2. A useful return from the goalkeeper as well as the attack.

Tatsuta was the score I liked most: 77.42 with 42.42 AA and a DS of 35. Thats a lot of points without an attacking decisive. Motoyama also added 23.68 AA for 58.68.

Mito have now lost five league games in a row. Quite a change from the promoted side I liked so much at the start. Tamura still produced 65.9 with 30.9 AA, but theres not much else to get excited about in their scores.

For Okayama, Esaka getting the start and making that much difference is encouraging. Id be watching his role with Lukao, as well as the defenders, before the next round.