NEWS
``We want to win at home'' Per-Mathias Hoegmo (regular press conference 3/28)
On the 28th, Per-Mathias Hoegmo held an online press conference, where he spoke about his enthusiasm for the Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 5 match against Avispa Fukuoka which will be held at Saitama Stadium on Saturday the 30th.
(There have been two weeks since the last game, but after analyzing the last four games, is there anything you feel you should have worked on during that time, or is there anything that was different from what you thought before the league started?)
"First, we gave the team a three-day break. After that, we trained for two days on Thursday and Friday, and on Saturday we played a closed practice match, where we played three 45-minute matches. This week, including tomorrow, we have five days to prepare for the next match. Of course, we analyzed the matches we have played so far, and I think the first 20 minutes and the last 40 minutes of the last match we played were very good. We were able to score four goals, and we also created three scoring opportunities when the score was 4-4. However, it was not good that we stopped connecting in the first 20 minutes of the first half, and that we conceded two goals in a row. We have been working to further develop our attack in this training, and the number of goals we score in training has changed since we started in January. We are working with a very good attitude. We also practiced pressing and one-on-one defense. In the normal microcycle, we also play 11-on-11 games. I think the level of the red-white matches last week and this week was very high. It has improved a lot compared to when we first arrived, and I feel that the team is making progress."
(Overall, the team hasn't changed much, especially from the goalkeeper to the midfielders, but were there any players in training during this period that made you want to use them in the match against Fukuoka or the next match against FC Tokyo?)
"As you all know, we have several injured players. (Maeda) Naoki is also in good shape and is becoming more stable, I think. Tomo (Tomoaki Okubo) has also returned to training and his condition is improving. (Matsuo) Yusuke came on as a substitute in the last match and I thought he played an excellent second half. He also has a slight injury, but will be back in training. I also feel that Thiago (Santana) and (Koroki) Shinzo are improving physically. Both of them scored goals in Saturday's training match.
There is a lot of competition in the midfield, but I think (Iwao) Nori is also improving a lot. He is showing good performances both as an anchor and an inside half. Some of the players are on the national team. Samuel (Gustafsson) played two games for Sweden, 66 minutes and 20 minutes. (Ohata) Ayumu played 85 minutes for Japan U-23, which I think was very good for him. (Hayakawa) Junpei also played almost the full game, so I think it was good for him too.
(Coach Matthias was absent on the day of the open practice, but is there no problem now?)
"At the time, I had a slight sore throat, and if I had an infection, I didn't want to spread it to the players, so I stayed home and rested."
(Fukuoka changes their formation to four-back or five-back, what is your impression?)
"I think they are a tactical team that plays in accordance with the opposing team. They are a team that sends the ball directly to their front line, but they also send long balls to Wellington in particular. They are a team that tries to get into the opponent's penalty area as many times as possible with direct play. I think second balls will be important."
(I'm sure Mathias himself would like to win at home, and I think the Reds fans and supporters are also waiting for a home win.)
"Of course we want to win at home, and we want to win all our home games from now on, but at the same time we want to show good football. We didn't create many chances in our last match against (Tokyo) Verdy, so we want to show that we have made progress since then."
(In the match against Shonan Bellmare, you were able to create some good momentum in the first 20 minutes, but what do you think needs to be done to maintain that momentum for longer?)
"We are in the process of changing from a team that is good at loading defense to a team that applies high pressure. This requires the players' attitude, physical condition and tactical understanding. The players also need to get used to playing at a high intensity for the entire 90 minutes. In the match against Shonan, we showed some good aggressive play at the start, but there were periods when we lost connection and stopped applying high pressure. I think we were able to play at a stable, high intensity for nearly 90 minutes in the practice match on Saturday. In the match against Bellmare, we played for a total of about 60 minutes, and I would like to extend that time even further in the next official match."
(Coach Matthias, please tell us your definition of good training and a good match. It may be abstract, but when we make decisions, I would like to hear your thoughts on what kind of training is good training and what kind of match is a good match.)
