NEWS
Nishikawa: “I want to win the ACL again, which has returned to the home and away format.”
Shusaku Nishikawa shares his enthusiasm for the AFC Champions League (ACL) 2023/24 group stage MD1 Wuhan Sanzhen match, which will be played away from home at the Wuhan Sports Center Stadium on Wednesday, March 20.
This is the Reds' first ACL match in a home-and-away format since 2019, nearly four months after winning ACL 2022, in which the knockout stages other than the group stage and final were held centrally.
Nishikawa, who has experienced home-and-away style ACL and the fight in China, talked about what he wants to convey to the inexperienced players, including what he wants to tell them, and his thoughts on the Wuhan Sanzhen match and ACL2023/24 after the atmosphere at Saitama Stadium after the most recent match Kyoto Sanga F.C. on March 15.
(How did you feel about the atmosphere of the stadium after the war at Kyoto Sanga F.C. on the 15th?)
In a word, it was positive. It was a game we wanted to win at all costs, so we were not satisfied with the result, and I think the fans and supporters were as well. However, I think the fans and supporters were singing "Red Blood Eleven" to overcome their frustration, and I felt that with that atmosphere, we can firmly go on to the ACL. I felt that with that atmosphere, we would be able to go on to the ACL. It was May when we won the championship, so it has been a little over four months, and now we will start a new battle, a battle to win the championship again. Although I am the champion, I feel like I am going into this new tournament as a challenger. Our opponents may be more tense because we will be playing the Asian champions, Urawa Reds, but it has been a long time since we have fought home and away, and many of our players have not experienced it. It is best to win away from home by scoring a goal, but it is important to defend well and bring home at least one point, and ideally we should repeat the result of winning at home.
(The same was true in the final of the previous tournament, and in 2017, the year before that, when you won the championship, you reached the top by enduring on the road and winning at home, but isn't what you just said also something that can be said from actual successful experience?)
I feel that the strength of our opponents is somewhat different when we fight them at home and when we fight them at Saitama Stadium. When we fight at home, I think the opponent will feel it difficult to play, and we may not be able to play the way we should be able to play all the time.
We have experienced the same thing away from home, and in the ACL away games, we want to fight while trusting our friends more than usual, but goalkeepers should not trust their teammates too much, so we want to prepare in a flat state as usual.
(In the previous tournament, the group stage and knockout stage were held in a centralized format.)
(The previous tournament was held in a centralized format for the group stages and the knockout stages. In home-and-away matches, you have to travel each time, and you have to play in the J1 League right after you return home. That is the fate of the teams that make it to the ACL, and it is also the best part of the ACL. It will be a tough battle, but I am looking forward to it. I am positive that only special teams can have that kind of series of games."
(The value of winning the previous tournament and the fact that they are the Asian champions remains the same as in the past, but you could say that the true ACL is back in this tournament, right?)
I think it would be a pretty big deal if we could win this tournament. The East Division will have strong teams, and in the West Division, a team from Saudi Arabia is attracting worldwide attention. Many big-name players have joined the team, but we are strongly motivated to win with our organization. I don't think they are an opponent that we can match, and Al Hilal has been reinforced a lot, but in order to play them, we have to reach the finals. In order to do so, I want to get a good result in Wuhan and get off to a good start in the ACL.
(Nishikawa has played many games in China in the past, but how do you feel about playing in China again?)
(Nishikawa has played many matches in China in the past, but how do you feel about playing in China again? The atmosphere is completely different, and even after the game started, there were times when they threw things at us. When I played against Beijing Guoan during my time at (Sanfrecce) Hiroshima, they sent arrows flying at us. A stick with a lead-like substance attached to it flew over the net from the bleachers and pierced the pitch. It happened more than once. So I had told them that such things would happen when we played Beijing Guoan after I came to Reds, but it did not happen when we played them at Reds. You never know what they will do, and I think it is a must to expect such things. Once the game gets underway, it doesn't matter what happens off the pitch, and I want to stay calm and focus on what's going on on the pitch.
(You mentioned many things outside of soccer, but what have happened off the pitch in the past?)
(You mentioned many things off the pitch, but what have happened off the pitch?) "The bus driver was supposed to be here, but he disappeared, and the bus was late leaving, or the bus was very slow and arrived late. However, as I told the staff, if anything happened, it would be an episode and a memory. I want to go into it with the feeling that it will add to our enjoyment."
(It is not always the case, but isn't it possible that some of the successful experiences are seen as good memories?)
I think that is definitely true. That's why I want to win the ACL again, going back to the home-and-away format."
(For example, Yoshio Koizumi players have never played in the ACL in a home-and-away format, but you mentioned that players who have played in the ACL or overseas have more depth as players because of those experiences. How do you feel about being told that?)
