2016 Gamba Osaka season

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Gamba Osaka
2016 season
ChairmanTeruhisa Noro
ManagerKenta Hasegawa
J1 League4th
Emperor's CupQuarter-final
J.League CupRunner Up
AFC Champions LeagueGroup Stage
Japanese Super CupRunner Up
Top goalscorerLeague:
Ademilson 9
Shun Nagasawa 9
All: Ademilson 13
Highest home attendance34,231 vs Yokohama F. Marinos (J1) on 2 April 2016
Lowest home attendance8,789 vs Shimizu S-Pulse (Emperor's Cup) on 9 November 2016
Average home league attendance25,342
← 2015
2017 →

The 2016 Gamba Osaka season was Gamba Osaka's 23rd season in the J1 League and 29th overall in the Japanese top flight. Like the previous season, the 2016 campaign was split into two stages, with the first stage running from February to June, the second stage being held between July and November and finally a Championship stage in late November. With city-rivals Cerezo Osaka failing to gain promotion from J2, Gamba's main rivalry match was the Hanshin derby against Vissel Kobe with an away game held in round 4 on the 19th March and the return home match in round 26 on August 20.[1][2] Gamba finished in 6th place in the first stage of the season and 4th place in the second stage for an overall 4th-place finish.

Gamba's position as runner-up in the 2015 J1 League Championship saw them automatically qualify for the 2016 AFC Champions League, their eighth appearance in the competition. Looking to improve on their run to the semi-finals in 2015, they were drawn into the tough looking Group G along with Australian side Melbourne Victory, South Korea's Suwon Samsung Bluewings and big-spending Chinese outfit Shanghai SIPG. The group stage kicked off on Wednesday 24 February and concluded on Tuesday 3 May with all sides in the group playing each other home and away in a round-robin basis.[3] Gamba were eliminated at the group stage with only 2 points from 6 games to show for their efforts.

As winners of the 2015 Emperor's Cup, Gamba competed in the season opening Japanese Super Cup, held in Yokohama on 20 February. The annually held match pitted Gamba against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, the side who defeated them in the final of the 2015 J1 League Championship. This was Gamba's 6th appearance in the Super Cup, however they were unable to build on their previous victories in 2007 and 2015 and lost 3–1. Trailing 2–0 due to early second half goals from Satō and Asano, top scorer of the previous 3 campaigns Takashi Usami pulled one back, however Utaka added a third for Hiroshima shortly afterwards to seal the win.[4]

Later on in the season, Gamba entered the 2016 J.League Cup and 2016 Emperor's Cup. Due to their AFC Champions League commitments, they were given a bye past the J.League Cup group stage and entered in the quarter-finals.[5] Similarly they entered the Emperor's Cup in the 4th round.[6] They went all the way to the final of the J.League cup for the 3rd time in a row, however they lost out to the Urawa Red Diamonds in a penalty shoot-out. In the Emperor's Cup, they bowed out to Yokohama F. Marinos in the quarter-finals meaning that this would be their first season without any silverware since 2012.

This was Gamba's first season playing at the newly opened Suita City Football Stadium which was built in the same park as Osaka Expo '70 Stadium, their home from 1980–2015.[7] The first official game to be held in the new stadium was on 14 February 2016, the pre-season Panasonic Cup match between Gamba and Nagoya Grampus which the home side won 3–1.[8] The first league match was held in front of 32,463 spectators on 28 February against Kashima Antlers. It resulted in a 1–0 defeat against the team which went on to win the first stage of the 2016 J1 League[1] The move to the new stadium was a huge success in terms of increasing attendance with average league attendances increasing from 15,999 in 2015 to 25,342 in 2016.

Transfers[edit]

Coming off the back of a draining 2015 season which saw them play 60 games in all competitions, Gamba sought to add depth to their squad. In came experienced former Shimizu S-Pulse, Nagoya Grampus, Yokohama F. Marinos and Japan national team midfielder Jungo Fujimoto to compete for a right-wing slot with Hiroyuki Abe and Kotaro Omori.[9] Ademilson who had spent the previous campaign as Fujimoto's teammate in Yokohama, moved west to Osaka on a season-long loan deal from São Paulo FC in his homeland. He is expected to battle with Shu Kurata for a place playing just off target-man Patric.[10] In addition, Hiroto Goya, a prolific scorer at varsity level for Kwansei Gakuin University signed up for his first shot at professional football and two youngsters, Hiroki Noda and Kazunari Ichimi joined from Otsu High School in Kumamoto Prefecture. Noda, a native of Kumamoto has actually turned out for his local side Roasso Kumamoto on 5 occasions over the previous 2 seasons despite his tender age of just 18.[11]

There were fewer departures than arrivals during the close season and crucially no starting-eleven members from the previous year were amongst those to leave. Veteran midfielder Tomokazu Myojin made a surprising move to Nagoya Grampus aged 38, following 10 years of sterling service to the club.[12] Brazilian attacker Lins was also released. A promising debut season in 2014 which saw him net 8 times in 39 games including several crucial late winners gave way to a disappointing 2015 in which he started only 8 games and could only net 4 goals in 36 games in all competitions, therefore it was no surprise when his departure was announced.[13] Finally, Shingo Akamine a close-season signing from Vegalta Sendai the previous year and who, like Lins had endured a frustrating 2015, announced he would be joining J2 side Fagiano Okayama on loan for 2016.[14]

In addition to those main transfers; Kenya Okazaki, Naoki Ogawa and Shōhei Ogura rejoined the club following loan spells at Ehime FC, Fujieda MYFC and Montedio Yamagata respectively[11] while Yuto Uchida who spent the 2015 season with Tokushima Vortis made his loan move into a permanent one.[15]

