Kashima Antlers manager Oswaldo Oliveira insists success has left his record-breaking team hungrier than ever, and intends to prove the point in Saturday's Fuji Xerox Super Cup against Gamba Osaka.
Antlers won an unprecedented third straight J. League title under the Brazilian last season, leading to suggestions that the players' appetite might be sated heading into the new campaign.
But Oliveira has warned his championship rivals that there has been no let-up over the winter, and that the desire to make it four in a row will make Kashima even more formidable over the coming year.