NEWS
"We want to win," Per-Mathias Hoegmo (regular press conference 8/15)
On August 15, Per-Mathias Hoegmo director held a press conference online and expressed his enthusiasm for the upcoming Meiji Yasuda J1 League Section 27 Kashima Antlers match on Saturday, August 17 at the Kashima Prefectural Soccer Stadium.
Hello everyone, we had two days of solid training. I think the level of the players is getting better after the injury. Today's training showed that Taka (Takahiro Sekine) and Tomo (Tomoaki Okubo) have stepped up their game. Other players who are returning from injury are also improving, so I think the competitiveness of the team as a whole is improving. I am looking forward to the next game against Kashima.
In our last three away games, we have only conceded one goal. And that one goal was a penalty kick against (Sagan) Tosu. I think there were many things we could have improved on against Tosu, but I was pleased with our strategy throughout the game and the situation with the joker on the bench. For example, I think it will be very important to have a player like Yusuke Matsuo, who can come in midway through a game and change the flow.
There was a time when we suffered a bit from the process of getting used to the heat, with injuries coming back. But now I think we have both of these two factors under control. Thiago (Santana) is also able to train at full capacity and is ready to join the team. The same goes for Brian (Linssen). The only player who has not been able to participate in full training is Naoki (Maeda).
(With the players in better condition, I think the overall strength of the team is improving, but how do you feel about the lack of results?)
I would have liked to have won more points in recent games, especially the two most recent home games, which were very disappointing. We lost 6 points, and we would have been in a different place in the standings if we had 40 points instead of 34. However, that is in the past. As I mentioned earlier, we were suffering from the beginning of the heat and the acclimatization period where some people leave the team and then the injuries come back. But if you look at the culture of training, I think it is getting much better. Some of the players are growing strong in this. And when someone leaves, someone else should step up and take a chance. I think it is important to stay focused and continue good training for both players and staff. We are also training to increase the intensity of our defense. We will continue to do the part where we dominate the game. That is what we must do in a well-balanced manner. We would also like to further improve our offensive skills and continue to create chances and score goals. We have been improving physically through high-intensity runs, etc., so I think we are getting better at playing with high intensity for longer periods of time. It was also interesting for me to see the process of getting used to the heat.
(What is your impression of Kashima?)
(What are your impressions of Kashima?) "I think the last time we played them at home it was an entertaining game. They dominated the first half and we got back at them in the second half, with Hide (Hidetoshi Takeda) scoring two very good goals. But they are undefeated at home, so I think it will be a very good test for us. If you look at the team members, they are a team that has been able to play this season with one or two changes, but mostly fixed. It will be a very good match, and the players and I are looking forward to it.
(What will be the key to victory against Kashima?)
I think the two most important things are to be ready to defend and to press forward. If we can move the ball and move the opponent, and use the space created by that, I think it will lead to chances. In our last game, Atsuki (Ito) scored a goal from a cut back. I think that kind of running through the back is also an important factor.
(I am looking forward to a comfortable and complete victory.)
Yes, I hope we can achieve a great victory. I hope we can achieve a great victory.
(Ito left the team. The impact looks very big after the Tosu game. I think the number of players who make the moves to get behind that coach Matthias mentioned has decreased. Kaito Yasui Players left, but as playmakers, Samuel Gustafson I think the players were great and made a difference. How do you go forward in those areas?)
'I think it is a sharp analysis. When a core player like Atsuki leaves, we have to think about how to fill in what he was doing, even in the short term. We need running out the back as a team. For example, (Ayumu) Ohata and Hiro (Hirokazu Ishihara) could make such a move as more aggressive side backs. Wingers can also do that kind of running. I think (Watanabe) Ryoma, who plays at the bottom of the lineup, can also play in the back from the center of the field. Last time, Ryoma was involved in four decisions, and I think three of them were very close to the goal. To answer your question, I hope the other players will deepen their relationship and fill in those areas. That is something we will need to do, not just against Kashima, but in the future."