In the summer transfer window, the big news was the departure of star attacker Takashi Usami to German Bundesliga side Augsburg. The move came 3 years after Usami had returned to Gamba following spells abroad with Bayern Munich and Hoffenheim. He had finished as the club's leading goalscorer in 2013, 2014 and 2015 and was again leading the Gamba goalscoring charts with 6 goals at the time of his departure.[16] Veteran midfielder Takahiro Futagawa, who had spent most of the first half of the season with Gamba's Under-23 side in J3, also moved on and joined Tokyo Verdy on loan for the remaining six months of the campaign.[17]

Brazilian forward Patric, who had endured a hugely disappointing campaign, injured his knee in October and was released by the club in order to complete his rehabilitation in his native country.[18] Also in October, Patric's compatriot, Ademilson, turned his loan move from São Paulo into a permanent one.[19]

In[edit]

No. Pos Player Transferred From Fee Date Source
9 FW Brazil Ademilson Brazil São Paulo Loan 8 Jan [10]
17 MF Japan Kenya Okazaki Japan Ehime FC Loan Return 17 Jan [11]
23 FW Japan Hiroto Goya Japan Kwansei Gakuin University Unknown 17 Jan [11]
24 FW Japan Naoki Ogawa Japan Fujieda MYFC Loan Return 17 Jan [11]
25 MF Japan Jungo Fujimoto Japan Yokohama F. Marinos Unknown 11 Jan [9]
32 DF Japan Hiroki Noda Japan Ohzu High School Unknown 17 Jan [11]
33 FW Japan Kazunari Ichimi Japan Ohzu High School Unknown 17 Jan [11]
40 MF Japan Shōhei Ogura Japan Montedio Yamagata Loan Return 17 Jan [11]
9 FW Brazil Ademilson Brazil São Paulo Unknown 14 October [19]

Out[edit]

No. Pos Player Transferred To Fee Date Source
9 FW Brazil Lins Released Free 2 Jan [13]
17 MF Japan Tomokazu Myojin Japan Nagoya Grampus Unknown 6 Jan [12]
23 DF Japan Yuto Uchida Japan Tokushima Vortis Unknown 6 Jan [15]
24 FW Japan Shingo Akamine Japan Fagiano Okayama Loan 7 Jan [14]
10 MF Japan Takahiro Futagawa Japan Tokyo Verdy Loan 1 Jul [17]
39 FW Japan Takashi Usami Germany FC Augsburg Unknown 1 Jul [16]
39 FW Brazil Patric released Unknown 21 Oct [18]

First team squad[edit]

As of the beginning of 2016 season.[11]
No. Name Nationality Position(s) Date of Birth (Age) Height (cm) Weight (kg) Since Previous Club Games Played Goals Scored
Goalkeepers
1 Masaaki Higashiguchi Japan GK (1986-05-12)May 12, 1986 (aged 30) 184 78 2014 Albirex Niigata 105 0
16 Ken Tajiri Japan GK (1993-06-11)June 11, 1993 (aged 23) 182 76 2013 Gamba Osaka Youth 0 0
18 Yōsuke Fujigaya Japan GK (1981-02-13)February 13, 1981 (aged 35) 185 78 2015 Júbilo Iwata 342 0
31 Mizuki Hayashi Japan GK (1996-09-04)September 4, 1996 (aged 20) 182 74 2015 Gamba Osaka Youth 0 0
Defenders
3 Takaharu Nishino Japan CB (1993-09-14)September 14, 1993 (aged 23) 187 73 2012 Gamba Osaka Youth 66 6
4 Hiroki Fujiharu Japan LB (1988-11-28)November 28, 1988 (aged 28) 175 60 2011 Osaka University of H&SS 199 8
5 Daiki Niwa Japan CB (1986-01-16)January 16, 1986 (aged 30) 180 76 2012 Avispa Fukuoka* 137 6
6 Kim Jung-ya Japan/South Korea CB (1988-05-17)May 17, 1988 (aged 28) 183 74 2014 Sagan Tosu* 58 0
8 Keisuke Iwashita Japan CB (1986-09-24)September 24, 1986 (aged 30) 181 76 2012 Shimizu S-Pulse 117 5
14 Koki Yonekura Japan RB (1988-05-17)May 17, 1988 (aged 28) 176 68 2014 JEF United 84 7
22 Oh Jae-suk South Korea RB / LB (1990-01-04)January 4, 1990 (aged 26) 178 74 2013 South Korea Gangwon FC 64 0
30 So Hirao Japan RB (1996-07-01)July 1, 1996 (aged 20) 170 68 2015 Gamba Osaka Youth 2 0
32 Hiroki Noda Japan CB (1997-07-27)July 27, 1997 (aged 19) 181 73 2016 Otsu High School 0 0
35 Ryo Hatsuse Japan RB / LB (1997-07-10)July 10, 1997 (aged 19) 175 64 2015 Gamba Osaka Youth 0 0
Midfielders
7 Yasuhito Endō (c) Japan CM / AM (1980-01-28)January 28, 1980 (aged 36) 178 75 2001 Kyoto Purple Sanga 614 118
10 Takahiro Futagawa Japan RM / LM (1980-06-27)June 27, 1980 (aged 36) 168 63 1999 Gamba Osaka Youth 598 87
11 Shu Kurata Japan RW / LW / AM (1988-11-26)November 26, 1988 (aged 28) 172 68 2012 Cerezo Osaka* 204 36
13 Hiroyuki Abe Japan RW (1989-07-05)July 5, 1989 (aged 27) 170 69 2012 Kwansei Gakuin University 154 26
15 Yasuyuki Konno Japan CB / DM (1983-01-25)January 25, 1983 (aged 33) 178 73 2012 FC Tokyo 173 14
17 Kenya Okazaki Japan CM / RM / LM (1990-05-31)May 31, 1990 (aged 26) 173 62 2016 Ehime FC* 29 2
19 Kotaro Omori Japan RW / LW (1992-04-28)April 28, 1992 (aged 24) 167 63 2011 Gamba Osaka Youth 111 14
21 Yosuke Ideguchi Japan CM (1996-08-23)August 23, 1996 (aged 20) 171 69 2014 Gamba Osaka Youth 22 0
25 Jungo Fujimoto Japan RW (1984-03-24)March 24, 1984 (aged 32) 173 69 2016 Yokohama F. Marinos 0 0
26 Naoya Senoo Japan LB / LM (1996-08-15)August 15, 1996 (aged 20) 172 60 2015 Gamba Osaka Youth 1 0
27 Tatsuya Uchida Japan CB / DM (1992-02-08)February 8, 1992 (aged 24) 177 70 2011 Gamba Osaka Youth 70 1
28 Shota Yomesaka Japan CB / LB / LM (1996-10-19)October 19, 1996 (aged 20) 177 67 2014 Gamba Osaka Youth 0 0
36 Mizuki Ichimaru Japan CM / RM (1997-05-08)May 8, 1997 (aged 19) 174 66 2016 Gamba Osaka Youth 0 0
38 Ritsu Doan Japan RM / LM (1998-06-16)June 16, 1998 (aged 18) 172 70 2015 Gamba Osaka Youth 4 0
40 Shōhei Ogura Japan RB / CB / DM (1985-09-08)September 8, 1985 (aged 31) 174 67 2015 Yokohama F. Marinos 10 0
Strikers
9 Ademilson Brazil AM / CF (1994-01-09)January 9, 1994 (aged 22) 176 74 2016 Brazil São Paulo (loan) 0 0
20 Shun Nagasawa Japan CF (1988-08-25)August 25, 1988 (aged 28) 192 82 2015 Shimizu S-Pulse 11 5
23 Hiroto Goya Japan CF (1994-01-02)January 2, 1994 (aged 22) 177 68 2016 Kwansei Gakuin University 0 0
24 Naoki Ogawa Japan AM / CF (1995-07-03)July 3, 1995 (aged 21) 168 62 2016 Fujieda MYFC* 3 1
29 Patric Brazil CF (1987-10-26)October 26, 1987 (aged 29) 189 82 2014 Brazil Atlético Goianiense 82 36
33 Kazunari Ichimi Japan CF (1997-11-10)November 10, 1997 (aged 19) 183 74 2016 Otsu High School 0 0
37 Akito Takagi Japan CF (1997-08-04)August 4, 1997 (aged 19) 175 68 2016 Gamba Osaka Youth 1 0
39 Takashi Usami Japan LW / AM / CF (1992-05-06)May 6, 1992 (aged 24) 178 69 2013 Germany Hoffenheim* 172 86
* indicates player returned to Gamba Osaka from a loan spell with this club.

