On July 18, Per-Mathias Hoegmo director held a press conference online and expressed his enthusiasm for the Meiji Yasuda J1 League Section 24 Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo game [MATCH PARTNER Porras Group] to be held at Saitama Stadium on Saturday, July 20.

Hello, everyone. In the previous game against Kyoto (Sanga F.C.), I was able to enter the last third of the attack a total of 31 times. In the first half, I played 18 times, and in the second half, 13 times. We have been talking about improving the quality there in meetings and training this week. We showed them the scoring situations from the recent games, and we also showed them the good form of chance making and scoring. I think we are also increasing the variety of our attacks. In some cases, they are speeding up and playing faster vertically, which I think was very good. (I think Shusaku's involvement in the attack is also getting better. I also think that (Inoue) Reijin's play in the previous game was also very positive.

(Of the players away with injuries, there are many things we don't know about Hiroki Abe players. I have seen pictures of them participating in training matches, but are they in a condition to approach official matches? Or does he still need something bigger to be able to compete in official matches?)
'It's not a particularly serious illness right now, although there have been times this season when he's had to leave the field. We have been watching him since the start of this season and hope to see him in an official match by the end of this season. As you all know, he has a special skill set. The whole club, players and staff, are hoping that he will be able to play consistently while taking good care of his injury prevention. I don't want to speculate too much at this point, but it would be nice to see him in August, for example."

(I think we have often attacked slowly because we have not had a real player on the wing. (Up to now, I think we have often attacked slowly because we have not had players on the wings who are good at what they do, which may have led to a thicker attack. How are you trying to find a balance between the two?)
(How are you going to balance that?) "When you have speedy wingers, they can exploit the space behind them. There may be some lost ball there, but if we do it well, I don't think it will be that open. I see more tools. Especially against teams that have high lines and open space behind them, it is desirable to have speed in the front three. Speed is not only about running speed, but also about decision-making speed. That combination is important."

(The European Championships and South American Championships were taking place. Did you feel or learn anything about current world soccer?)
(Did you learn anything from the European and South American Championships that you felt about world soccer today? Tactically, in the first half, the teams seemed to eliminate each other. Spain had individuals with special abilities, etc., and I think that made the difference between winning and losing. As soccer is developing, I think individual special abilities can make a difference. However, we did not discover anything new in this tournament. A country like Georgia, for example, in a tournament like this, brought a nice surprise in a situation with special players. We saw that even countries that are not so-called powerhouses in soccer can achieve results. I think the culture of soccer training is developing worldwide, and soccer is developing within that culture. In this world where wars are happening, I believe that many countries, including Ukraine, have worked together and communicated with each other to create not just a game, but a venue that attracts many people. And there was not much discussion about VAR this time. I think it was well managed. In some countries, for example Norway and Sweden, there is a discussion about whether VAR should be abolished."

(Coincidentally, you have games against teams that are fighting to stay in the league, such as Shonan Bellmare, Kyoto Sanga F.C., and this weekend's game against Sapporo.)
There is something to learn from every game. I also understand that there are no easy games in the J-League. Kyoto had a good record before playing us. Sapporo also had a draw with (Vissel) Kobe. However, I think we were able to dominate with the ball for long periods of time. We made chances and scored goals. I think the whole team has become more confident in expressing what kind of soccer we want to play.

As I mentioned before, one element I would like to touch on is the improvement in the tactical ability of the players. Instead of doing the first thing that comes to mind, they now have the ability to have a first choice, a second choice, and then change their judgment to a third choice or a fourth choice depending on the situation. I hope this will become a feature of the Reds' soccer attack. It also means having a lot of tools in the attack. It's about reading the space to use. In the build-up from the back, is it about connecting and going up, or is it about going more directly at the back? I hope to play with more confidence when I have the ball.

We are getting better at winning the ball with high intensity defense, but we want to push it to the next level. I think the J-League is a very attractive league. I think the Japanese people can be proud of the J-League. The fans and supporters are wonderful. We have world-class stadiums, and I think people are working professionally in every department.

There are many different ways of thinking and playing soccer in it. For example, Sapporo is a team that plays man-to-man and presses high. In that sense, they are a little bit like Kyoto.

(How do you feel about the development of Marius Hoibraten players who have been playing full time this season?)
(How do you feel the player has developed?) "I think he is a very strong player who has played in every game this season. As for this season, he has become more active in the build-up, so I think that is where he has grown. And with (Alexander) Scholz leaving, I think he is showing even more leadership."

(The Shoya Nakajima player fully joined the team at a recent open training session, what do you think of his impact on the team?)
I think he's shown his ability this season. We have also improved his physicality at the start of the season. He can play with a lot of intensity when he has the ball, so I think his influence on the team is great. He has great skills; I think he has great one-on-one ability. And I think he is growing as well. He has become a solid and responsible defender, switching from offense to defense. I hope that after the suspension period, I will be able to count him as one of the members again."

(Does this mean that Nakajima will not be able to play against Sapporo?)
We will see how he is doing tomorrow and make a final decision.

(What are the key points for victory against Sapporo?)
(What are the key points for victory against Sapporo?) "The attackers will mark us man-to-man, so if we can peel them off in one-on-one attacks, I think we will have a chance. For example, one of the key factors is to dribble past them, another is to break them down with a combination, and another is to exploit their backs. There are also various times during the 90 minutes. I hope we can play consistently throughout the 90 minutes, even as the situation changes. Also, I think one of our abilities is to keep our concentration and attention when we are starting to feel tired in the heat. I think there are a lot of factors that come into play."

(Expect them to create numerical superiority in all phases of the game, take the initiative, and win.)
I think there are a lot of elements to it. We hope to do the same, and we look forward to playing our next match at Saitama Stadium."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]