I have been like Koizumi at times, and I definitely feel that way when I see players who have experience when I haven't. I think that's why I am so calm when I see players who have experience. I think I can stay calm because I have experienced it. I think it is because I have experience that I can imagine such and such a thing happening. And it helps me a lot that I am not the only player who is in a position to see it that way. We also have field players such as Koroki (Shinzo), Hiroki (Hiroki) Sakai, Takahiro Sekine, and (Alexander) Scholtz, who has experience in the Champions League in Europe. Having experienced players on the field is good for me, and I think it also gives the team a sense of calmness. If it were just me, I would have to deal with a lot of different things from the field players, and I think it would be difficult for me to pass on my experience. I think having them on the team is really great for us as a team."
(In the previous tournament, Nishikawa and the other players mentioned above taught the inexperienced players various things, and they won the championship by winning the home-and-away battle in the final.)
As Koroki player said in the ACL final, if we can fight away from home with enough margin that a draw is not a problem, I think we will get better results. Especially away from home in the ACL, if we can get through the first 15 minutes, it will be easier to show our strength. I want to tell them that even if they cannot play as usual at first because of the atmosphere in the stadium, if they endure the first half, they will be able to fight their own battle in the second half, and I want to create such an atmosphere throughout the team. If we can approach the game with that kind of mindset, I don't think we will be surprised when we actually get caught up in the atmosphere. Soccer is a group sport, but goalkeeping is a little different, and the presence of the goalkeeper can make the difference between victory and defeat. In that sense, I want to concentrate on my own game.
(In the new ACL, first of all, Wuhan Sanzhen, what kind of fight do you want to have again?)
I felt the passion of the fans and supporters for the ACL again after the Kyoto game, and it gave me goosebumps. I think I have grasped that feeling. They cheered us on with overwhelmingly powerful chants, which made me happy, but I also felt a sense of responsibility. There will be many people who will be there to support us, and since it takes a long time to travel to Wuhan, I am sure they will sacrifice work and other commitments to spend time for us. The Reds have a lot of people who come to support us even when we are away from home in the ACL, and I hear that other teams don't have that much. So I don't take it for granted that they come, but when I talk to fans and supporters, they say, 'We go because we like it. Many of them say, 'We want them to win with our support,' so we want to fight with that feeling on our backs. Defending the Reds' goal is nerve-wracking, but that's why it's fun and exciting. As I have said many times before, we want to take on the challenge with the mindset of getting at least one point, but we also want to bring home a good result that will lead us to the future.
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)
This is the Reds' first ACL match in a home-and-away format since 2019, nearly four months after winning ACL 2022, in which the knockout stages other than the group stage and final were held centrally.
Nishikawa, who has experienced home-and-away style ACL and the fight in China, talked about what he wants to convey to the inexperienced players, including what he wants to tell them, and his thoughts on the Wuhan Sanzhen match and ACL2023/24 after the atmosphere at Saitama Stadium after the most recent match Kyoto Sanga F.C. on March 15.
(How did you feel about the atmosphere of the stadium after the war at Kyoto Sanga F.C. on the 15th?)
In a word, it was positive. It was a game we wanted to win at all costs, so we were not satisfied with the result, and I think the fans and supporters were as well. However, I think the fans and supporters were singing "Red Blood Eleven" to overcome their frustration, and I felt that with that atmosphere, we can firmly go on to the ACL. I felt that with that atmosphere, we would be able to go on to the ACL. It was May when we won the championship, so it has been a little over four months, and now we will start a new battle, a battle to win the championship again. Although I am the champion, I feel like I am going into this new tournament as a challenger. Our opponents may be more tense because we will be playing the Asian champions, Urawa Reds, but it has been a long time since we have fought home and away, and many of our players have not experienced it. It is best to win away from home by scoring a goal, but it is important to defend well and bring home at least one point, and ideally we should repeat the result of winning at home.
(The same was true in the final of the previous tournament, and in 2017, the year before that, when you won the championship, you reached the top by enduring on the road and winning at home, but isn't what you just said also something that can be said from actual successful experience?)
I feel that the strength of our opponents is somewhat different when we fight them at home and when we fight them at Saitama Stadium. When we fight at home, I think the opponent will feel it difficult to play, and we may not be able to play the way we should be able to play all the time.
We have experienced the same thing away from home, and in the ACL away games, we want to fight while trusting our friends more than usual, but goalkeepers should not trust their teammates too much, so we want to prepare in a flat state as usual.
(In the previous tournament, the group stage and knockout stage were held in a centralized format.)
