On the 3rd, manager Maciej Skorza held an online press conference, where he spoke about his enthusiasm for the Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 33 match against Cerezo Osaka [MATCH PARTNER J:COM], which will be held at Saitama Stadium on Saturday, October 5th.

(During the open training session on Tuesday, several players said they wanted to have the ball and control the attack. Is that what Coach Maciej was emphasizing in meetings?)
"We want to improve our management of the ball when we have it, especially looking back at the first half against (Vissel) Kobe, and I think that's what we need. That's been the focus of our training this week."

(I think the pitch conditions also had an impact on the first half of the Kobe match, and long balls were used frequently. Do you think you were able to connect the ball and bring it to the goal even in those pitch conditions?)
"I think that was possible. I'm not saying that you can't use long balls, but I think we could have linked up a little better when we had the ball in zone 1. Kobe was also able to have the ball in zone 1 while using long balls, so I think that was possible."

(Unfortunately, Marius Hoibraten was injured. We can debate the play and the referee's decision, but I don't think the opposing player had any bad feelings. However, what happened was serious. Do you think a yellow card was enough for that play? Still, do you think the seriousness of what happened should be judged without considering the player's intentions or feelings?)
"I spoke with Marius today, and considering his current situation and the fact that he will be out for a long time, I think the punishment should have been heavier. However, the referee was watching closely on the pitch, and there was support from the assistant referee and VAR (Video Assistant Referee), so I don't think the decision he made was wrong."

(Are you satisfied with the current system of judging players based on the play itself rather than the results?)
"We can't turn back time or overturn decisions, so it's not important for me to comment on the referee's decision at this point. After a few days, I realized that Marius had suffered a lot of damage, but it's a decision in a situation where you don't know what the outcome will be at the moment. I think it's important for players, coaching staff and referees to avoid these kinds of injuries from happening again."

(I don't think we were doing so well with the ball as Coach Maciej said, but how do you balance wanting the players to execute the ideas Maciej has and helping them make it easier for them to play?)
"I think my vision and how I want the team to develop are important. However, I took over in the middle of the season, so I need to understand the current skills and habits of the players. It is also important to find how to get them to use those skills within the team. I want to dominate the game, and I think that keeping possession of the ball for long periods of time is necessary to create chances. However, that does not mean we have to do this at all costs. Of course, there are times when we need to defend, so I hope to develop the team in both ways."

(At your inauguration press conference, you mentioned that you would assess the players in the four games leading up to Cerezo OSAKA match. You also mentioned areas for improvement, but conversely, what do you think about the Reds' strengths?)
"I think we have great offensive potential overall. Even just in training, I can see a difference between last year's team and this. I want to find a balance between offense and defense as quickly as possible so that the players can exercise that balance freely and with confidence."

(Isn't it frustrating that this isn't possible?)
"It is difficult. It is also a difficult time at the end of the season. What I said in the press conference was to find a balance between offense and defense while playing the first four games, but the main point was to get points from them. We have played three games and gotten three points. And our position in the table is not where we would like it to be. It is a very interesting and difficult time. We have to prepare for our next opponents and at the same time promote our own development."

(What is your impression of Cerezo OSAKA?)
"I think it can be said that Cerezo OSAKA have been a very solid team in their last three games, especially yesterday's game. We changed our system during the game against Shonan (Bellmare), so we have been playing with a five-back formation for the last 2.5 games. It is not easy to create chances against a five-back formation. Up front we have Leo Ceará, who is competing for the top scorer title, and Lucas Fernandes, who has the most assists in the FC Tokyo. With the help of the fans and supporters who are cheering us on at home, I would like to deliver a victory to everyone."

(The game captain was Shusaku Nishikawa, but did you ultimately entrust the captaincy to him?)
"That's right. Shusaku is not only the game captain but also the team captain. I didn't want to replace him in the middle of the season, and I think Shusaku is the right person for the job, but it's rare for a goalkeeper to serve as captain on my team. Shusaku was also the captain when I took over last year, but I replaced him. I would rather have a field player as captain."

What happened to the Captain Group?
"The captaincy group is taking good care of the team. I would like to add experienced players to the existing captaincy group. It will be a fairly large captaincy group, but I would like to utilize their abilities strategically."

(Marius has been a key player, starting every game so far, but what impact will his absence have on the team?)
"That's a good question, but we'll see what kind of impact it has after we play on Saturday. Marius' injury is also an opportunity for Yota Sato. I've seen Yaota's hard work in training. His playing could be an advantage for the team. (Inoue) Reiko and Yaota have a big role to play in bringing the defensive line together, which I don't think will be easy. The last time they played together was against Newcastle (United). I think we'll see even better teamwork than then."

(It's rare for these two players, who have only played together against Newcastle, to play together in the league, but are you expecting them to protect you well?)
"I believe in my players, and I think that Yao and Reiji will play well, so I have no worries or concerns."

(The fact that they have only scored one goal in three games gives the offense a chance, but the Reds have Shinzo Koroki, who manager Maciej called "the Reds' general." Does that mean he also has a chance?)
"Of course, I'm not satisfied with only one goal in three games. I also think that we didn't create enough chances. I think our best game was against FC Tokyo at home, but our finishing wasn't high enough. We're trying out different attacking setups. At first, Brian (Linssen) played as a striker, and then Thiago (Santana) played after Brian got injured. We're also changing the attacking midfielder and left winger to find the best form. We're also waiting for some players to return from injury. We want to create more chances against Cerezo OSAKA, but of course it's not easy. And I think it's important not only to create chances, but also to finish calmly. Shinzo is a great player and I respect him. He works hard in training and always does his best. I'm sure he'll be on the pitch in the upcoming games, but I don't know when that will be."

(In both games against Cerezo OSAKA, VAR ruled out penalties, but Nishikawa managed to save them. In addition, Urawa Reds have some really big defenders behind their centre-backs and goalkeepers. What do you think about this, manager Maciej?)
"I believe that the fans behind the goal will also give us great strength in the next game. In the match against FC Tokyo, we conceded two goals in the 70th minute, but the fans and supporters always supported us. They cheered us on until the very last moment of the match. However, it was a very painful experience for me to see the silence that followed the moment the match ended. We were unable to deliver a victory to the fans and supporters and create a scene for them to celebrate. It's very disappointing."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]