(This idea makes sense because Matthias has to fight with his current squad, but the transfer window is still open, and I think that professional soccer clubs have the idea of acquiring players who can do the same or similar job as Ito. Do you have any discussions with the club in that regard?)
Of course we are always talking with the club. The window closes in six days. I am sure that SD (Sports Director) Horinouchi (Sei) can answer these questions. The window has not closed yet, so I think there is still a possibility, but I would like to work hard with the players we have now and move on to the future. I hope that the club will continue to develop a solid scouting strategy as we head into the next window. For various reasons, this window has been a bit difficult for us."
(I think your defense had some good blocks against Tosu, but I think it was the movement of Yuma Suzuki that suffered in the last match against Kashima. Have you told your players how to counter that?)
I think that analysis is also astute. I think you are right. I can't talk about details, but I would like to respond by using our principles of defending in our zone well."
(Shusaku Nishikawa With the player's suspension, who do you plan to make the game captain for the Kashima game?)
I would like to choose from the group of captains. Taka, Ryoma, Samuel, and Marius (Huybraten) are in the captain group."
(Did Director Matthias decide on the players in the captain group?)
I consulted with the staff and gave the players that challenge and they accepted it.
(You said that you will not have a vice-captain, but what kind of mindset do you want Captain Nishikawa, the captain group, and each of the players to have in the remaining games?)
I said to each member of the captain group, 'I don't want our training culture to develop, so I want you to show me how you want to be. It means to be focused and aware, and to act with a sense of responsibility to ourselves and to those around us."
(The Kashiwa Reysol game was cancelled, so the team had to play four games in a row against teams that happened to be battling for survival: Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, Tosu, Kyoto Sanga F.C., and Shonan Bellmare, but they failed to win any of them. Coach Matias always says that we are training well and that our training culture is moving forward, so I think it is going well. What are your thoughts on the fact that things are going well but the results are not coming?)
I mentioned earlier at the beginning of the press conference that we had two days of good training. We have not been able to execute everything perfectly every time, but I think the training itself is getting very good. In the four games you mentioned earlier, I was particularly disappointed with the two home games. I think we have to accept the results of the away games against Kyoto and Tosu, but the two home games are very disappointing. I think that the lead we gave up against Shonan was not good for us, and we should have won that game. If we had won there, we could have made it three wins in a row.
(If we had won there, yes, but we didn't.)
I have talked about this with the players and told them what they can do to improve. For example, the last five minutes of the Shonan game is not something we can accept, and I don't think we should accept conceding four goals at home. Of course it is not good to concede seven goals in two home games, and we have been training to improve our defense since then. We hope to stabilize our defense in the upcoming games and translate that into results.
(I don't know if coach Matias is a man who calls typhoons, but now a typhoon is approaching. How do you feel about having to fight against the weather, which is difficult in the heat of summer?)
I have heard about the typhoon from our staff and watched the news. I am reading a book on the history of Japan, where I strongly feel the power of nature in Japan. There is a section where it says that after the Second World War, the Japanese government became more like the Scandinavian model. When Japan tried to develop from that, Japan already had an asset to do so, and that is the Japanese people. I don't think the existence of the typhoon itself is the problem. It is how we humans cope with them. Japan has various disasters such as this heat, earthquakes, and typhoons, but I think the Japanese people are coping well with them. I also feel a respect for nature. And we have already done the main part in today's session in anticipation of the situation where we cannot practice due to the typhoon.
(The term "second world war" was mentioned, but today is the last day of the war for Japan. The reality is that we can play and enjoy soccer because of peace. What does Director Matthias think of peace?)
As was the case with the Olympics, sports and soccer provide an opportunity for people from all over the world to come together and communicate. And I think it is also a place where the whole can come together in a good way. Nowadays, looking at the Middle East, Ukraine, and Russia, it is a challenging situation for mankind, but we should be thankful to be in a country where we can enjoy sports. In the past, a small number of people lived on a large planet, but now we have a large number of people living on a small planet. So I think the distance between us and everything is getting shorter.
