On the 28th, the Satoshi Horinouchi Sports Director (SD) of Urawa Reds spoke to the media about the ouster of the Per-Mathias Hoegmo director, the appointment of Mr. Maciej Skorza as the new director, and the appointment of Coach Nobuyasu Ikeda as the interim director, which was announced the day before, and about the background and intentions of this new director appointment.

Satoshi Horinouchi SD
Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you for gathering here today. Yesterday, we announced the ouster of the former director Per-Mathias Hoegmo and the appointment of Mr. Maciej Skorza as the new director. Due to visa issuance and other formalities, Coach Ikeda will be taking over as the interim director for the time being.

This is a decision that I made after much deliberation. In making this decision, I have gone back to the philosophy of the players. I made this decision based on the words "master soccer and pursue victory," the goal of this season's league championship, and the Club World Cup coming up next year, and from the perspective of what I should do to take our current growth to the next gear and grow even more. I have made this decision from the viewpoint of what we should do to take our current growth to the next level. In addition, I have always evaluated coaches from three perspectives. The first is performance. The second is the penetration of style, and the third is management. In terms of these three, the first thing I would like to say is that I had the opportunity to communicate with former director Matthias on a daily basis, and he was an extremely wonderful person both as a director and as a human being. So, it is not that the direction we have been heading in is completely different, but rather that we have made this decision from the perspective of what we can do to further develop the team.

I am pleased to have this opportunity to address your questions, and I would like to express my thoughts as sincerely as I can, so please do not hesitate to contact me.

Q&A]
(We saw former coach Matthias at the training match on Sunday, but chronologically, how did you inform the coach and how did you arrive at the announcement?)
I can't give you the specific date and time that I told the director, but it was very recently that I told former director Matthias.

(There was a period of three consecutive weeks of no results for the lower ranked teams, which coincided with the summer transfer window, was that timing also a factor in your decision?)
As I mentioned earlier, one of the evaluation criteria is performance. In that respect, we take very seriously the fact that we failed to accumulate points against lower-ranked teams. On the other hand, however, I don't think that this is the fault of the manager alone. I think I am responsible as well.

(How do you analyze and summarize the part of the reinforcement by the football headquarters in the last few years?)
We have three new players joining us this summer. These three players are currently working very hard, and I believe they will become even more of an asset to the team in the future. Also, when you think of the word "reinforcement," you may think of simply acquiring players from outside, but in my opinion, reinforcement is also about further developing the current players, which is also a form of reinforcement. In that sense, some players who were not able to make the top team regularly at the beginning of the season have now taken up regular roles and are continuing to play in games. I believe that this is also a reinforcement in a comprehensive sense, to make sure that these players are in good condition, including their physical condition, so that they can compete at 100%.

(How did you communicate this to the players and what was their reaction and mood?)
Specifically, I told the players at yesterday morning's meeting. My first impression of the players' reaction was that they were surprised. However, in the training that followed, although there was some stiffness at first, everyone was energized, led by interim director Ikeda, and we were able to train as vigorously as usual."

(How did you decide on Mr. Skorja as your successor and what do you want him to do?)
I believe that last year's performance was a major factor in my decision to appoint Mr. Skorja as my successor. Again, I expect him to step up to a higher level in each of the three perspectives of director evaluation, and I myself will have to work harder and support him to achieve this.

(What about the support of the coaches?)
Along with former coach Matias, former coaches Morten (Cervenes) and Mario (Eduardo Chaves) will be leaving the team, so we are also looking at bringing in new coaches.

(Mr. Scorja was to return in less than a year. How long had he been negotiating?)
I can't give you specifics, but it was a few weeks ago."

(I assume you were able to quit due to family reasons, but how did you resolve the issue about that?)
I am not at liberty to answer that question without his permission, but in my conversation with him, we were able to clear that up, and he made the decision to come back to Urawa Reds with an offer.

(I assume you also talked about the current team situation?)
He has been watching our games very closely. FC Machida Zelvia Of course, I have heard his thoughts and ideas on how he would like to improve compared to last year, so I will wait until he actually comes here. He said he would like to communicate with the current coaches and prepare well for the next round.

