Urawa Reds manager Volker Finke could barely conceal his disbelief at reaching the season's halfway mark on 34 points. But with his team stuck on the same tally one month and three straight defeats later, the German's caution seems well founded.

An oppressive haze of deja vu has settled around Saitama Stadium along with the summer heat, and what was billed as a rebuilding year to set the former champions back on the right track is beginning to look like one step further into the wilderness.

Losses to rock-bottom Oita Trinita, Shimizu S-Pulse and a 3-0 home hiding by Nagoya Grampus suggests Urawa's excellent start to the season was merely smoke and mirrors. The suspicion remains that unless money is spent, things will get worse before they get better.