NEWS
"This match will increase the team's competitiveness and motivate the whole team," said Per-Mathias Hoegmo (regular press conference 7/30)
On the 30th, manager Per-Mathias Hoegmo held an online press conference, where he spoke about his enthusiasm for the J.League International Series 2024 powered by docomo match against Newcastle United, which will be held at Saitama Stadium on Wednesday, July 31st.
"Hello everyone. First of all, I'm happy to be able to play an international friendly match against a good opponent. As you all know, next year there will be the (FIFA) Club World Cup in the United States in June. Before that, I would like to play as many games as possible against overseas teams. Now that the players who were absent are starting to return, I think it will be good that they will have the opportunity to play, even if it is only for a short time, before the (Kashiwa) Reysol match. These players include Samuel (Gustavsson), (Nakajima) Shoya, (Matsuo) Yusuke, (Takahiro Sekine), and (Tomoaki Okubo). Of course, (Nita) Rio and (Homma) Shion will also have the opportunity to join the squad and play. Over the past three days, most of the players have participated in training. Brian (Linssen) has also started jogging, although he was on a separate menu, and Marius (Høibrathen), who was unwell, has also started jogging. The Olympics I'm watching the Japanese national soccer team, and the men's team has achieved two great results and is moving on to the next stage. Congratulations. The women's team is also playing a fun match to watch. I think (Ohata) Ayumu played well in the match against Mali.
(The scorching heat continues day after day. You said the other day that you were pleasantly surprised by the knowledge of the medical staff and physical coaches about playing in the heat. Do you have any thoughts on the duration and intensity of summer training?)
"First of all, we have moved up the practice times, with meetings with the coaching staff starting at 7:30 and meetings with the players at 8:20. Today we started training around 9:00, and it was cloudy, so the conditions weren't too bad. Each player will have to get used to the heat individually, but I think they are making good progress."
(What mindset do you want your players to have in the match against Newcastle?)
"We also discussed tomorrow's match in today's player meeting. First of all, one thing we must keep in mind in this match is to improve our defense. I think there will be periods in tomorrow's match where we will be under pressure. Also, looking at each player individually, I think this will be very good preparation for the match against Reysol, so I think this will be a match that will provide a lot of answers."
(Regarding how to spend the time after the match against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, I think there were several options, such as holding a training camp in a cool place, giving yourself a break like this, or ending the break a little earlier and training. What was the reason for choosing this schedule?)
"We started activities in mid-January, and we haven't had a long break until now. We also didn't have much time off after the Club World Cup in December last year, so I think giving the players six or seven days off this time was beneficial for both the players and the staff. We've played 24 games in a relatively short period of time so far. There are various situations, such as players continuing to play and players with injuries, but I think it was necessary to give the players a break not only mentally but also physically."
(The transfer window is open now, and five players have left the Reds since the start of the season, with only two joining - Homma and Nita. Are you discussing anything with the club in terms of numbers and quality?)
"I'm always having good conversations with the sports director (Sei) Horinouchi and the scouts. I hope we can sign at least one more player while this window is open. However, the health of our current players is also important. This season, we have some players who are like new recruits, so when they return from injury, the number of players who can play in matches will increase. With injured players returning, we have many hungry players who are able to train, so I think that will have a positive impact on the coming months."
You said about the Newcastle match, "I think it's a game that will give us a lot of answers," but what kind of answers are you looking for? Are they about individual skills or combinations?
"First of all, I think most of the players will play in tomorrow's match. Also, it will be a long time since some of the players have been on the pitch in an external match like this. They will have experience from previous matches, but it is also an opportunity to build relationships with players who have returned (from injuries, etc.) and new players. So it will be both. We will look at individual skills, but we also want to see the relationships between the players. With so many players returning to practice, I think the competitiveness within the team has increased, which has raised the motivation of the whole team."
(Will Hiroki Abe also be on the pitch in the match against Newcastle?)
"There is a possibility that we will see Abe on the pitch at Saitama Stadium in tomorrow's game. Let me just say that."
(You said you want to acquire at least one player this summer, but what is your aim in acquiring that extra player? Is it for a tactical or positional reason?)
"We are discussing various options with the club, considering various scenarios. I cannot tell you the details, but I think that SD Horinouchi will talk to us once something is decided. As I said before, I think the return of injured players will also serve as reinforcements."
You said in the Newcastle match that you had to improve your defence, but what specific areas do you want to improve on when you return to the break?