Pre-season friendlies[edit]

Date Opponents H / A Result
F-A 		Scorers Attendance
14 February 2016 Nagoya Grampus H 3–1 o.g. 26', Konno 36', Niwa 66' 35,231

Japanese Super Cup[edit]

As winners of the 2015 Emperor's Cup, Gamba squared off against reigning J1 League champions Sanfrecce Hiroshima at Nissan Stadium, Yokohama. The match ended up in a 3–1 defeat for Gamba, with Hisato Satō opening the scoring for Sanfrecce in the 52nd minute and Takuma Asano adding a second from the penalty spot 5 minutes later. Takashi Usami pulled a goal back for Gamba in the 68th minute but it wasn't enough as Sanfrecce's new Nigerian signing Peter Utaka wrapped up the game with 17 minutes remaining. The result means that Gamba have now won just 2 of their 6 appearances in the Japanese Super Cup with victories in 2007 and 2015 and defeats in 2006, 2009, 2010 and 2016. One other point to note is that this game saw the competitive debuts in a Gamba shirt for attacking midfielders Ademilson and Jungo Fujimoto, both of whom joined from Yokohama F. Marinos in the close season.

Date Opponents H / A Result
F-A 		Scorers Attendance
20 February 2016 Sanfrecce Hiroshima N 1–3 Usami 68' 33,805

J1 League First Stage[edit]

The first half of the 2016 J1 League season was a disappointing one for Gamba and ended up in a 6th-place finish. Results were wildly inconsistent with 7 wins 3 draws and 7 defeats. Goalscoring was a real issue, especially early on, with only 9 goals in their first 10 games. They also failed to score more than once in 11 out of their 17 games.

Gameweeks 11–17 which fell after their exit from the AFC Champions League brought more goals but, also saw what had been a pretty solid defence become more porous. 3–3 draws at home to two struggling sides, Shonan Bellmare and Nagoya Grampus, summed up this stage of the campaign.

In terms of team selection, the early weeks of the season where Gamba had to balance J1 League and Champions League commitments saw coach Kenta Hasegawa rotate his squad a lot. The full back and attacking midfield berths saw the most instability. While an injury to South Korean full-back Oh Jae-suk and the game time allowed to youngster Ryo Hatsuse with Gamba's Under-23 side in J3 saw Koki Yonekura and Hiroki Fujiharu become the established right-back and left-back respectively, the strongest combination of attacking midfielders in the favoured 4–2–3–1 formation was never determined. Takashi Usami, Shu Kurata, Hiroyuki Abe and Kotaro Omori had all been retained from the previous year, where the latter 3 tended to be rotated. However, the close-season signings of Ademilson and Jungo Fujimoto from Yokohama F. Marinos gave Gamba excessive depth in that area. Ademilson acquitted himself well with 4 goals which came both from attacking midfield and also centre-forward, however Fujimoto struggled to establish himself and had to turn out occasionally for Gamba U-23 to get game time after Gamba's Champions League elimination.

