[Positioning] Anticipating a forward pass to a target player with an early start and quick running

Watch the referee's anticipation and movement before the forward pass reached Tokyo Verdy's No. 33. While Tokyo Verdy had the ball on the left, the referee looked over the shoulder towards No. 33 and started moving before the pass was played. The forward pass was then indeed played to No. 33. Why was the referee able to anticipate the forward pass? This is only my own view, but the referee may have seen two things: space on the left was tight, so a longer pass was needed to break through, and No. 33, although out of camera shot, was holding off an opponent and calling for the ball. Having seen this, the referee appears to have anticipated the pass and started moving. When a forward pass reaches a player who is holding off an opponent, defending players often charge from behind, so the referee needs to judge whether there is a foul. By moving early, the referee was able to watch this challenge from a suitable distance. When No. 33 then played the through ball, the referee immediately ran with play and kept watching right through to the finish and the goal. Anticipating the next phase from the situation, starting early and keeping up with play to the end made this an excellent piece of refereeing.