WHO OWNS OSAKA? CEREZO V GAMBA

The 2014 J-League season sees the return of Gamba Osaka to J1 after a brief visit to the second tier. Fans will be treated to the usual two derbies this season but Gamba may find things have changed

 It's been a lively off season for the J-League, and Cerezo Osaka have led the market exchanges. I'm not sure whether the foray into the Asian Champions League this year has been a motivator but the Yanmar owned club have gone on an unrestrained player buy-up. Uruguayan star Diego Forlan leads the signings. "I've never received such a reception," he said. The striker has already made an appearance off the bench in Cerezo Osaka's opening ACL match.

The pink half of Osaka have beefed up their attacking stocks with the purchase of Aria Jasuru Hasegawa from FC Tokyo. Australians will remember him well, particularly Brisbane Roar fans who witnessed him tear Brisbane apart with his silky technique and fab passing game in the 2012 ACL. Australians will also be familiar with Ryo Nagai and Mitch Nichols who both joined the club during the off-season. Nichols has a clever passing game and is a Socceroos candidate for Brazil 2014. Ryo Nagai's career has been littered with injuries but when the winger is injury free he adds plenty of speed and attacking thrust. The two will most likely feature as squad players only, with the likes of Yoichiro Kakitani in front of them in midfield. Kakitani scored an extraordinary 21 J-League goals in 2013, but unfortunately for Cerezo fans Kakitani is rumoured to be on the move mid season. 

 For Gamba Osaka returning to the J-League was a formality. The first victory for Gamba was retaining a large number of their J1 squad. Inspiring national team midfielder Yasuhito Endo stayed on at the relegated club and Gamba were able to win the 42 match J2 by a narrow four point margin. Most impressive in Gamba's visit to J2 was Takashi Usami who returned from an unsuccessful stint in Germany to score 19 goals in 18 appearances. However, fast-forward to the present and Usami is out for at least the first eight weeks of the season with an ankle injury.

The traditional Kansai region heavyweights (Gamba) have been overshadowed in the transfer market by Cerezo, and their biggest signings come in the form of Masaaki Higashiguchi and Brazilian Lins. Higashiguchi is a quality keeper, transferred from Albirex Niigata. Having watched a lot of Niigata I'll say it's a good purchase, and he's a keeper capable of higher honours. Lins is a 26 year old striker with a wealth of experience in Brazil, including the Serie A where he scored 11 goals last season. But on the balance of things it looks a tough task for Gamba Osaka to match their city rivals in 2014. With former FC Tokyo manager Ranko Popovic now in charge at Cerezo fans can expect sexy football and possibly an inaugural J1 title. Meanwhile, Gamba fans should be pleased with a mid table finish, although even that may be a little optimistic.