On the 28th, manager Maciej Skorza held an online press conference, where he spoke about his enthusiasm for the Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 35 match against Yokohama F･Marinos which will be held at Nissan Stadium on Wednesday, October 30th.

(What was your impression of Yokohama F･Marinos in the Emperor's Cup semi-finals held yesterday?)
"It was a very dramatic match with a lot going on. All of our staff watched it and were able to draw various conclusions. No matter what form F. Marinos takes or what members they have, it will definitely be a very tough match."

(I think the way the Reds play by keeping their strong forwards up front is distinctive, but is there room for improvement in the way they defend their first line?)
"We will continue to improve in these areas as we move forward, but first of all, regarding F.Marinos, we played against them four times last year. As you said, F.Marinos has very strong attackers. Anderson Lopez, Elber, and Jan Matthäus, I think these three players have the most potential in the J.League."

(What should we pay attention to in order to block their attacks?)
"First of all, I think it's necessary not to give them too much space. We have to keep the team compact in every part of the pitch. Also, they are players who are good at one-on-one challenges, so I think we need to handle that well."

(F.Marinos is in a physically tough situation with a busy schedule, and I think the Reds are in better condition, but what do you think, Coach Maciej?)
"I don't want to think of it that way. I told the players that in the meeting before training today. We must not assume that F. Marinos will be tired or that we have an advantage. We must prepare for a very tough match. I expect the players to have the same approach and attitude as they did before the match against Kashiwa (Reysol)."

(I think the match against Kashiwa was a win for the team as a whole. What positive impact do you think that had on the team?)
"I think we need to play like that in the remaining five games. We need to always think only about the next game and prepare to run and fight like we did against Kashiwa. If we can fight like that, I think we will be able to create more chances up front."

(I think F. Marinos is a rare team in the J.League in that they keep their forwards up front and play in a wide formation. In contrast, I think there are both advantages and disadvantages to the Reds' compact formation, but in general football terms, what are the difficulties and interesting points of playing against such an opponent?)
"F. Marinos has a lot of skilled players. That's why it's important to keep the team compact when defending. If you give space to skilled players, it will be difficult to defend. However, I think when we do steal the ball, it will be our chance. It's not just because we have Élber and Jan Matthäus up front, but if we play the way we do, creating gaps in the opposing defensive line, I think we will have those chances."

(In the match against Kashiwa, with the inclusion of Samuel Gustafson I think we were able to advance the ball to zones 2 and 3 more stably. If we can create that situation, I think we can focus on how to break down the opponent's defense with combinations up front. How do you feel about that step?)
"The match against Kashiwa was a very good game for Samuel. His build-up was particularly good, but I also think his defensive performance is improving. He was playing close to Matheus Savio, and I think he was able to defend that zone well. In terms of the build-up, I think his good passes, especially those between the lines, increased the number of chances."

(You won one game and stopped the losing streak, but what do you think of the players' mentality? For example, is there an atmosphere of relief? Is that why you think they're in danger? Or is the victory helping the team move forward?)
"After four straight losses, it was a very pleasing victory. It was a win that the club and our fans and supporters needed. We will now concentrate carefully and carefully and prepare for our next game. After our win against Gamba (Osaka), we didn't perform very well in the next game, so we don't want to repeat that."

(You mentioned that you played against F.Marinos four times last year and talked about your impressions of the current F.Marinos. Did you notice any difference between the F.Marinos you played against last year and the current F.Marinos after analysing the footage?)
"Coach (Kevin) Muscat often used a 4-3-3 formation. This year the system has changed a bit, but I think the attacking structures are quite similar. Looking at this year's F. Marinos, I think that central players like (Kota) Watanabe, (Jun) Amano and (Riku) Yamane are doing an extremely good job."

(F.Marinos plays very openly, so I think it's easy to find openings and chances that make us want to attack. I think it's necessary to attack all at once, but if we become too open, I think we may end up exhausted. How do you think we need to judge such situations?)
"One of the key points in the match against F. Marinos is how open we want to play. At what point will we open up the game? We don't want to play only low defense. We want to apply high pressure, but the question is when we should go forward. I can't answer that right now."

(In the match against Kashiwa, it seemed like the characteristics and the way of playing changed depending on the starting lineup and the players brought on in the final stages, but have you found a balance in terms of the flow of the game and the use of members?)
"We also have to take into account the style of the opposing team. I think every match has its own characteristics. In the match against Kashiwa, I think the combination of the starters and the players who came on later was very good. We were able to create an advantage in the second half with players like (Nakajima) Shoya, (Takahiro Sekine) Takahiro, (Thiago) Santana and (Haraguchi) Genki. They are very skilled players. And (Nagumo) Yoichi only played two minutes, but without him we wouldn't have scored. That play started with Yoichi. In the previous match, the substitutes did a very good job, but we have to consider whether to go with the same lineup or whether to put one or two of them in the starting lineup because they did well. And I can't answer that question right now either."

(I would like to ask about player meetings. I have heard that Maciej coaches do not want player meetings to be held very often. What is your opinion on player meetings?)
"I speak to the experienced players all the time. We are in a difficult period right now, and we are all trying to get out of it together. We have a lot of new players, and I've only been here a short time. That's why I want to work on this together with the whole team, with the players. We thought about various ways to increase team unity, such as holding dinner parties, for example. But after considering all the factors, we thought the best thing to do was to have a meeting between the players. This meeting turned out to be very long, which surprised me a bit. I haven't heard the details, but I think it had a very positive effect. We had a training session after the meeting, and the players' concentration had already increased during that training, and I felt a lot of energy. I'm glad that we have players who are able to take action with such a sense of responsibility."

(Listening to what you just said makes me want to ask a question: what kind of player was Coach Maciej?)
"I only played in the second division, so I have no experience of playing at the top level. I decided to become a coach at a young age. As for the type of player I was, I think I was similar to (Alexander) Scholz, although the scale may be different."

(I'm sure there were times when you couldn't win as a player, but how did you behave at those times?)
"I found myself in a similar situation in my final season as a player, but I was captain at the time. Looking back, I don't think I behaved perfectly. There was a game in which I was sent off, which was due to my nervous reactions after a losing streak.

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]