On the 24th, a press conference was held online with Pair manager Per-Mathias Hoegmo, where he spoke about his enthusiasm for the Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 16 match against FC Machida Zelvia [MATCH PARTNER Kokudai Seminar] to be held at Saitama Stadium on Sunday the 26th.

(In the match against V-Varen Nagasaki on the 22nd, I think the team had a high ball possession rate, but they didn't take many shots. From the middle of the first half, anchor Kaito Yasui dropped back to the back line during attacks, leaving us with three players. Was this an order from the bench? Or was it a decision made by the players on the pitch?)
"As you say, our possession rate was about 70 percent to 30 percent. I think the goal chances were also 6 to 2. An anchor player plays while reading the situation. When Samuel (Gustafsson) was playing, he would drop between the center backs or to the side when necessary, but when that's not the case, I want him to play as high up in the field as possible. This is true when we're building up in a low position, but I also want to rotate the midfielders even in the middle block. It also depends on the characteristics of each player. For example, when Tomo (Tomoaki Okubo) plays as an inside half, he has his own way of doing things, and when (Nakajima) Shoya plays as a wing, he plays as a wing in his own way, so I think it also comes down to the relationship with the people around him."

(Does that mean you didn't want them to drop out even in the Nagasaki match?)
"If there is no need to drop back, I want them to play as high up as possible. This goes for not only the anchor but also other players, but if they see the situation and feel it is necessary, they can drop back. Also, if we are building up in a low position, we can have the goalkeeper get involved instead of the anchor dropping back, and we can rotate three players."

(I think that our next opponent, Machida, will probably base their strategy on creating a good block. Perhaps the issues that came up in the matches against Jubilo Iwata Iwata and Nagasaki will be useful in preparing for the match against Machida?)
"We are preparing for that kind of thing as a countermeasure against Machida on Sunday."

(There is a lot of data in today's soccer world, but there are so many data items that it can be difficult to know what to look at. When you look at data, are there any that you value, or any well-known data that you don't rely on?)
"Looking at the stats, I think the team that makes more incursions into the penalty area has a higher chance of winning. There are various ways of incursing the penalty area. For example, Machida makes incursions in a fairly direct way, such as through set pieces, throw-ins, or long passes. When looking at the stats for attacks, I find data like, for example, how many times they were able to get past the opponent in a one-on-one attack, which is very interesting to me. If you can get past an opponent who is blocking in a one-on-one situation, you can throw them off balance. This can be done by a full-back, inside half, or winger. Also, since many goals are scored from shots inside the penalty area, I think it's important to create as many situations as possible that lead to that. And if you create more chances than your opponent, you'll have a higher chance of winning. Another thing is the conversion rate of the chances taken by the goal-scorers, including the strikers. I think it's also important to know how many chances a goal is scored from."

(I think Machida is a team that hits the ball forward and picks up the second ball, so I think the key to winning the game will be to win by recovering the second ball.)
"I think it's a game where there will be a lot of even-handed situations. However, if we can recover the ball there, it will create an opportunity for a counter attack, so I think that's a possibility."

(You mentioned the issue of entering the penalty area, but what do you most want from your players to beat Machida?)
"I think our work in both penalty areas will be important, as will our ability to keep the opposition off balance when we have the ball and to be in even situations. Aiming for the space behind us will be key. Can we create numerical superiority on the pitch? And can we make runs to get behind the opposition from there? I also think changing sides will be important."

(How were Ken Iwao, Hiroki Sakai and Ola Solbakken, who played in the Nagasaki match, in condition after the break and how was their training today?)
"Both Ola and Nori did well in today's training. We are ready for the match. Hiroki played a full game for the first time in a while, but the starters were on recovery today. Samuel also participated in the full training today."

(Although the first half of the season is not yet over, the next match will be against the league leaders. Does this give you any different feelings than usual?)
"There's no difference. We'll have the same approach. The players are highly motivated to perform well in every game. We're looking forward to Sunday's match."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]