One of the many intriguing storylines heading into the 2019 J. League season is how much progress Yokohama F. Marinos can make after a season that thrilled and frustrated in equal measure.
Former Socceroos head coach Ange Postecoglou had mixed success in his Japanese top flight debut — Yokohama reached the Levain Cup final but narrowly avoided the promotion-relegation playoff on goal difference.
In a league in which offense wins games but defense wins championships, F. Marinos could only provide one of the two, with 56 goals scored (tied for second best with Shimizu S-Pulse) and the same number allowed (third worst behind V-Varen Nagasaki and Nagoya Grampus).