Fuwa
Summary
Fuwa served as the coach responsible for ETU’s relegation from the first division to the second division. He harbors a strong dislike for the ETU management, viewing their leadership as fundamentally inadequate. He feels pity for Tatsumi, who is tasked with coaching a squad devoid of foreign players. Fuwa has remarked that he cannot fathom leading a team without international talent, having personally selected three Brazilian players for Nagoya Grand Palace. He believes these Brazilians elevated the playing style of their Japanese teammates through their superior skill and experience. However, Itagaki, the former lead striker and star of Nagoya Grand Palace, felt more frustration than anything else regarding the Brazilians' presence. Tatsumi was able to exploit a critical defensive weakness, realizing that the Nagoya Grand Palace defenders all took their cues from Carlos, one of the Brazilian midfielders. Consequently, if Tatsumi advanced even slightly up the field, the defense collapsed. Judging Fuwa’s competence is nearly impossible. His preference for high-profile, preferably foreign, players is not inherently negative. A team cannot win solely by assembling outstanding individual talents that fail to cooperate; a coach must blend these abilities into a cohesive unit. The issue lies in the fact that Fuwa’s three Brazilian players functioned well together due to their familiarity with one another, likely stemming from their time with the Brazilian National Team. They could create opportunities without relying on complex tactics. Unlike Hiraizumi, Fuwa failed to immediately identify and correct the gaping hole in the defense that Tatsumi exploited. Furthermore, unlike Dulfer, Fuwa did not appear to acknowledge his role in the defeat. This led Tatsumi to warn him that if he refuses to accept his loss, he will continue to have the rug pulled out from under him.
