On the 29th, an online press conference was held with interim manager Nobuyasu Ikeda, who will take charge of the team on an interim basis until new manager Maciej Skorza takes over, in which he spoke of his enthusiasm for the 29th Meiji Yasuda J1 League match against FC Machida Zelvia, to be held at the National Stadium on Saturday, August 31st.

"Hello everyone. Thank you for taking the time to see me despite your busy schedule. I am Ikeda, who will be the interim manager until Maciej Skorza takes over. I look forward to working with you."

[Question and Answer Session]
(How did you feel when you were asked to be the interim manager?)
"My first reaction was surprise. I was surprised when I was approached, but I don't think I had any hesitation. I just thought, if it's for Urawa Reds, if I can be of any help, then I want to do it."

(As a coach, you have been in charge of the youth teams and I think you have your own philosophy, but how do you plan to play against Machida?)
"That's true. However, I can't talk about it in detail before the match, and it may be far from my philosophy, but what I want most right now is to grab the three points in the match against Machida no matter what."

(It is clear that you will be in charge until Maciej arrives, but what are your thoughts on the criteria for selecting the team members?)
"Of course, we are taking into account players who are in good form and those who played in the previous match, as well as players who did not play, and we are currently in the selection stage. In addition, I have remote meetings with Coach Maciej every day, at most twice a day, and Coach Maciej also watches a lot of games, so we are communicating with each other and gradually forming a framework, or rather, we are holding daily meetings to discuss how we will use the players."

(Sports Director Satoshi Horinouchi said that Coach Maciej wants to get as much information as possible about the current players. As a coach, I think that interim Coach Ikeda had many opportunities to face players who were not able to play in matches. There are positive aspects, such as Ekanit Panya return to the Thai national team, but how did you feel about their growth and how did you approach it?)
"As you say, I have spent a lot of time watching the players who were not on the team, so I am more aware than anyone of how they have grown, what they still need, and their strengths. I have seen up close how players who stayed and trained at Ohara, such as Book (Ekanit) who was selected for the Thai national team, and Takeda (Hidetoshi) who had a lot of difficult times, but gradually got more playing time and became successful, so I think I want those players to play more and more in matches more than anyone else."

You've played for the Reds for a long time and have coached in their youth academy. How do you feel about sitting on the bench in official matches as the Reds' manager, even if only on an interim basis?
"As some of you may know, I was born in Urawa, grew up in Urawa, learned soccer in Urawa, played as a player for Urawa, and am able to coach in Urawa. I think there is no greater honor than this. I don't know if it's the right word to say that I'm giving back to Urawa, but I think that one way to give back to Urawa and to the fans and supporters is to do whatever it takes to get three points in the next match against Machida."

(I understand that you have had many meetings with Coach Maciej. Is it not just about discussing the members for the Machida match and the match, but also about the direction you want the whole team to be coached in, or the points you want them to emphasize?)
"I can't tell you the specifics, but as you all know, Coach Maciej is someone who pays close attention to his players and is very particular about tactics, so he wants me to communicate and create the details of the training leading up to the match remotely, as well as what I feel is necessary and what I have felt on the ground. So, Coach Maciej doesn't want me to do everything, but rather he wants me to value my own intuition on the ground."

(The match against Machida will be held at the National Stadium. Is there anything you want to emphasize in the coming week in order to win this match, and is there anything you want the players to keep in mind?)
"There is no one who is number one. The most important thing is for us to understand and analyze the type of football that Machida plays and then pass that on to the players. However, in football, the outcome is not decided by that alone, and I think that the fighting part is important. Machida's football is very hard, and their strong point is their power in contact, so I think it will be important for us to show more than that, rather than backing down, and I think the players feel that too."

(Sports Director Horinouchi said the players were surprised when he told them, but what are your plans for mental care? The players must have been quite shaken.)
"I think some of the players were shaken or surprised, and I was also concerned about this. From the announcement to training, some players had stiff expressions and some were the same as usual, and I felt that there was some stiffness even after training started, but in terms of enjoying football, the expressions became brighter after it started and the atmosphere during training on the pitch improved, so I was relieved. However, the players are professionals, so I don't think they should think that they can't or can't play just because there is a substitution, and I think the players themselves were able to organize themselves and take to the pitch. I think the time it takes to organize themselves varies from person to person, but in today's training, they played football with very good expressions and created a good atmosphere of wanting to win the next match against Machida, so I am very grateful."