"Until now, we have spent about 80% of our time attacking, and when we lose the ball, we have worked on going forward to win it back. We only have a short time to play low defense, but I think we need to improve that. We want to be able to stay united and protect our goal even when we have to fall back and defend. We will be dedicating more time to this in training, especially with the defensive line and midfielders."
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)
"Hello everyone. First of all, I'm happy to be able to play an international friendly match against a good opponent. As you all know, next year there will be the (FIFA) Club World Cup in the United States in June. Before that, I would like to play as many games as possible against overseas teams. Now that the players who were absent are starting to return, I think it will be good that they will have the opportunity to play, even if it is only for a short time, before the (Kashiwa) Reysol match. These players include Samuel (Gustavsson), (Nakajima) Shoya, (Matsuo) Yusuke, (Takahiro Sekine), and (Tomoaki Okubo). Of course, (Nita) Rio and (Homma) Shion will also have the opportunity to join the squad and play. Over the past three days, most of the players have participated in training. Brian (Linssen) has also started jogging, although he was on a separate menu, and Marius (Høibrathen), who was unwell, has also started jogging. The Olympics I'm watching the Japanese national soccer team, and the men's team has achieved two great results and is moving on to the next stage. Congratulations. The women's team is also playing a fun match to watch. I think (Ohata) Ayumu played well in the match against Mali.
(The scorching heat continues day after day. You said the other day that you were pleasantly surprised by the knowledge of the medical staff and physical coaches about playing in the heat. Do you have any thoughts on the duration and intensity of summer training?)
"First of all, we have moved up the practice times, with meetings with the coaching staff starting at 7:30 and meetings with the players at 8:20. Today we started training around 9:00, and it was cloudy, so the conditions weren't too bad. Each player will have to get used to the heat individually, but I think they are making good progress."
(What mindset do you want your players to have in the match against Newcastle?)
"We also discussed tomorrow's match in today's player meeting. First of all, one thing we must keep in mind in this match is to improve our defense. I think there will be periods in tomorrow's match where we will be under pressure. Also, looking at each player individually, I think this will be very good preparation for the match against Reysol, so I think this will be a match that will provide a lot of answers."
(Regarding how to spend the time after the match against Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, I think there were several options, such as holding a training camp in a cool place, giving yourself a break like this, or ending the break a little earlier and training. What was the reason for choosing this schedule?)
"We started activities in mid-January, and we haven't had a long break until now. We also didn't have much time off after the Club World Cup in December last year, so I think giving the players six or seven days off this time was beneficial for both the players and the staff. We've played 24 games in a relatively short period of time so far. There are various situations, such as players continuing to play and players with injuries, but I think it was necessary to give the players a break not only mentally but also physically."
(The transfer window is open now, and five players have left the Reds since the start of the season, with only two joining - Homma and Nita. Are you discussing anything with the club in terms of numbers and quality?)
"I'm always having good conversations with the sports director (Sei) Horinouchi and the scouts. I hope we can sign at least one more player while this window is open. However, the health of our current players is also important. This season, we have some players who are like new recruits, so when they return from injury, the number of players who can play in matches will increase. With injured players returning, we have many hungry players who are able to train, so I think that will have a positive impact on the coming months."
You said about the Newcastle match, "I think it's a game that will give us a lot of answers," but what kind of answers are you looking for? Are they about individual skills or combinations?
"First of all, I think most of the players will play in tomorrow's match. Also, it will be a long time since some of the players have been on the pitch in an external match like this. They will have experience from previous matches, but it is also an opportunity to build relationships with players who have returned (from injuries, etc.) and new players. So it will be both. We will look at individual skills, but we also want to see the relationships between the players. With so many players returning to practice, I think the competitiveness within the team has increased, which has raised the motivation of the whole team."
(Will Hiroki Abe also be on the pitch in the match against Newcastle?)
"There is a possibility that we will see Abe on the pitch at Saitama Stadium in tomorrow's game. Let me just say that."
(You said you want to acquire at least one player this summer, but what is your aim in acquiring that extra player? Is it for a tactical or positional reason?)
"We are discussing various options with the club, considering various scenarios. I cannot tell you the details, but I think that SD Horinouchi will talk to us once something is decided. As I said before, I think the return of injured players will also serve as reinforcements."
You said in the Newcastle match that you had to improve your defence, but what specific areas do you want to improve on when you return to the break?
"Until now, we have spent about 80% of our time attacking, and when we lose the ball, we have worked on going forward to win it back. We only have a short time to play low defense, but I think we need to improve that. We want to be able to stay united and protect our goal even when we have to fall back and defend. We will be dedicating more time to this in training, especially with the defensive line and midfielders."
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)