(He is looking forward to a victory in this traditional match.)
I heard that this match is very important for the fans and supporters when we played them last time, so I am looking forward to this match as well."
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]
Hello everyone, we had two days of solid training. I think the level of the players is getting better after the injury. Today's training showed that Taka (Takahiro Sekine) and Tomo (Tomoaki Okubo) have stepped up their game. Other players who are returning from injury are also improving, so I think the competitiveness of the team as a whole is improving. I am looking forward to the next game against Kashima.
In our last three away games, we have only conceded one goal. And that one goal was a penalty kick against (Sagan) Tosu. I think there were many things we could have improved on against Tosu, but I was pleased with our strategy throughout the game and the situation with the joker on the bench. For example, I think it will be very important to have a player like Yusuke Matsuo, who can come in midway through a game and change the flow.
There was a time when we suffered a bit from the process of getting used to the heat, with injuries coming back. But now I think we have both of these two factors under control. Thiago (Santana) is also able to train at full capacity and is ready to join the team. The same goes for Brian (Linssen). The only player who has not been able to participate in full training is Naoki (Maeda).
(With the players in better condition, I think the overall strength of the team is improving, but how do you feel about the lack of results?)
I would have liked to have won more points in recent games, especially the two most recent home games, which were very disappointing. We lost 6 points, and we would have been in a different place in the standings if we had 40 points instead of 34. However, that is in the past. As I mentioned earlier, we were suffering from the beginning of the heat and the acclimatization period where some people leave the team and then the injuries come back. But if you look at the culture of training, I think it is getting much better. Some of the players are growing strong in this. And when someone leaves, someone else should step up and take a chance. I think it is important to stay focused and continue good training for both players and staff. We are also training to increase the intensity of our defense. We will continue to do the part where we dominate the game. That is what we must do in a well-balanced manner. We would also like to further improve our offensive skills and continue to create chances and score goals. We have been improving physically through high-intensity runs, etc., so I think we are getting better at playing with high intensity for longer periods of time. It was also interesting for me to see the process of getting used to the heat.
(What is your impression of Kashima?)
(What are your impressions of Kashima?) "I think the last time we played them at home it was an entertaining game. They dominated the first half and we got back at them in the second half, with Hide (Hidetoshi Takeda) scoring two very good goals. But they are undefeated at home, so I think it will be a very good test for us. If you look at the team members, they are a team that has been able to play this season with one or two changes, but mostly fixed. It will be a very good match, and the players and I are looking forward to it.
(What will be the key to victory against Kashima?)
I think the two most important things are to be ready to defend and to press forward. If we can move the ball and move the opponent, and use the space created by that, I think it will lead to chances. In our last game, Atsuki (Ito) scored a goal from a cut back. I think that kind of running through the back is also an important factor.
(I am looking forward to a comfortable and complete victory.)
Yes, I hope we can achieve a great victory. I hope we can achieve a great victory.
(Ito left the team. The impact looks very big after the Tosu game. I think the number of players who make the moves to get behind that coach Matthias mentioned has decreased. Kaito Yasui Players left, but as playmakers, Samuel Gustafson I think the players were great and made a difference. How do you go forward in those areas?)
'I think it is a sharp analysis. When a core player like Atsuki leaves, we have to think about how to fill in what he was doing, even in the short term. We need running out the back as a team. For example, (Ayumu) Ohata and Hiro (Hirokazu Ishihara) could make such a move as more aggressive side backs. Wingers can also do that kind of running. I think (Watanabe) Ryoma, who plays at the bottom of the lineup, can also play in the back from the center of the field. Last time, Ryoma was involved in four decisions, and I think three of them were very close to the goal. To answer your question, I hope the other players will deepen their relationship and fill in those areas. That is something we will need to do, not just against Kashima, but in the future."
(This idea makes sense because Matthias has to fight with his current squad, but the transfer window is still open, and I think that professional soccer clubs have the idea of acquiring players who can do the same or similar job as Ito. Do you have any discussions with the club in that regard?)
