| 2017 season | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Chairman | Teruhisa Noro | ||
| Manager | Kenta Hasegawa | ||
| J1 League | 10th | ||
| Emperor's Cup | 4th round | ||
| J.League Cup | Semi-final | ||
| AFC Champions League | Group Stage | ||
| Top goalscorer | League: Shun Nagasawa 10 All: Shun Nagasawa 16 | ||
| Highest home attendance | 36,177 vs Cerezo Osaka (J1) 29 July 2017 | ||
| Lowest home attendance | 3,597 vs Verspah Oita (Emperor's Cup) on 21 June 2017 | ||
| Average home league attendance | 24,277 | ||
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The 2017 Gamba Osaka season was Gamba Osaka's 24th season in the J1 League and 30th overall in the Japanese top flight. It saw them compete in the 18 team J1 League which had reverted to a single stage format of 34 games where each team played the other 17 participants home and away after an unsuccessful trial of a first stage and second stage being followed by a championship playoff series.[1] City rivals, Cerezo Osaka were promoted from J2 at the end of 2016 meaning that the two sides played derby matches for the first time since 2014 and with neighbouring Vissel Kobe also participating in J1, Gamba had 4 league derbies to look forward to throughout the season.
Gamba also competed in the 2017 J.League Cup and Emperors Cup with the timing of their entry into both competitions being determined by their progress in the Champions League. As the 4th placed side in the 2016 J1 League, Gamba entered at the play off round where they faced Malaysia's Johor Darul Ta'zim in a one-off match at Suita City Football Stadium on 7 February.[2] Goals from Ademilson, Shun Nagasawa and Genta Miura secured a comfortable 3-0 victory and saw Gamba progress to the group stages where they were drawn in Group H along with Australian's Adelaide United, Korean side Jeju United and Chinese outfit Jiangsu Suning.[3] Unfortunately for the second season running they were eliminated at the group stage after taking a mere 4 points from their 6-round robin games.
Gamba's results in other competitions were equally disappointing. A bright start in J1 saw them top the standing after round 12, however just 4 wins in their remaining matches led them to a 10th-place finish which saw long serving manager Kenta Hasegawa removed from his position at the end of the season.[4]
Gamba ended the season trophy-less following a defeat to city rivals Cerezo in the semi-finals of the J.League Cup and a 3-2 home loss against Kashiwa Reysol in the 4th round of the Emperor's Cup.
- ^ "J1 League returns to single stage format in 2017". J.League English Site. 14 December 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
- ^ "AFC Champions League Qualification". Gamba Osaka (in Japanese). 29 December 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
- ^ "Gamba demolish JDT to reach ACL group stage". J.League English Site. 8 February 2017. Retrieved 8 February 2017.
- ^ "Hasegawa to leave Gamba after 2017". J.League English Site. 9 September 2017. Retrieved 3 December 2017.