On the 14th, after the Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 30 match against Gamba Osaka, Genki Haraguchi, who contributed to the victory in his first appearance since returning Urawa Reds, reflected on the match and shared his thoughts about the next match, the Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 31 match against FC Tokyo [MATCH PARTNER DHL], which will be held at his home stadium, Saitama Stadium.

"The fact that we won is everything. The content of the game was secondary, we just wanted the three points.

The reason why we were so hung up on getting the three points was because we wanted to change the flow of the game, and we hadn't won in over two months, so we wanted to win here and change the flow. I think this was an important win."

(How did you feel when you stepped onto the J-League pitch for the first time in a long time?)
"It was the same as always. It was one of the many matches I've played in Europe and with the national team, and I was just concentrating on this match. Since we were winning, I went into the match with only the goal in mind: to finish the game well and, if possible, to score another goal.

I didn't have much time to show my strengths and what I want to do, so that's where I'll get from now on. I think I'll be in better condition, and I think I have a lot to bring to this team, so I want to show that."

(I heard that manager Maciej Skorza wanted you to play as a defensive midfielder?)
"My request was to play forward, but first I was told to see how it goes and then play as a defensive midfielder. To be honest, I can play anywhere, and it's possible to go forward from a defensive midfielder. I think my strengths come out when I go forward, so I want to get involved in the forward movement even while playing as a defensive midfielder."

(When you entered the pitch and after the match, the fans and supporters were calling for you.)
"I felt like I was in a special position and was very happy. I felt like we were fighting together, so it felt like I had finally come home."

(The team often loses points because they can't hold on in the final stages of games, but this will be a good learning experience for them.)
"Changing the flow and persevering to keep the score at zero until the end will definitely give the players confidence. I think that by succeeding, they will understand how to do it, and it may be a very important win for us, one that may be worth more than the three points. If we can finish like this in games like this in the future, I think we will be able to accumulate points."

(Did you feel any emotional connection with Gamba Osaka 's Takashi Usami playing for the clubs where you both grew up?)
"I was also happy, and I knew that (Usami) Takashi had been playing very well this season while representing Gamba, so it was very inspiring to play with him in that form today. I want to get into that form as soon as possible."

(Takahiro Sekine scored a goal?)
"If I were here, he would probably be the top scorer (laughs). That's a joke, but I know that he was doing well for Urawa Reds while I wasn't there, so he scored a valuable goal today and I hope we can win together."

(The next game is at home, at Saitama Stadium, so I imagine there is a lot of excitement, including ticket sales.)
"Of course, I want to see a full house at Saitama Stadium, and with today's win, Skorcza (Maciej) becoming the new coach, and my return, I expect a lot of people to come next Saturday. I want to get three points again in a great atmosphere. It would be a huge thing for the team if we could win consecutive games here, so that's what I want to aim for."

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