Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 36 match Sanfrecce Hiroshima [MATCH PARTNER BizReach] Post-match comments

"We didn't get off to a good start in today's match. We knew and expected Sanfrecce Hiroshima to apply very strong pressure early on, but they were too strong and it put us in a position where we couldn't manage the game.

After that, the match became more evenly matched. We kept the ball calmly and launched counterattacks when we stole it. One of these attacks led to Yusuke Matsuo's important goal.

During halftime, we talked about starting the game differently from the first half. We started the second half by pressing as high up the field as possible. From there, we got into a good flow and were able to create chances.

Of course, Sanfrecce has a strong offensive line and created many scoring opportunities today, but Shusaku (Nishikawa) made some great saves.

We then scored two more goals. Brian (Linssen)'s goal was a good build-up play. And the third goal was great because our bench players showed their quality. It started with Thiago (Santana) making a defensive challenge, and then Naoki (Maeda) and Genki (Haraguchi) made a good combination and scored the goal.

It was not an easy game, but with the strong support of our fans and supporters, our players worked extremely hard. I am very happy and it was a fun game to watch.

And now that we have 46 points, I'm happy that one pressure has been lifted and we can go into the upcoming matches with that feeling."

[Question and Answer Session]
(I think the high press worked well at the start of the second half. Until now, I don't think they've really pushed the center backs or the back players forward from the defensive line, but today they went out with a force that almost seemed like man-to-man defense. Was that a challenge for the manager as well?)
"Of course, the opponents' reactions were a factor, but I think that this was part of the flow of the game. Since we were leading, our high pressure was more effective against Sanfrecce (Hiroshima), who were pushing forward. I think that's the difference from the match against Kashiwa Reysol."

(Now that you have been confirmed to remain in the league, are there any plans to use young players or try new tactics in the matches against Avispa Fukuoka and Albirex Niigata that will help you with next season?)
"I want to make good use of the time. Of course, our goal is to finish this season as high as possible. But as you said, I think it's also time to give opportunities to players who haven't had many opportunities to play until now."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]