Grampus Finally Drop to More Realistic Position

After 15 games, with Nagoya leading or sharing the lead in the league standing, the team finally drops to a more realistic third position after a 1-2 defeat in Niigata. Only Gamba's loss at Kashiwa prevented them climbing above Grampus into third place. While it is still too soon to tell if the 4-0 defeat at the hands of Kashima will seriously undermine the team's confidence, the 1-0 win at Chiba on Wednesday suggests it will not. While it would be great if Nagoya could challenge for the league title this year, they do not really have the squad to do so yet. I would much rather Stojkovic strengthen the team during the off-season, than for them to over achieve in his first year as boss. Besides, given the half-hearted job Okada is doing as Japan manger, the JFA is likely to be looking for a new national team manager later this year. Pixie needs to prove that he can sustain this success over a a couple years before he should even be considered for the national team.