Returning to the theme of goalscoring, perhaps the biggest concern from the first half of the season was the poor goal return of Patric who failed to find the target in 13 appearances. Following two goal-laden seasons in which he and Usami had scored 50 goals between them, they could only muster 6 goals during the first 17 games of this campaign. Indeed, Patric often found himself playing off the bench with his compatriot Ademilson or the tall Shun Nagasawa starting in his place. In light of this, Usami's departure for Germany in mid-season would prove to be a major worry for Gamba going forward.

Results[edit]

Round Date Opponents H / A Result
F–A 		Scorers Attendance League
position
1 28 February 2016 Kashima Antlers H 0–1 32,463 13th
2 6 March 2016 Ventforet Kofu A 1–0 Nagasawa 36' 14,103 12th
3 11 March 2016 Omiya Ardija H 2–1 Konno 49', Abe 60' 20,535 4th
4 19 March 2016 Vissel Kobe A 1–2 Kim 84' 16,026 7th
5 2 April 2016 Yokohama F. Marinos H 1–2 Ademilson 19' 34,231 12th
6 10 April 2016 Vegalta Sendai A 3–1 Nagasawa 5', Usami 14', Ademilson 15' 18,011 8th
7 15 April 2016 Kashiwa Reysol H 0–1 13,731 8th
8 24 April 2016 Avispa Fukuoka A 1–0 Usami 79' 18,508 8th
9 29 April 2016 Kawasaki Frontale H 0–1 33,941 9th
10 8 May 2016 Albirex Niigata A 0–0 27,439 10th
11 13 May 2016 Júbilo Iwata H 2–1 Ademilson 45', Endō 66' 17,299 8th
12 21 May 2016 Sanfrecce Hiroshima A 3–1 Ademilson 23', Kurata 64', Nagasawa 82' 17,220 6th
13 29 May 2016 FC Tokyo A 0–1 37,805 8th
14 11 June 2016 Shonan Bellmare H 3–3 Konno 45'+2, Iwashita 58', Usami 82' 22,257 8th
15 15 June 2016 Urawa Red Diamonds H 1–0 Usami 8' 29,397 6th
16 18 June 2016 Sagan Tosu A 1–2 Usami 44' 14,450 6th
17 25 June 2016 Nagoya Grampus H 3–3 Abe 45', Kim 54', Konno 87' 33,546 6th

Match Day Line-Ups[edit]

The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the 2016 J1 League First Stage:

Player Appearances – 2016 J1 League First Stage
Round Opponent GK RB LB CB CB CM CM RW LW AM CF upward-facing green arrow upward-facing green arrow upward-facing green arrow
1 Kashima Antlers Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwadownward-facing red arrow Kim Endō Konno Fujimoto Omoridownward-facing red arrow Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Nagasawa Kurata Ideguchi Usami
2 Ventforet Kofu Higashiguchi Oh Hatsuse Konno Kim Endō Uchidadownward-facing red arrow Abe Usami Kuratadownward-facing red arrow Nagasawadownward-facing red arrow Omori Ideguchi Goya
3 Omiya Ardija Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Konno Kim Endō Ideguchi Abedownward-facing red arrow Omoridownward-facing red arrow Usamidownward-facing red arrow Nagasawa Kurata Goya Fujimoto
4 Vissel Kobe Higashiguchi Hatsuse Fujiharu Konno Kim Endō Uchidadownward-facing red arrow Abedownward-facing red arrow Usami Kuratadownward-facing red arrow Nagasawa Ademilson Ideguchi Patric
5 Yokohama F. Marinos Higashiguchi Yonekuradownward-facing red arrow Fujiharu Konno Kim Endō Ideguchi Ademilson Usami Kuratadownward-facing red arrow Patric Goya Hatsuse
6 Vegalta Sendai Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Niwa Kim Endōdownward-facing red arrow Konno Abe Usamidownward-facing red arrow Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Nagasawa Kurata Omori Ogura
7 Kashiwa Reysol Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Niwa Kim Endō Konno Abedownward-facing red arrow Usami Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Nagasawadownward-facing red arrow Kurata Omori Patric
8 Avispa Fukuoka Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Niwa Kim Endō Konno Abe Kuratadownward-facing red arrow Goyadownward-facing red arrow Patric Fujimoto Usami
9 Kawasaki Frontale Higashiguchi Hatsuse Fujiharu Niwa Kim Endō Konno Abedownward-facing red arrow Usami Kuratadownward-facing red arrow Patricdownward-facing red arrow Nagasawa Goyadownward-facing red arrow Fujimoto
10 Albirex Niigata Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Iwashita Endōdownward-facing red arrow Konno Abe Usami Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Nagasawadownward-facing red arrow Kurata Ideguchi Patric
11 Júbilo Iwata Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Iwashitadownward-facing red arrow Ideguchi Konno Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Usamidownward-facing red arrow Endō Patric Kim Kurata Fujimoto
12 Sanfrecce Hiroshima Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Iwashita Endō Konno Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Usami Kuratadownward-facing red arrow Patricdownward-facing red arrow Omori Nagasawa Ogura
13 FC Tokyo Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Iwashita Endōdownward-facing red arrow Konno Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Usami Kurata Patricdownward-facing red arrow Omori Goya Fujimoto
14 Shonan Bellmare Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Iwashita Endō Konno Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Usami Kuratadownward-facing red arrow Patricdownward-facing red arrow Omori Goya Fujimoto
15 Urawa Red Diamonds Higashiguchi Niwa Fujiharu Kim Iwashita Ideguchi Konno Abe Usamidownward-facing red arrow Endō Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Kurata Patric
16 Sagan Tosu Higashiguchi Niwa Fujiharu Kimdownward-facing red arrow Iwashitadownward-facing red arrow Ideguchi Konno Abe Usami Endō Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Kurata Yonekura Patric
17 Nagoya Grampus Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Kim Endō Konnodownward-facing red arrow Abe Usami Kuratadownward-facing red arrow Patricdownward-facing red arrow Ademilson Omori Ideguchi
upward-facing green arrow = Substitute on, downward-facing red arrow = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, = Yellow Card and = Red Card.

