Asian Champions League commitments have undoubtedly played a big part, but last season's top four J. League teams were surely expecting a better start to the domestic campaign.

While the rest of the league has played seven matches, involvement in the ACL means champions Nagoya Grampus and Cerezo Osaka have only six games under their belts while Gamba Osaka and Kashima Antlers have played five. Current league positions are misleading as a result, but the fact that Gamba is the only one of those four teams in the top half of the table is significant nevertheless.

Grampus, Antlers and Cerezo have managed just two wins between them from a combined 17 games, with only second-from-bottom Montedio Yamagata scoring fewer goals than Nagoya's current tally of five.