"Good is a general assessment, so I'd like to go into a bit more detail. First of all, looking at the previous match, the first 20 minutes of the game showed the kind of play we're trying to do. We controlled the game while holding the ball, and were able to look for the right timing to go on the attack. We took up high positions and pressed aggressively from the front when defending. I think the sense of distance between the players was good during that period. After that, we couldn't hold on and made some poor decisions. We also lacked stability in our pressing. I've talked a bit about specific good and bad periods. For example, the day when we have a red-white game is the day when it's hardest to maintain intensity in a good practice. It's important to be able to extend the amount of high-intensity, high-quality time during an 11-on-11 game. I've been talking about the overall picture, but thanks to this question I was able to give you some more details, so thank you."
(There are times when you have good training or a good match but the results don't come, and vice versa. There are also times when you get results even though the match isn't good. In those cases, how do you approach the next training or match?)
"After a match, we analyze it and identify areas for improvement. We train those areas for improvement, but at the same time, we continue to work on the principles of our attack. Because we do this, I think that both players and coaches understand what went well and what didn't. As you said, in football you can win despite playing poorly, and you can lose despite playing very well. But in the long run, if we can consistently play our own game, I think we will win more games than lose, so we train with that in mind."
(I think you do power training like running while pulling a tube before tactical training. Is that necessary to play the kind of soccer you want to play and do you feel like you are lacking something in the team?)
"First of all, I want the players to sprint as much as possible throughout the week. That's why we sometimes start training with tube exercises, or we incorporate sprints between rounds. Our football is very physically demanding, so I want the players to push their limits every day in training."
(Previously, in the talk about Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's flow model, we talked about the psychology of having to get out of your comfort zone. I think you place importance on being able to fight even in difficult times, going beyond your physical and mental limits. How do you approach getting out of your comfort zone, which is the mindset towards soccer and the mindset of trying to change your common sense?)
"For example, because it was a new tactic for them, I think there were times when they had to change their way of thinking, but I think they adapted well. There were challenges like that, and each player also has the challenge of increasing the intensity of their training. To do that, they need to build up their physical strength. I think that building up their physical strength will lead to even greater intensity, which will create a virtuous cycle. I think there is still room for growth there, both individually and as a group."
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]
(There have been two weeks since the last game, but after analyzing the last four games, is there anything you feel you should have worked on during that time, or is there anything that was different from what you thought before the league started?)
"First, we gave the team a three-day break. After that, we trained for two days on Thursday and Friday, and on Saturday we played a closed practice match, where we played three 45-minute matches. This week, including tomorrow, we have five days to prepare for the next match. Of course, we analyzed the matches we have played so far, and I think the first 20 minutes and the last 40 minutes of the last match we played were very good. We were able to score four goals, and we also created three scoring opportunities when the score was 4-4. However, it was not good that we stopped connecting in the first 20 minutes of the first half, and that we conceded two goals in a row. We have been working to further develop our attack in this training, and the number of goals we score in training has changed since we started in January. We are working with a very good attitude. We also practiced pressing and one-on-one defense. In the normal microcycle, we also play 11-on-11 games. I think the level of the red-white matches last week and this week was very high. It has improved a lot compared to when we first arrived, and I feel that the team is making progress."
(Overall, the team hasn't changed much, especially from the goalkeeper to the midfielders, but were there any players in training during this period that made you want to use them in the match against Fukuoka or the next match against FC Tokyo?)
"As you all know, we have several injured players. (Maeda) Naoki is also in good shape and is becoming more stable, I think. Tomo (Tomoaki Okubo) has also returned to training and his condition is improving. (Matsuo) Yusuke came on as a substitute in the last match and I thought he played an excellent second half. He also has a slight injury, but will be back in training. I also feel that Thiago (Santana) and (Koroki) Shinzo are improving physically. Both of them scored goals in Saturday's training match.
There is a lot of competition in the midfield, but I think (Iwao) Nori is also improving a lot. He is showing good performances both as an anchor and an inside half. Some of the players are on the national team. Samuel (Gustafsson) played two games for Sweden, 66 minutes and 20 minutes. (Ohata) Ayumu played 85 minutes for Japan U-23, which I think was very good for him. (Hayakawa) Junpei also played almost the full game, so I think it was good for him too.
