With the J. League first division nearly at its halfway point, the supersized June international match period has been well positioned to give clubs a chance to refresh, recover and take stock ahead of the return leg of the season, which is set to conclude a month earlier than usual in order to accommodate the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Just six points separate the top third of the table, with Kevin Muscat’s Yokohama Marinos in first place with 31 points and Albert Puig’s FC Tokyo in sixth on 25.
Three clubs in particular — all title contenders heading into the start of the season — will be especially grateful for the pause, with two especially in need of a reboot as the threat of relegation looms ever larger.
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