The J. League season is only six games old, but already there is a familiar look about both the top and bottom of the table.
Urawa Reds lead by a point from the team that overtook them at the death to win the title last season — Gamba Osaka — while Sagan Tosu, Kawasaki Frontale and FC Tokyo are all going strong behind them.
Reds have not always looked comfortable dealing with the pressure of being in first place in recent years, but the way the team has responded to last year's collapse suggests a stronger mentality this time round. Saturday's 2-1 comeback win over Yokohama F. Marinos leaves Urawa with the division's only unbeaten record, and manager Mihailo Petrovic believes his team has found a new maturity.