J1 League Second Stage[edit]

Freed from Asian Champions League commitments, Gamba performed much better during the second stage of the 2016 J1 League season finishing with a record of 10 wins, 4 draws and 3 defeats which saw them come home in 4th place in both the second stage and overall league tables. Impressive away victories over Kashima Antlers and Kawasaki Frontale bookended what was a half of the season largely full of positives.

The mid-season departure of Takashi Usami was not felt as keenly as first feared with the team netting 31 times in 17 games, Shun Nagasawa found the back of the net 6 times, Ademilson 5 and impressive central-midfielder Yosuke Ideguchi, buoyed by his appearance in the Olympics provided 4 in what was a great overall team effort.

The only negatives were the disappointing 0–0 draw at home to league whipping boys Avispa Fukuoka, the painful 1–0 derby defeat against Vissel Kobe in which Ademilson missed a penalty which would have salvaged a draw and also the chastening 4–0 reverse away to second stage champions Urawa Red Diamonds.

Gamba's 4th-place finish in the overall standings left them waiting on the result of the Emperor's Cup to know whether or not they had qualified for the following season's Champions League.

Round Date Opponents H / A Result
F–A 		Scorers Attendance League
position
18 2 July 2016 Kashima Antlers A 3–1 Omori 26', Konno 60', Kim 73' 21,524 5th
19 9 July 2016 Vegalta Sendai H 3–1 Yonekura 14', Patric 78', 90'+2 19,482 3rd
20 13 July 2016 Omiya Ardija A 0–0 9,873 4th
21 17 July 2016 Avispa Fukuoka H 0–0 23,540 4th
22 23 July 2016 Kashiwa Reysol A 2–3 Ademilson 16', Nakatani o.g. 23' 13,808 7th
23 30 July 2016 Sanfrecce Hiroshima H 1–0 Abe 52' 32,444 6th
24 6 August 2016 Sagan Tosu H 2–1 Fujita o.g. 61', Nagasawa 90'+2 17,355 4th
25 13 August 2016 Júbilo Iwata A 2–0 Ademilson 57', Nagasawa 83' 23,144 3rd
26 20 August 2016 Vissel Kobe H 0–1 26,520 4th
27 27 August 2016 Shonan Bellmare A 2–1 Nagasawa 26', 64' 10,664 4th
28 10 September 2016 Ventforet Kofu H 2–1 Nagasawa 8', Kurata 80' 17,921 3rd
29 17 September 2016 Nagoya Grampus A 3–1 Omori 27', Ademilson 65', Ideguchi 90'+1 29,481 2nd
30 25 September 2016 FC Tokyo H 3–3 Omori 15', Nagasawa 18', Fujiharu 90'+1 30,141 3rd
31 1 October 2016 Urawa Red Diamonds A 0–4 43,415 5th
32 22 October 2016 Yokohama F. Marinos A 2–2 Ideguchi 45'+1, 88' 38,380 4th
33 29 October 2016 Albirex Niigata H 3–1 Ademilson 5', Endō (pen.) 60', Goya 90'+8 26,003 4th
34 3 November 2016 Kawasaki Frontale A 3–2 Fujiharu 65', Ideguchi 66', Ademilson 76' 25,694 4th

Match Day Line-Ups[edit]

The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the 2016 J1 League Second Stage:

Player appearances – 2016 J1 League Second Stage
Round Opponent GK RB LB CB CB CM CM RW LW AM CF upward-facing green arrow upward-facing green arrow upward-facing green arrow
18 Kashima Antlers Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Kim Endō Konno Abe Omoridownward-facing red arrow Kurata Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Ideguchi Patric
19 Vegalta Sendai Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Kim Endō Konno Abe Omoridownward-facing red arrow Kuratadownward-facing red arrow Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Ideguchi Oh Patric
20 Omiya Ardija Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Niwa Kim Endō Konno Abedownward-facing red arrow Omori Kuratadownward-facing red arrow Patricdownward-facing red arrow Ademilson Ideguchi Fujimoto
21 Avispa Fukuoka Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Iwashitadownward-facing red arrow Ideguchi Konno Abedownward-facing red arrow Kurata Endō Patricdownward-facing red arrow Ademilson Nagasawa Fujimoto
22 Kashiwa Reysol Higashiguchi Yonekura Oh Niwa Kim Endō Konno Abedownward-facing red arrow Omoridownward-facing red arrow Kurata Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Nagasawa Patric Doan
23 Sanfrecce Hiroshima Higashiguchi Yonekura Oh Niwa Kim Endōdownward-facing red arrow Konno Abe Kurata Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Nagasawadownward-facing red arrow Omori Uchida Patric
24 Sagan Tosu Higashiguchi Yonekura Oh Niwa Kim Endō Konno Abe Kurata Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Goyadownward-facing red arrow Omori Nagasawa
25 Júbilo Iwata Higashiguchi Yonekura Oh Niwa Kim Endōdownward-facing red arrow Konno Abedownward-facing red arrow Omoridownward-facing red arrow Kurata Ademilson Nagasawa Hatsuse Doan
26 Vissel Kobe Higashiguchi Yonekuradownward-facing red arrow Oh Niwa Kim Endō Konno Abedownward-facing red arrow Omori Kuratadownward-facing red arrow Ademilson Fujiharu Nagasawa Doan
27 Shonan Bellmare Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Niwa Kim Endō Ideguchi Omori Kuratadownward-facing red arrow Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Nagasawadownward-facing red arrow Nishino Abe Patric
28 Ventforet Kofu Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Kim Endō Ideguchi Abedownward-facing red arrow Kurata Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Nagasawadownward-facing red arrow Konno Omori Goya
29 Nagoya Grampus Higashiguchi Ohdownward-facing red arrow Fujiharu Niwa Kim Endōdownward-facing red arrow Ideguchi Omori Kurata Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Nagasawa Nishino Yonekura Konno
30 FC Tokyo Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Kim Ideguchi Konnodownward-facing red arrow Omoridownward-facing red arrow Kurata Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Nagasawa Endō Goya Fujimoto
31 Urawa Red Diamonds Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Niwa Nishino Endōdownward-facing red arrow Ideguchi Kurata Omoridownward-facing red arrow Ademilson Nagasawadownward-facing red arrow Konno Goya Fujimoto
32 Yokohama F. Marinos Higashiguchi Yonekuradownward-facing red arrow Oh Niwa Kim Ideguchi Konno Fujimoto Omori Endōdownward-facing red arrow Goyadownward-facing red arrow Fujiharu Kurata Nagasawa
33 Albirex Niigata Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Iwashita Kim Ideguchi Konno Fujimotodownward-facing red arrow Kuratadownward-facing red arrow Endō Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Abe Omori Goya
34 Kawasaki Frontale Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Iwashitadownward-facing red arrow Kim Ideguchi Konno Kurata Omoridownward-facing red arrow Endō Ademilson Abe Goya
upward-facing green arrow = Substitute on, downward-facing red arrow = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, = Yellow Card and = Red Card.