(The previous tournament was held in a centralized format for the group stages and the knockout stages. In home-and-away matches, you have to travel each time, and you have to play in the J1 League right after you return home. That is the fate of the teams that make it to the ACL, and it is also the best part of the ACL. It will be a tough battle, but I am looking forward to it. I am positive that only special teams can have that kind of series of games."
(The value of winning the previous tournament and the fact that they are the Asian champions remains the same as in the past, but you could say that the true ACL is back in this tournament, right?)
I think it would be a pretty big deal if we could win this tournament. The East Division will have strong teams, and in the West Division, a team from Saudi Arabia is attracting worldwide attention. Many big-name players have joined the team, but we are strongly motivated to win with our organization. I don't think they are an opponent that we can match, and Al Hilal has been reinforced a lot, but in order to play them, we have to reach the finals. In order to do so, I want to get a good result in Wuhan and get off to a good start in the ACL.
(Nishikawa has played many games in China in the past, but how do you feel about playing in China again?)
(Nishikawa has played many matches in China in the past, but how do you feel about playing in China again? The atmosphere is completely different, and even after the game started, there were times when they threw things at us. When I played against Beijing Guoan during my time at (Sanfrecce) Hiroshima, they sent arrows flying at us. A stick with a lead-like substance attached to it flew over the net from the bleachers and pierced the pitch. It happened more than once. So I had told them that such things would happen when we played Beijing Guoan after I came to Reds, but it did not happen when we played them at Reds. You never know what they will do, and I think it is a must to expect such things. Once the game gets underway, it doesn't matter what happens off the pitch, and I want to stay calm and focus on what's going on on the pitch.
(You mentioned many things outside of soccer, but what have happened off the pitch in the past?)
(You mentioned many things off the pitch, but what have happened off the pitch?) "The bus driver was supposed to be here, but he disappeared, and the bus was late leaving, or the bus was very slow and arrived late. However, as I told the staff, if anything happened, it would be an episode and a memory. I want to go into it with the feeling that it will add to our enjoyment."
(It is not always the case, but isn't it possible that some of the successful experiences are seen as good memories?)
I think that is definitely true. That's why I want to win the ACL again, going back to the home-and-away format."
(For example, Yoshio Koizumi players have never played in the ACL in a home-and-away format, but you mentioned that players who have played in the ACL or overseas have more depth as players because of those experiences. How do you feel about being told that?)
I have been like Koizumi at times, and I definitely feel that way when I see players who have experience when I haven't. I think that's why I am so calm when I see players who have experience. I think I can stay calm because I have experienced it. I think it is because I have experience that I can imagine such and such a thing happening. And it helps me a lot that I am not the only player who is in a position to see it that way. We also have field players such as Koroki (Shinzo), Hiroki (Hiroki) Sakai, Takahiro Sekine, and (Alexander) Scholtz, who has experience in the Champions League in Europe. Having experienced players on the field is good for me, and I think it also gives the team a sense of calmness. If it were just me, I would have to deal with a lot of different things from the field players, and I think it would be difficult for me to pass on my experience. I think having them on the team is really great for us as a team."
(In the previous tournament, Nishikawa and the other players mentioned above taught the inexperienced players various things, and they won the championship by winning the home-and-away battle in the final.)
As Koroki player said in the ACL final, if we can fight away from home with enough margin that a draw is not a problem, I think we will get better results. Especially away from home in the ACL, if we can get through the first 15 minutes, it will be easier to show our strength. I want to tell them that even if they cannot play as usual at first because of the atmosphere in the stadium, if they endure the first half, they will be able to fight their own battle in the second half, and I want to create such an atmosphere throughout the team. If we can approach the game with that kind of mindset, I don't think we will be surprised when we actually get caught up in the atmosphere. Soccer is a group sport, but goalkeeping is a little different, and the presence of the goalkeeper can make the difference between victory and defeat. In that sense, I want to concentrate on my own game.
(In the new ACL, first of all, Wuhan Sanzhen, what kind of fight do you want to have again?)
I felt the passion of the fans and supporters for the ACL again after the Kyoto game, and it gave me goosebumps. I think I have grasped that feeling. They cheered us on with overwhelmingly powerful chants, which made me happy, but I also felt a sense of responsibility. There will be many people who will be there to support us, and since it takes a long time to travel to Wuhan, I am sure they will sacrifice work and other commitments to spend time for us. The Reds have a lot of people who come to support us even when we are away from home in the ACL, and I hear that other teams don't have that much. So I don't take it for granted that they come, but when I talk to fans and supporters, they say, 'We go because we like it. Many of them say, 'We want them to win with our support,' so we want to fight with that feeling on our backs. Defending the Reds' goal is nerve-wracking, but that's why it's fun and exciting. As I have said many times before, we want to take on the challenge with the mindset of getting at least one point, but we also want to bring home a good result that will lead us to the future.
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)