(One of the keywords that had been bothering me in former coach Matthias' press conferences up to now was a nuanced statement: "Normally, I would have started with a solid defensive platform, but this year, the club had ordered me to work on the attack, which was lacking last year. In fact, there was a nuance to the words. In fact, I wonder to what extent this was communicated to you by the club, and if it affected the results, I think it is difficult to put the blame on the director.)
Last year, we conceded the fewest goals in the league and built a strong defense. Of course, former coach Matthias knew that we had that base, so of course he ordered us to build on that defense and focus on improving it this season, since it was difficult to score points last year. As you said, the club and former coach Matthias had an agreement on this point, and that was the content of our efforts.

(I think we saw early in the season that you changed the system this year and wondered how much of the buildup from last year could be diverted there, but did you not calculate that?)
I am not sure if it is correct to say that we were out of the calculation, but I think we were able to accumulate points in terms of numbers. On the other hand, we had some difficulties in the defensive part of the game, which we had built up last year. In soccer, the balance between offense and defense are two sides of the same coin, and while we were able to express that balance in some games, I think we were unable to consistently demonstrate that balance in others.

(You said earlier that 'reinforcement is also the growth of the players we have now', but I think there is also the aspect that the players who are playing now are in the game because good players have left the club. For example, do you think that the Atsuki Ito and Alexander Scholz players are out there because they left, or do you think they have grown to the point where they can compete well even with them, and what is your assessment of that?)
Of course, I believe there are two sides to this. In that sense, as you pointed out, we are also aware that there are still challenges in the area of reinforcement through our transfers to where players have left off. But on the other hand, specifically speaking of Scholz, there were some injuries this season, and at that time Yota Sato went out and contributed to the victory with a high performance, and now Rikito Inoue is working hard in that position, and there is a big part of me that was hoping for their growth."

(I understand that the visa process is not yet complete, but do you have a timeline for when Mr. Skorja will be able to take the helm?)
It is not within our control. We are hoping for a quick response, but we have not been able to get an exact date or time, and I don't think we will be able to get a concrete answer.
(PR supplement: Usually takes a couple of weeks to complete, but the specific date is not fixed because it depends on how crowded it is at the time.)

(What would you like Mr. Skorja to do as an order to Mr. Skorja, and what kind of team would you like him to build for the Club World Cup?)
We had talked about strengthening our defense again during the break, especially in the two games against Kashima Antlers and Kawasaki Frontale, which ended in the first half, and some of the results were visible in those two games. I think the team made step-by-step progress. However, I would like to reiterate that in order to step up to a higher gear, I would like to work with the team on two points: building up from the defensive point of view once again, and rebuilding the offensive part, which was left as an issue last year by the player himself.

(Why Mr. Scorja? Is it because Mr. Skorja is the only one who can play the soccer we are aiming for, or is it because he was the result of trying various coaches?)
In terms of candidates for the coach, it is the same as scouting for players, and we always have a list of candidates throughout the year, not only in the window but also throughout the year in our football headquarters. This time, too, it is not that Mr. Skorja was the only choice. However, I would say that the most important reason for our decision to offer him was the trust we had in him after our successful experience with him last year.

(What are your summaries and challenges, including summer player acquisitions and outflows?)
We have three new players joining us this summer. We have high expectations for them. On the other hand, there are many players who have left the team. It is not only us Urawa Reds, but the current trend in Japanese soccer is that it is very easy to acquire players from overseas. I think there is still a lot of room for improvement in terms of whether the Football Headquarters, led by myself, is fully prepared for such an environment. Of course, there is the matter of acquiring players, but I also realize that we need to consider the aspect of having players continue to play at Urawa Reds in the future window.

(Besides the exodus of players, I think a large part of the club as a whole has changed as well, where the sports director and director are changing. How do you perceive that part of the change?)
I think the worst thing that can happen to the football headquarters as a whole is a loss of continuity as people change. I myself have been here at the Football Headquarters for eight years now. In that sense, I have seen many different situations over the past eight years. Through these experiences, I believe that the most important thing is to continue with the same philosophy and direction as a club even if the people change."