AFC Champions League[edit]

Gamba were drawn in Group G along with Australian side Melbourne Victory, Korean outfit Suwon Samsung Bluewings and China's Shanghai SIPG. It was to prove a disappointing campaign for them culminating in an exit at the group stage, a strong contrast with the previous season's run to the semi-finals. An inability to find the back of the net which had plagued their early form in J1 also proved to be their downfall in the Champions League with only 4 goals scored in 6 games.

Draws in their opening two games away to Samsung and at home to Melbourne were to prove the high points as they were followed by a run of four defeats in a row, three of which came by a solitary goal. As it happened, Sven-Göran Eriksson's Shanghai side ran out group winners with 12 points, 3 ahead of both Melbourne and Samsung on 9. It was Melbourne who advanced with them, with their final round win over a largely second string Gamba side giving them the points they required to overtake Suwon due to having a better head-to-head record in matches played between the two sides. Gamba finished fourth and last in the group.

Results[edit]

Round Date Opponents H / A Result
F–A 		Scorers Attendance League
position
1 24 February 2016 Samsung Bluewings A 0–0 9,947 2nd=
2 2 March 2016 Melbourne Victory H 1–1 Endō 57' 14,270 3rd
3 15 March 2016 Shanghai SIPG A 1–2 Patric 60' 29,005 3rd
4 6 April 2016 Shanghai SIPG H 0–2 14,756 4th
5 19 April 2016 Samsung Bluewings H 1–2 Konno 89' 10,846 4th
6 3 May 2016 Melbourne Victory A 1–2 Ademilson 84' 10,147 4th

Match Day Line-Ups[edit]

The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the 2016 AFC Champions League:

Player Appearances – 2016 AFC Champions League
Round Opponent GK RB LB CB CB CM CM RW LW AM CF upward-facing green arrow upward-facing green arrow upward-facing green arrow
1 Samsung Bluewings Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Niwa Kim Ideguchi Konno Abedownward-facing red arrow Usamidownward-facing red arrow Kurata Patricdownward-facing red arrow Endō Yonekura Nagasawa
2 Melbourne Victory Higashiguchi Oh Fujiharu Konno Kim Ideguchi Endō Abe Usamidownward-facing red arrow Kuratadownward-facing red arrow Patric Ademilson Omori
3 Shanghai SIPG Higashiguchi Ohdownward-facing red arrow Fujiharu Konno Kim Ideguchi Endō Abedownward-facing red arrow Omoridownward-facing red arrow Usami Patric Kurata Yonekura Fujimoto
4 Shanghai SIPG Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Konno Kim Ideguchidownward-facing red arrow Endō Ademilson Usami Kuratadownward-facing red arrow Patricdownward-facing red arrow Nishino Nagasawa Fujimoto
5 Samsung Bluewings Higashiguchi Ohdownward-facing red arrow Fujiharu Niwa Kim Konno Endō Fujimoto Usami Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Nagasawadownward-facing red arrow Kurata Yonekura Patric
6 Melbourne Victory Fujigaya Yonekura Hatsuse Niwa Iwashita Ideguchi Uchidadownward-facing red arrow Fujimoto Omoridownward-facing red arrow Ademilson Nagasawadownward-facing red arrow Futagawa Goya Doan
upward-facing green arrow = Substitute on, downward-facing red arrow = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, = Yellow Card and = Red Card.

J.League Cup[edit]

As a result of their qualification for the AFC Champions League, Gamba were given a bye into the quarter-finals of the League Cup, where they were paired against Sanfrecce Hiroshima in a two-legged encounter. A 1–1 draw in Hiroshima was followed by an emphatic 6–3 home win for Gamba which saw them qualify for the semi-finals and a tie against Yokohama F. Marinos in October. The first leg, held in Osaka, finished 0–0 and the second leg was also a draw, this time 1–1 which saw Gamba through on away goals and paved the way for a 3rd league cup final appearance in 3 years. The final was played against Urawa Red Diamonds at Saitama Stadium 2002 on Saturday 15 October 2016.