Of course we are always talking with the club. The window closes in six days. I am sure that SD (Sports Director) Horinouchi (Sei) can answer these questions. The window has not closed yet, so I think there is still a possibility, but I would like to work hard with the players we have now and move on to the future. I hope that the club will continue to develop a solid scouting strategy as we head into the next window. For various reasons, this window has been a bit difficult for us."
(I think your defense had some good blocks against Tosu, but I think it was the movement of Yuma Suzuki that suffered in the last match against Kashima. Have you told your players how to counter that?)
I think that analysis is also astute. I think you are right. I can't talk about details, but I would like to respond by using our principles of defending in our zone well."
(Shusaku Nishikawa With the player's suspension, who do you plan to make the game captain for the Kashima game?)
I would like to choose from the group of captains. Taka, Ryoma, Samuel, and Marius (Huybraten) are in the captain group."
(Did Director Matthias decide on the players in the captain group?)
I consulted with the staff and gave the players that challenge and they accepted it.
(You said that you will not have a vice-captain, but what kind of mindset do you want Captain Nishikawa, the captain group, and each of the players to have in the remaining games?)
I said to each member of the captain group, 'I don't want our training culture to develop, so I want you to show me how you want to be. It means to be focused and aware, and to act with a sense of responsibility to ourselves and to those around us."
(The Kashiwa Reysol game was cancelled, so the team had to play four games in a row against teams that happened to be battling for survival: Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, Tosu, Kyoto Sanga F.C., and Shonan Bellmare, but they failed to win any of them. Coach Matias always says that we are training well and that our training culture is moving forward, so I think it is going well. What are your thoughts on the fact that things are going well but the results are not coming?)
I mentioned earlier at the beginning of the press conference that we had two days of good training. We have not been able to execute everything perfectly every time, but I think the training itself is getting very good. In the four games you mentioned earlier, I was particularly disappointed with the two home games. I think we have to accept the results of the away games against Kyoto and Tosu, but the two home games are very disappointing. I think that the lead we gave up against Shonan was not good for us, and we should have won that game. If we had won there, we could have made it three wins in a row.
(If we had won there, yes, but we didn't.)
I have talked about this with the players and told them what they can do to improve. For example, the last five minutes of the Shonan game is not something we can accept, and I don't think we should accept conceding four goals at home. Of course it is not good to concede seven goals in two home games, and we have been training to improve our defense since then. We hope to stabilize our defense in the upcoming games and translate that into results.
(I don't know if coach Matias is a man who calls typhoons, but now a typhoon is approaching. How do you feel about having to fight against the weather, which is difficult in the heat of summer?)
I have heard about the typhoon from our staff and watched the news. I am reading a book on the history of Japan, where I strongly feel the power of nature in Japan. There is a section where it says that after the Second World War, the Japanese government became more like the Scandinavian model. When Japan tried to develop from that, Japan already had an asset to do so, and that is the Japanese people. I don't think the existence of the typhoon itself is the problem. It is how we humans cope with them. Japan has various disasters such as this heat, earthquakes, and typhoons, but I think the Japanese people are coping well with them. I also feel a respect for nature. And we have already done the main part in today's session in anticipation of the situation where we cannot practice due to the typhoon.
(The term "second world war" was mentioned, but today is the last day of the war for Japan. The reality is that we can play and enjoy soccer because of peace. What does Director Matthias think of peace?)
As was the case with the Olympics, sports and soccer provide an opportunity for people from all over the world to come together and communicate. And I think it is also a place where the whole can come together in a good way. Nowadays, looking at the Middle East, Ukraine, and Russia, it is a challenging situation for mankind, but we should be thankful to be in a country where we can enjoy sports. In the past, a small number of people lived on a large planet, but now we have a large number of people living on a small planet. So I think the distance between us and everything is getting shorter.
(He is looking forward to a victory in this traditional match.)
I heard that this match is very important for the fans and supporters when we played them last time, so I am looking forward to this match as well."
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]