(You started the season with the goal of winning the championship, but are currently in 13th place. What is your goal for this season?)
I am aware that saying "We are aiming for the championship" here and now is a very high hurdle to overcome in reality, but I believe that we must maintain the attitude of "pursuing victory by mastering soccer" and "winning each game in front of us. However, I believe that we must maintain the attitude of "pursuing victory by mastering soccer" and "winning each and every game in front of us," and that it will be a challenge from now on to see where we can eventually reach the final ranking by accumulating one win and one game at a time, and of course, we will do our best to reach the higher ranks. I would like to do my best to move up the rankings as much as possible.

(Are you going towards it without setting specific goals, such as participation in the AFC Champions League?)
Of course, one of our major goals as a club is to qualify for the ACL (AFC Champions League), so of course we are targeting that as well.

(This summer has seen a string of captain class players move on, including Scholz and Ken Iwao players. The players are individual business owners and may be inclined to go where they can shine more brightly, but the club's centripetal force may also be waning.)
I try to communicate with each player on a daily basis, including those who have left the team. We talk about where they want to go as a player, what they want to play soccer for, what kind of life they want to live, and so on. In this process, many players have a love for Urawa Reds. But on the other hand, when I thought about my life, including my family, I made this decision. I myself do not feel that the centripetal force of Urawa Reds (from the players) has decreased. However, if there are more than a few people who feel that way, I have to take that very seriously, and I think it is my job first and foremost."

(Regarding the change of coach, I think it was shocking that the change came at a time when there was no movement during the intermission at the end of July and the impression was that things were improving after the Kashima and Kawasaki games. What was the reason for the timing of the change?)
We did not make this decision based on an evaluation of a single game. I have reached this decision based on a comprehensive evaluation of the entire process up to this point. It is true that the team has stepped up since the Kashima and Kawasaki games, but we made the decision to change the coach from the perspective of further increasing the speed of our growth.

(I know you were thinking of bringing Mr. Scorja back, but do you envision that the timing of this contract, rather than starting next season, is based on preparation for the next season?)
I can't give you the details of the contract because of confidentiality obligations, but I decided that this was the best time to bring Mr. Skorja on board.

(The captains have changed several times this season, how will the current group of captains be handled?)
As it stands now, Shusaku Nishikawa is our captain. I would like to talk to the new director now about whether the captain group will be replaced, but basically, I don't think there will be any major changes."

(I know many people have concerns about Scorja becoming the coach and returning to a place where they are solid but struggle to score, have you talked to him about his vision for that?)
We didn't spend a lot of time talking in detail about his vision, but we did talk last year about how the kind of soccer he wanted to play was more offensive, more scoring, and more defensive, because that was the kind of soccer he played when he was at Lev Poznan. We had already talked about that."

(In Scorja's last inaugural press conference, he talked about the same thinking as former director Hegmo. I understand that he made minor changes from there to be realistic and that it would be better to specialize in defense, is that understanding correct?)
Last year was a rather irregular year for us, as we had the ACL finals in May, and with that as one of our targets, we decided that rather than making a wholesale change to the soccer we had built up in the previous year, we would utilize the good points and head for the finals in May. That was one of the points we discussed. Therefore, I believe that the kind of soccer he originally wanted to play is in line with the kind of soccer that the Football Headquarters is currently aiming for.

(The team was under the impression that there was something built up with Ricardo Rodriguez former director and former director Scorja, but that it had been broken up with former director Hegmo. The key phrase was 'culture of practice,' and they also asked what about good practice but no results. I have the image that former director Hegmo was talking about 'culture of practice' in a completely opposite way to former directors Ricardo and Scorja).
I talked to him every day about the training culture part. Urawa Reds The training culture he wants is to give 100 percent every day in training, to give what you have, and only those who win the competition will play in the game. I myself have agreed to this, and we have also been talking about working in this direction as a club for a long time. However, the results of our training have been inconsistent, and while there were some games, such as the game against Jubilo Iwata, in which we were able to embody our soccer orientation very well, there were also games in which we were unsteady and conceded many goals, It does not mean that our daily training is bad, but as you said, I myself feel that we need to step up our training culture.

