Kashima Antlers' phenomenal end to last season has whetted, not sated, their appetite for more success, insists manager Masatada Ishii.
Antlers rose from the ashes of an inconsistent J. League campaign that saw them finish third in the overall table — 15 points behind first-place Urawa Reds — to knock out Kawasaki Frontale in the playoff semifinal before edging Urawa in the final to claim an eighth league title on away goals.
But Antlers weren't finished there. The newly crowned champions went on to storm through the Club World Cup in December, becoming the first Asian side to reach the final before succumbing 4-2 to Real Madrid, having taken the European heavyweights to extra time.