Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 17 match against Vissel Kobe [MATCH PARTNER Mitsubishi Heavy Industries] Post-match comments

"I think it was a very good football match. It was a match between two strong teams. In the first half, we gave the ball to the opponents too easily and struggled on offense. That led to the opponents taking more corners and free kicks. We conceded a goal because of that, but at halftime I told the players, 'Let's change the flow and turn the game around.' Then, in the second half, I think we started off very well on offense. We were moving the ball around more and the tempo was up. We also made more runs forward with the ball holder. By doing that, we were able to create space.

I think it would have been fine if we had scored more goals. We had games against FC Machida Zelvia and Vissel Kobe, and as a team, we were able to see that we have improved a lot against these teams, so I told the players. We will give the players a few days off, but I am looking forward to reuniting and practicing again on Thursday.

The attitude and aggressiveness that our players showed today is what we want. In the second half, we fought together with our fans and supporters, and I think it was good for us that we almost came from behind to turn the game around.

From now on, we will have more time to practice. And once the injured players return to practice, I think this team will become even stronger."

[Question-and-answer session]
(I think the opponent was superior in the first half, but what kind of instructions did you give in the second half, including the substitutions?)
"When you play against a team like Kobe, they will of course press you, but at the same time, there will be spaces that you can use. During halftime, I showed the players some footage and told them, 'If we can break through one of their presses, we'll have a great chance.' I also think that the quality when you have the ball is very important."

(A half-time change saw Ola Solbakken move to the right wing. He seems to be able to play more smoothly on the right wing.)
"I think that's a good point. He generally likes to play on the right wing, both for the national team and for his club. This is because he can cut in and use his left foot. For example, if he's on the right wing, he can keep the ball with his left foot, which is farther from the full-back. He can have the ball more often and I think that this has also led to more combinations."

(Was the reason for this formation today due to the condition of Shoya Nakajima?)
"Shoya (Nakajima) was out for a while, so I included him in the squad for today's match with the idea that he would be on the pitch for a maximum of 45 minutes. If we have players who can keep the ball well, like Shoya or Ola (Solbakken), I think it will be easier for the fullbacks to come up."

(If you had kept the first half scoreless despite your poor performance, you would have had a fighting chance of winning, but was there anything lacking in terms of persevering through tough times?)
"Comparing the second half of the match against Machida and today's match, I think our offense has improved. Games are usually tighter in the first half. We need to make the opponent run by not giving up easily and by making the right decisions in the first half.

In the 7th and 8th innings, we lost chances when we had made good decisions. Football is not that complicated. That was our problem in the first half.

In the second half, we started to counterattack more after stealing the ball. And when we couldn't launch a counterattack, we were able to keep the ball by changing sides."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]