(The Reds' mood maker is interim manager Ikeda, but wouldn't it be good if a mood maker emerged among the players?)
"I think that's important, but Urawa Reds have a sense of unity right now, so rather than someone getting the team excited or someone taking the lead, the players themselves feel that everyone should take the lead, so that's the way we're working toward the Machida match."

(What are the key points for the Machida match?)
"I think the key points will be how much we can run more than our opponents and how well we can steal the ball when close to it."

(This will be the first game under Coach Ikeda. What do you want to focus on?)
"As I've said many times before, the most important thing is to get the three points and move forward."

(I believe you played against Machida's manager Tsuyoshi Kuroda in the youth team. Is there anything about him that hasn't changed since then, and is there anything you feel has changed since taking over as a manager in the J1 League?)
"I played many games for him in his youth days. My impression was that he was fighting in the J.League, incorporating his own style of football, just as he did in the youth days. I also think it's amazing and wonderful that he's been able to push through his philosophy so well, given the difficulties of communicating with adults and with the youth generation."

(Because you took over at short notice, the coaching team led by head coach Per-Mathias Hoegmo has left and there has been a reduction in staff numbers, but has this had any impact on training?)
"With the loss of the manager and two coaches, the number of staff has decreased, but Coach Hagimura (Shigenori), who coached with me in the youth team, is working with us as a support coach."

(The Reds and Machida have polar opposite styles. I get the impression that Machida is thorough in making simple decisions, while the Reds are tackling more difficult things. How do you feel about the differences that arise from that?)
"First of all, Machida has a strong defense, ranked number one in the J.League in terms of goals conceded, clean sheets, and set pieces. They are also fast and scary when they go from defense to offense, but we are finding it difficult to keep possession of the ball and aim for the goal. I think it will be a game where the players and staff will have to get organized in order to eliminate the opponent's strengths while still bringing out our own strengths."

(Although you lost the last home game, I think you also didn't allow Machida to show their strengths. What do you think about what you fell short in that game?)
"As you said, I think we had control of the ball. We also managed to pull Machida, whose strength is high pressure, back down at times, but we only managed to score one point, so our challenge in the next match is to create more goals and finish them off in the final third, in the opponent's court, and in the final part of the game, we want to overcome that."

(In your meetings with Coach Maciej, what is the ratio between the immediate game and mid- to long-term issues?)
"I worked with Coach Maciej last season as well, so I understand to some extent what he wants. Maciej Maciej said something along the lines of, 'You understand that, don't you?' As I said earlier, Maciej hasn't seen the players in person yet, and with so many new players joining the team, he hasn't been able to see that, so he has asked the staff close to him to value that feeling. I would like to go above and beyond to do what Coach Maciej wants."

(I think there will be people in each club who will have to take on the challenge. There are people like Takashi Hori and Takeshi Otsuki at the Reds who have had to go through that situation repeatedly. Do you have any thoughts on that?)
"No. Since Coach Maciej came, I have been thinking about how we should play a good game and get closer to the style of football that Coach Maciej wants, starting from the match against Machida, so that we can play a style of football that will lead to that and allow us to pass the baton to the next generation. I have not thought about myself at all."

(I think you are only thinking about the Machida match, but I think you will continue to work together with Coach Maciej even after he takes over. Several key players left the team this summer, but I think this is an opportunity to change the team and make further progress. What are your thoughts on this?)
"I think the loss of key players was a big event for the team and the club, and in order for Urawa Reds to continue to compete for the championship as a perennial winner, I think it is necessary for new players to emerge and fight for the Reds and perform well. With what has happened this year for the Reds, I think it will be very important for the new players to blend in with the existing players and fight well. Also, with Coach Maciej coming in, I think everyone will be able to make a new start from an equal footing. I think there is great potential for growth both as a team and as individuals."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]