(Coach Matthias was absent on the day of the open practice, but is there no problem now?)
"At the time, I had a slight sore throat, and if I had an infection, I didn't want to spread it to the players, so I stayed home and rested."
(Fukuoka changes their formation to four-back or five-back, what is your impression?)
"I think they are a tactical team that plays in accordance with the opposing team. They are a team that sends the ball directly to their front line, but they also send long balls to Wellington in particular. They are a team that tries to get into the opponent's penalty area as many times as possible with direct play. I think second balls will be important."
(I'm sure Mathias himself would like to win at home, and I think the Reds fans and supporters are also waiting for a home win.)
"Of course we want to win at home, and we want to win all our home games from now on, but at the same time we want to show good football. We didn't create many chances in our last match against (Tokyo) Verdy, so we want to show that we have made progress since then."
(In the match against Shonan Bellmare, you were able to create some good momentum in the first 20 minutes, but what do you think needs to be done to maintain that momentum for longer?)
"We are in the process of changing from a team that is good at loading defense to a team that applies high pressure. This requires the players' attitude, physical condition and tactical understanding. The players also need to get used to playing at a high intensity for the entire 90 minutes. In the match against Shonan, we showed some good aggressive play at the start, but there were periods when we lost connection and stopped applying high pressure. I think we were able to play at a stable, high intensity for nearly 90 minutes in the practice match on Saturday. In the match against Bellmare, we played for a total of about 60 minutes, and I would like to extend that time even further in the next official match."
(Coach Matthias, please tell us your definition of good training and a good match. It may be abstract, but when we make decisions, I would like to hear your thoughts on what kind of training is good training and what kind of match is a good match.)
"Good is a general assessment, so I'd like to go into a bit more detail. First of all, looking at the previous match, the first 20 minutes of the game showed the kind of play we're trying to do. We controlled the game while holding the ball, and were able to look for the right timing to go on the attack. We took up high positions and pressed aggressively from the front when defending. I think the sense of distance between the players was good during that period. After that, we couldn't hold on and made some poor decisions. We also lacked stability in our pressing. I've talked a bit about specific good and bad periods. For example, the day when we have a red-white game is the day when it's hardest to maintain intensity in a good practice. It's important to be able to extend the amount of high-intensity, high-quality time during an 11-on-11 game. I've been talking about the overall picture, but thanks to this question I was able to give you some more details, so thank you."
(There are times when you have good training or a good match but the results don't come, and vice versa. There are also times when you get results even though the match isn't good. In those cases, how do you approach the next training or match?)
"After a match, we analyze it and identify areas for improvement. We train those areas for improvement, but at the same time, we continue to work on the principles of our attack. Because we do this, I think that both players and coaches understand what went well and what didn't. As you said, in football you can win despite playing poorly, and you can lose despite playing very well. But in the long run, if we can consistently play our own game, I think we will win more games than lose, so we train with that in mind."
(I think you do power training like running while pulling a tube before tactical training. Is that necessary to play the kind of soccer you want to play and do you feel like you are lacking something in the team?)
"First of all, I want the players to sprint as much as possible throughout the week. That's why we sometimes start training with tube exercises, or we incorporate sprints between rounds. Our football is very physically demanding, so I want the players to push their limits every day in training."
(Previously, in the talk about Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's flow model, we talked about the psychology of having to get out of your comfort zone. I think you place importance on being able to fight even in difficult times, going beyond your physical and mental limits. How do you approach getting out of your comfort zone, which is the mindset towards soccer and the mindset of trying to change your common sense?)
"For example, because it was a new tactic for them, I think there were times when they had to change their way of thinking, but I think they adapted well. There were challenges like that, and each player also has the challenge of increasing the intensity of their training. To do that, they need to build up their physical strength. I think that building up their physical strength will lead to even greater intensity, which will create a virtuous cycle. I think there is still room for growth there, both individually and as a group."
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]
