So they have allowed a limited number of fans back into the stadiums in Japan. However, given I’m not a die hard fan or anything I’ve not tried to buy a ticket. Better to leave that for peoiple who deserve it a bit more. I have been watching all of the games on TV though. The season is going quite well so far. As can be seen in the table below by the end of August Cerezo were in 2nd place. Although it is a bit tight. Kashiwa have dropped off the pace a bit and Yokohama FM have managed to get over their poor start to the season. Tosu are second from bottom but haven’t been playing games due to a COVID outbreak. They’ll have some catching up to do.
| P | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | ||
| 1 | Kawasaki | 14 | 11 | 2 | 1 | 41 | 12 | 29 | 35 |
| 2 | Cerezo | 13 | 8 | 3 | 2 | 18 | 13 | 5 | 27 |
| 3 | FC Tokyo | 14 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 25 | 18 | 7 | 25 |
| 4 | Nagoya | 12 | 7 | 3 | 2 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 24 |
| 5 | Urawa | 13 | 7 | 2 | 4 | 18 | 20 | −2 | 23 |
| 6 | Yokohama FM | 14 | 6 | 3 | 5 | 28 | 24 | 4 | 21 |
| 7 | Kashiwa | 13 | 6 | 2 | 5 | 26 | 21 | 5 | 20 |
| 8 | Gamba | 12 | 6 | 2 | 4 | 17 | 16 | 1 | 20 |
| 9 | Kashima | 14 | 5 | 3 | 6 | 21 | 21 | 0 | 18 |
| 10 | Kobe | 14 | 4 | 6 | 4 | 21 | 23 | −2 | 18 |
| 11 | Hiroshima | 12 | 4 | 3 | 5 | 16 | 13 | 3 | 15 |
| 12 | Sapporo | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 18 | 26 | −8 | 14 |
| 13 | Yokohama FC | 13 | 4 | 2 | 7 | 17 | 26 | −9 | 14 |
| 14 | Oita | 13 | 3 | 3 | 7 | 12 | 21 | −9 | 12 |
| 15 | Sendai | 12 | 2 | 5 | 5 | 13 | 19 | −6 | 11 |
| 16 | Shimizu | 13 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 18 | 29 | −11 | 9 |
| 17 | Tosu | 9 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 10 | −5 | 7 |
| 18 | Shonan | 12 | 1 | 1 | 10 | 10 | 23 | −13 | 4 |
Looking at the form for August, below, Cerezo are still doing quite well. They have 3.75 more points than expected and scored 1.75 more goals. They have conceded 0.75 more but I guess you can’t have everything. Kawasaki are still doing very well scoring a lot of goals. Despite Yokohama FM (note not FC) doing better in the league this isn’t anything more than a return to expected form (not improving on it). Kashima (note not Kashiwa) have started to improve. Sapporo’s form has dropped off a cliff and they are conceding a lot of extra goals. They are still floating about the relegation zone due to earlier wins but they can’t go on like this forever. Gamba aren’t doing to well either.
| Team | Pts | GF | GA | Team | Pts | GF | GA | ||
| 1 | Nagoya | 6 | 3 | -4.75 | 18 | Sapporo | -5.5 | -3.75 | 9.25 |
| 2 | Kashima | 5.5 | 4 | -1.75 | 17 | Shonan | -4.25 | -1.75 | 3.75 |
| 3 | Cerezo | 3.75 | 1.75 | 0.75 | 16 | Gamba | -3.25 | -1.5 | 4 |
| 4 | Kawasaki | 3.5 | 7.75 | -2 | 15 | Hiroshima | -0.5 | -2 | 0 |
| 5 | Yokohama FC | 3 | 2.75 | 1.75 | 14 | FC Tokyo | -0.25 | 3.25 | 1 |
For Cerezo it’s so far so good. They have been playing rather well if not the most attractive of football. Let’s hope they can keep it going.