A solo run by Ademilson gave Gamba a first half lead which lasted until the 76th minute when Tadanari Lee's header squared things up. Extra-time followed and Gamba came agonisingly close to netting the winner in the 120th minute when Hiroto Goya's shot was deflected past the goalkeeper and onto the post, it then proceeded to roll along the goal line before being swept to safety by Urawa defender Ryota Moriwaki. It was perhaps an omen as following 3 successful penalty kicks for each side, Goya had his spot-kick saved by Shusaku Nishikawa. This proved to be the decisive miss as the Reds netted all of their penalties and went on to win the shootout 5–4.

This was Gamba's 5th appearance in the J.League Cup final and their 3rd in as many years. To date they have lifted the trophy twice, in 2007 and 2014 with this defeat being their 3rd defeat in the final, following reverses in 2005 and 2015.

Round Date Opponents H / A Result
F-A 		Scorers Attendance
QF 31 August 2016 Sanfrecce Hiroshima A 1–1 Goya 86' 5,529
QF 4 September 2016 Sanfrecce Hiroshima H 6–3 Nagasawa 32', 45'+2, Niwa 55', Ademilson 60', 63', Abe 71' 12,977
SF 5 October 2016 Yokohama F. Marinos H 0–0 11,160
SF 9 October 2016 Yokohama F. Marinos A 1–1 Endō 63' 19,378
F 15 October 2016 Urawa Red Diamonds N 1-1aet
4-5pens 		Ademilson 17' 51,248

Match Day Line-Ups[edit]

The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the 2016 J.League Cup:

Player Appearances – 2016 J.League Cup
Round Opponent GK RB LB CB CB CM CM RW LW AM FW upward-facing green arrow upward-facing green arrow upward-facing green arrow
QF Sanfrecce Hiroshima Fujigaya Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Kim Ideguchidownward-facing red arrow Kurata Abe Omori Fujimotodownward-facing red arrow Patricdownward-facing red arrow Nagasawa Goya Uchida
QF Sanfrecce Hiroshima Fujigaya Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Kim Ideguchi Endō Abe Omoridownward-facing red arrow Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Nagasawadownward-facing red arrow Kurata Goya Fujimoto
SF Yokohama F. Marinos Fujigaya Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Kim Ideguchi Konno Fujimotodownward-facing red arrow Omori Kurata Patricdownward-facing red arrow Ademilson Goya
SF Yokohama F. Marinos Fujigaya Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Kim Ideguchi Konno Fujimotodownward-facing red arrow Kurata Endōdownward-facing red arrow Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Iwashita Omori Nagasawa
F Urawa Red Diamonds Higashiguchi Yonekura Fujiharu Niwa Kim Ideguchi Konno Kuratadownward-facing red arrow Omoridownward-facing red arrow Endō Ademilsondownward-facing red arrow Nagasawa Goya Fujimoto
upward-facing green arrow = Substitute on, downward-facing red arrow = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, = Yellow Card and = Red Card.

Emperor's Cup[edit]

Gamba began their defence of the title they've won for the past 2 seasons at home to J2 side Shimizu S-Pulse on November 9.[20] Shun Nagasawa's strike in extra time was enough to see them through to the quarter-finals where they were paired with Yokohama F. Marinos in what would be the 5th meeting of the season between the two teams. Having already drawn twice at Nissan Stadium earlier in the season, this was once again a tight affair with Manabu Saitō putting the Marinos ahead from the penalty spot in the 63rd minute only for Yasuyuki Konno to seemingly send the tie into extra time with an 87th-minute equaliser. Unfortunately for Gamba, Jun Amano had other ideas and his 96th-minute strike from outside the box sent them through to the semi-finals and left Gamba hoping Kashima or Kawasaki would lift the cup to ensure their progression to the 2017 Asian Champions League.

Round Date Opponents H / A Result
F-A 		Scorers Attendance
4th round 9 November 2016 Shimizu S-Pulse H 1–0 aet Nagasawa 112' 8,789
QF 24 December 2016 Yokohama F. Marinos A 1–2 Konno 87' 21,898

Match Day Line-Ups[edit]

The following players appeared for Gamba Osaka during the 2016 Emperor's Cup:

Player Appearances – 2016 Emperor's Cup
Round Opponent GK RB LB CB CB CM CM RW LW AM FW upward-facing green arrow upward-facing green arrow upward-facing green arrow
4R Shimizu S-Pulse Fujigaya Ohdownward-facing red arrow Fujiharu Niwa Iwashitadownward-facing red arrow Endō Konno Doandownward-facing red arrow Kurata Ademilson Goya Abe Nagasawa Hatsuse
QF Yokohama F. Marinos Fujigaya Ohdownward-facing red arrow Fujiharu Niwa Kimdownward-facing red arrow Ideguchi Konno Kurata Fujimotodownward-facing red arrow Endō Ademilson Omori Nagasawa Hatsuse

upward-facing green arrow = Substitute on, downward-facing red arrow = Substitute Off, = Number of goals scored, = Yellow Card and = Red Card.

