J1 returned from the international break with plenty of talking points both on and off the pitch, and Alan Gibson and Neil Debnam returned to the pod to discuss another action-packed weekend.

In Part 1 Alan and I begin with Urawa's decision to sack manager Takafumi Hori just over four months after he steered Reds to the ACL title, before moving on to focus on the differing fortunes of the three Kansai clubs in J1 through five games, finishing with a brief review of the Matchday 5 slate (to 35:40).

Then in Part 2 Neil chats about the horrendous officiating blunder that cost Kawasaki a point in their top-of-the-table clash with Hiroshima, and the slightly underwhelming start Frontale have made to life as defending top flight champions.

Follow my guests on twitter:

Alan - @JSoccerMagazine

Neil - @frontalerabbit