(Nobuyasu Ikeda What about Coach's appointment as interim director?)
When I was informed of this matter, I told Coach Ikeda that it would be a very difficult role to pass the baton to the next coach, Mr. Skorja, in the best possible condition, although I know that the situation would be extremely difficult. The reason why I asked Coach Ikeda to take the job is that I have worked with Coach Ikeda for a long time and have seen not only his abilities as a coach but also his meticulous management of each player. I am pleased to make an offer to him.

(What does the football headquarters think about players who have been transferred at the deadline, e.g. Toshiki Takahashi and Jumpei Hayakawa players who have played in games during Scorja's time as coach?)
We are constantly following their performances and trends at our football headquarters, and we are also checking on them by going to their games in person. However, nothing has been decided at this stage as to whether or not they will return during this period.

(This is the fourth time in four and a half years that there has been a change of director, what do you feel is the cause?)
I didn't want to make it an objective not to change the director when I thought about the team's further growth. So I believe that if there is a possibility for the team to improve further, that is one option that we can take, and that is to ask for a new director.

(You mentioned that we need to think about having players who move on mid-season to continue playing for the Reds, what do you think the club can do to retain them?)
I think there is one thing we can be realistic about: the terms of the contract. It is one thing to offer terms that are no less attractive than those of attractive clubs overseas. However, I believe that players are looking for a place where they can further develop themselves, and I think the best way to make Urawa Reds such a place is to make it a team that can aim higher and take on challenges, such as winning the league championship, the ACL, and the Club World Cup coming up next year.

(I guess you could train players and prepare them for unforeseen circumstances, but what about time and environment?)
In terms of player development, we have a very good academy at Urawa Reds, and one of the things we are trying to do is to produce more players from the academy into the top team. In recent years, we have also established partnerships with Feyenoord Rotterdam, Eintracht Frankfurt, and Muang Thong United FC, and it would be effective to deepen our ties with these clubs, especially in the area of player exchange, and in some cases, to further increase the number of such clubs. I have it in my mind that it would be effective to further increase the number of such clubs.

(With Scorja's return, there are a lot of players he used to use as core players and build the team that are missing.)
I don't have any comments on the changes in the players. Rather, we frequently exchange information on what kind of players we have now and what their characteristics are.

(Since the Football Headquarters system was established, the person in charge of strengthening has been changing from time to time, and I have the impression that the director has also been changed at that time. Makoto Taguchi In the representative's statement, it was said that "Director Skorja was discovered by SD Horinouchi," and in that sense, it seems that the director and the director are set up so that it is easier for the person in charge to do things. How are you doing internally regarding continuity, etc.?)
I know of course that my name was mentioned in Taguchi's statement, but it is not the case that I alone brought him in. As part of my role within the Football Headquarters, I was obviously involved in the project to bring him in, but the fact is that it was not me alone, but all the members of the Football Headquarters who brought him in, in their various roles. More to the point, we went through the same process with former director Matthias. It is not uncommon for us to bring in a coach based on the preferences of one individual. There is a process in which decisions are made from among a number of candidates after a careful examination of subjective, objective, data, and various other factors within the football headquarters. Again, no single person's opinion determines the director.

(Now, in the form that there is no technical director, it could be said that the position is not necessary if it is viable without one. Is it better to have a technical director or is it easier to work with one?)
I guess I would start by talking about defining the SD/TD (Technical Director) position. I think there are some difficulties in saying that. I myself am of course considering reinforcement and the addition of new members, in the sense of strengthening reinforcement, if there is a need for such personnel rather than a position. So, regarding the question of whether or not we need a TD position, if there is someone who is not in a TD position but is needed, I would be willing to reinforce the position.

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]