Squad statistics[edit]

No. Pos. Name League Emperor's Cup J.League Cup Champions League Super Cup Total Discipline
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK Japan Masaaki Higashiguchi 34 0 0 0 1 0 5 0 1 0 41 0 3 0
3 DF Japan Takaharu Nishino 1(2) 0 0 0 0 0 0(1) 0 0 0 1(3) 0 0 0
4 DF Japan Hiroki Fujiharu 27(2) 2 2 0 5 0 5 0 1 0 40(2) 2 2 0
5 DF Japan Daiki Niwa 28 0 2 0 5 1 3 0 1 0 39 1 4 0
6 DF South Korea Kim Jung-ya 27(1) 3 1 0 5 0 5 0 0 0 38(1) 3 3 0
7 MF Japan Yasuhito Endō (c) 33(1) 2 2 0 3 1 4(1) 1 1 0 43(2) 4 6 0
8 DF Japan Keisuke Iwashita 10 1 1 0 0(1) 0 1 0 0 0 12(1) 1 5 0
9 FW Brazil Ademilson 24(5) 9 2 0 3(1) 3 3(1) 1 1 0 33(7) 13 3 1
10 MF Japan Takahiro Futagawa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0(1) 0 0 0 0(1) 0 0 0
11 MF Japan Shu Kurata 25(9) 2 2 0 4(1) 0 3(2) 0 0(1) 0 34(13) 2 3 0
13 MF Japan Hiroyuki Abe 21(3) 3 0(1) 0 2 1 3 0 1 0 27(4) 4 2 0
14 DF Japan Koki Yonekura 19(2) 1 0 0 5 0 3(2) 0 0 0 27(4) 1 5 0
15 MF Japan Yasuyuki Konno 30(3) 4 2 1 3 0 5 1 1 0 41(3) 6 4 0
16 GK Japan Ken Tajiri 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
17 MF Japan Kenya Okazaki 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
18 GK Japan Yōsuke Fujigaya 0 0 2 0 4 0 1 0 0 0 7 0 0 0
19 MF Japan Kotaro Omori 13(11) 3 0(1) 0 4(1) 0 2(1) 0 0 0 19(14) 3 1 0
20 FW Japan Shun Nagasawa 13(8) 9 0(2) 1 1(3) 2 2(2) 0 0(1) 0 16(16) 12 6 0
21 MF Japan Yosuke Ideguchi 14(8) 4 1 0 5 0 5 0 1 0 26(8) 4 7 0
22 DF South Korea Oh Jae-suk 17(1) 0 2 0 0 0 4 0 1 0 24(1) 0 3 0
23 FW Japan Hiroto Goya 3(11) 1 1 0 0(4) 1 0(1) 0 0 0 4(16) 2 1 1
24 FW Japan Naoki Ogawa 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
25 MF Japan Jungo Fujimoto 3(10) 0 1 0 3(2) 0 2(2) 0 0(1) 0 9(15) 0 3 0
26 MF Japan Naoya Senoo 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
27 MF Japan Tatsuya Uchida 2(1) 0 0 0 0(1) 0 1 0 0 0 3(2) 0 1 0
28 MF Japan Shota Yomesaka 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
29 FW Brazil Patric 10(10) 2 0 0 2 0 4(1) 1 1 0 17(11) 3 3 0
30 DF Japan So Hirao 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
31 GK Japan Mizuki Hayashi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
32 DF Japan Hiroki Noda 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
33 FW Japan Kazunari Ichimi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
35 DF Japan Ryo Hatsuse 3(2) 0 0(2) 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 4(4) 0 0 0
36 MF Japan Mizuki Ichimaru 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
37 FW Japan Akito Takagi 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
38 MF Japan Ritsu Doan 0(3) 0 1 0 0 0 0(1) 0 0 0 1(4) 0 0 0
39 FW Japan Takashi Usami 15(2) 5 0 0 0 0 5 0 1 1 21(2) 6 0 0
40 MF Japan Shōhei Ogura 0(2) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0(2) 0 0 0
— — Own goals – 2 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 0 – 2 – –

Statistics accurate as of match played on 24 December 2016.[21][22]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b "Soccerway J1 First-Stage Fixtures". Soccerway. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  2. ^ "Soccerway J1 Second-Stage Fixtures". Soccerway. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  3. ^ "AFC Champions League Schedule and Results". AFC. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  4. ^ "JFA Japanese Super Cup 2016 Match Report". JFA. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  5. ^ "JFA J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup Schedule and Results". JFA. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  6. ^ "JFA Emperor's Cup Schedule and Results". JFA. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  7. ^ "Suita City Football Stadium (Gamba Osaka Stadium)". Stadium DB. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  8. ^ "Panasonic Cup Match Report". Gamba Osaka. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  9. ^ a b "Jungo Fujimoto signing ニュースリリース". Gamba Osaka (in Japanese). 11 January 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  10. ^ a b "Ademilson signing ニュースリリース". Gamba Osaka (in Japanese). 8 January 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i "Gamba Osaka 2016 Squad Announcement". Gamba Osaka (in Japanese). Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  12. ^ a b "Tomokazu Myojin Departure ニュースリリース". Gamba Osaka (in Japanese). 6 January 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  13. ^ a b "Lins Departure ニュースリリース". Gamba Osaka (in Japanese). 2 January 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  14. ^ a b "Shingo Akamine Departure ニュースリリース". Gamba Osaka (in Japanese). 7 January 2016. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  15. ^ a b "Yuto Uchida JFA Player Profile". JFA. Retrieved 21 February 2016.
  16. ^ a b "Gamba Osaka News Usami to Augsburg". Gamba Osaka. 20 June 2016. Retrieved 20 June 2016.
  17. ^ a b "Gamba Osaka News Futagawa to Tokyo Verdy". Gamba Osaka. 28 June 2016. Retrieved 28 June 2016.
  18. ^ a b "Gamba Osaka News: Patric leaves team due to injury". Gamba Osaka. 21 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  19. ^ a b "Gamba sign Ademilson". J.League English site. 14 October 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2016.
  20. ^ "Draw for final stages of Emperor's Cup announced". J.League English Site. 5 October 2016. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
  21. ^ "2016 Gamba Osaka Season Statistics". flashscore.com. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
  22. ^ "2016 Gamba Osaka Team Profile". soccerway.com. Retrieved 26 January 2016.
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