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Ito: "I don't want to disappoint everyone's expectations."

On the 3rd, after the match against Tokyo Verdy in Round 2 of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League [MATCH PARTNER Porath Group], Atsuki Ito talked about his thoughts after the home opener and his future struggles.

(Looking back at the match)
``The opponent did a good job of analyzing us, including how to play defense, so they allowed us to have the ball to a certain extent, but I feel like we were having a hard time breaking things down.''

(If you hold the ball and push it up as a whole, you will attack where your opponent is setting up, but what do you feel you should do?)
``The opponent has been defending compactly for quite some time, and if we end up only making outside passes, it's a key point for the opponent.I felt that unless we put in a challenging ball somewhere, the opponent wouldn't be able to break down.''

(At Per-Mathias Hoegmo 's press conference, it was said that the inside half and wingers lacked the ability to penetrate through the wings.)
“That was pointed out to me at halftime.I felt that Marius (Heubraten) had been saying a lot about it, but there was still a lack of communication between us.I wasn't running well either. However, I didn't feel like I could pass the ball to the back, so I thought I could have run a little more.In the second half, the opponent closed off the space and it was difficult to run to the back, so I realized that in the first half. , I felt like I should have gone for that.”

(How can we coordinate this within the team?)
"I think it's about communication, seeing each other's eyes, and building a relationship of trust, so I think we just have to keep doing it and get better."

(How do you feel about the result of 1 point after 2 games?)
``I think this is a tough result. We had talked about being more aggressive this season, but after two games we only scored one point from a penalty kick, so we ended up disappointing everyone's expectations.'' Well, everyone felt the feelings towards Urawa this season.We ended up finishing with 1 draw and 1 loss, but it's not good for the atmosphere to deteriorate and the team continues to drop.It's only just begun. I think if we continue to believe in what we've been doing and keep doing it, the results will come. I don't want to suddenly collapse."

(Is it a positive thing that there is no team in the league that has won two consecutive games, and if they win the next round they can move up to the top?)
"I don't think about it that much, but if you look around you, you're positive. We're still one game behind first place, so I don't think there will be any problems as long as we keep winning. But first, we just have to win the next game. I want to do it consciously.”

(In the previous match, Sanfrecce Hiroshima defended with man marks, and Tokyo Verdy defended with zone Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo in the next match is expected to protect with man marks, but do you find it difficult to do so?)
“Right now, I don't think it's because the opponent is playing man-to-man or zone, but rather that our methods, awareness, and sense of distance are not working well.The next match in Sapporo will feel a little different from the man-to-man in Hiroshima, and it will be difficult to play. I don't feel that way. I feel like we need to do what we want to do as a team and develop the ability to break down the opponent, whether it's man-to-man or zone."

(Isn't the team as a whole still playing while thinking in their heads?)
``During the camp, there were many scenes where our combinations were going well, but after the match against Hiroshima, I felt like we lost a little confidence.I think we need to show more combinations, but in order to do that. We just have to keep trying. If we keep trying, I think we'll improve. I think it's important for everyone as a team to be on the same page and heading in the same direction."

(At Coach Matthias's press conference, there was talk that he was trying to break away from the way he played at his feet until last season. Are there still difficulties with the new style?)
``As the coach has said, I think we need to increase the number of times we get behind the field.If we keep aiming, I think the opponent will have more space.In the first half, I think we didn't do that many times, especially in the first half. I think we need to do more.”

(A lot of fans and supporters came today. What do you want to show them from now on?)
“So many supporters came today, and I think that shows the high expectations they have for this year's team, so we really want to repay them with results and put ourselves in a good position to continue winning. If we were there, I think this many fans and supporters would come every game, and I don't want to let them down."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]

Ito: "I don't want to disappoint everyone's expectations."

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