Comments after Trial against Sagan Tosu in Meiji Yasuda J1 League No.26

I turned to my players to thank them for their great attitude through Trial. Tosu came very aggressive at the start of both the first and second halves. However, in both halves, I think we were able to control the game after the first half. We played with a slightly different structure today, but I think it was going in the right direction. And I think we had a lot of good moments of momentum at the end of the second half.

We were able to get a point in a difficult away game. I think we can take away some good things from the game, as we look to deepen the relationship between our players."

[Q&A.
(Today you played a formation with Samuel Gustafson and Kaito Yasui players side by side, was this due to the departure of Atsuki Ito player, or was it a defensive change that you prepared during the intermission, or was it a plan for the Tosu game?)
With Atsuki (Ito) leaving the team, we had to think about what the next step would be. Considering Trial before that, the form that worked well against Nagoya Grampus away from home was a double volantry of (Yasui) Kaiwatari and Atsuki. Kaiwatari played a more defensive role and Atsuki moved forward.

Today at Trial, I decided to play the same way, with Kaido playing a more defensive role and Samuel (Gustafsson) going forward more freely. I think it worked out pretty well."

(Thiago Santana player is out of the squad from the Kashiwa Reysol match that was cancelled, was there any incident?)
'About seven or eight days ago, I got a little injury. Both he and Brian (Linssen) are back and I think they will be ready to join the team next week."

(With the goalkeeper out, were there any positive aspects of the game for the next round, such as using Yoichi Naganuma players?)
(Did you make any positive changes for the next game?) "I chose from experience to change to a 3-5-1 formation when the goalkeeper left the field, and there was a situation where Matsuo (Yusuke) almost scored from a CK. Of course, it was not an ideal situation, but I think Matsuo showed his running ability and ability.

(Atsuki Ito player left the team, followed by Hiroki Sakai player and then the captain leaving the team, how does the coach view the situation and how does he intend to make the team win?)
(How does the coach see this situation?) "Ken (Iwao) and Alexander (Scholtz) were both captains of the team, so we have four players who have left. I think this is an opportunity for the new players to show who they are. I think this is a time of change. I hope that the new players will step up in the rest of the season by playing with responsibility.

When many core players leave, there are challenges in the short term. However, Atsuki has grown a lot as a person and a player during this season. It is in this vein that he has decided to move on, and we wish him the best of luck. And I hope that the new players will grow as much as Atsuki did while creating a culture of practice within the team."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]