On the 20th, manager Maciej Skorza held an online press conference, where he spoke about his enthusiasm for the Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 28 match against Kawasaki Frontale [MATCH PARTNER Mitsubishi Heavy Industries], which will be held at Saitama Stadium on Friday, November 22nd.

(This match against Kawasaki is a special one, but what do you think you must not neglect?)
"This is the first time in my life that I've been in such a unique situation. It will be a test for both me and Coach Oniki. I think the important thing in this match is to play with high intensity from the start. When preparing for a normal match, we think about various times during the match, when the intensity will increase and decrease, and how the second half will go. However, this match will start abruptly in the second half, so I think it will be different from usual."

(Are you going into the match with the assumption that Kawasaki's fighting style may be different from what you've seen so far?)
"We are preparing to deal with various scenarios. We must not forget that the match will start with the Reds leading 1-0. We must assume that Kawasaki will suddenly come on with a high press, rather than waiting and seeing how things go."

(What was your reaction when you found out you had those 45 minutes remaining after taking over as Reds manager?)
"It's a unique situation having different managers in the first and second halves. I'm just concentrating on what I need to do for the rest of this season. I also need to think about next season and what style I'm going to play. These 45 minutes should be about playing the game itself, but at the same time, it should also be about preparing for next season."

(Basically, you can't choose the starting line-up, so I think you'll be playing with line-up members that weren't selected by Coach Maciej. I think the line-up is made up of players who have played recently, but did you think they were a fairly good line-up? Or are there certain positions you want to replace?)
"Due to the rules, we were under the assumption that we would be playing with the same members, so I didn't think about making any changes. Also, many of our players have been playing in recent matches, so I think it's a good set-up."

(Yesterday's match marked the end of Japan's national team activities for this year. I remember when Atsuki Ito was selected for the Japanese national team last year, but I think it will be difficult to keep players who are good enough to be on the Japanese national team in the current soccer world. Really good players may go to Europe, but what do you think is something that a club needs to value in order to keep good players?)
"I think it's important for the club to constantly keep a list of potential players for each position. When a player like Atsuki transfers, we have to be ready to move. The Reds actually do that. Our scouts also work hard every day. In modern football, it's normal for a player to go to Europe if he performs well, so if someone transfers, we have to be prepared to fill that spot."

(Now that the team has secured their place in the league, the pressure of having to get points at all costs has been released, and I think they will be able to approach the remaining games of this season with a different mentality. Is there anything you would like to add or bring out in the games from now on with an eye on next season?)
"I'm thinking of adding new elements every week. I'm also evaluating whether these additions are actually good for the players. In future matches, I would like to add new elements to the build-up, for example."

Q: What are you focusing on in training this week in preparation for the Kawasaki match and next season?
"This week, we have been focusing on build-up in our training. There are some things we want to improve and add to our build-up, especially in the full-backs and defensive midfielders. I want to try out some things that we haven't done in the league so far. The timing might be good to try those elements out in the match against Kawasaki."

I think Kawasaki will fight hard to get a point. Their strategy is to keep the ball going, shake things up and break down the opposition with combination plays, but what are your thoughts on where to steal the ball?
"I have always liked Coach Oniki's style since I came to Japan last year. I think they are a difficult team to play against. They are a team that can create goal-scoring opportunities with long balls and possession. We have a plan for how to limit that. We also have to take into consideration that it is a home game. At home, we want to keep possession of the ball longer than our opponents and dominate the game. We want to dominate this game from the start, but we will keep an eye on the flow of the game and make changes where necessary."

(As you said earlier, I think you also appreciated the style of Kawasaki and Niigata last season. Is their style similar to that of Europe? Or is it a uniquely Japanese style? What do you appreciate about them?)
"I watch them with the image of pure Japanese football. They are a team that maintains possession regardless of the opponent's style. When building up, they have a structure in each zone. That's the kind of team I enjoy watching. It's not that I like them because it matches my original style. My style is to look at the opponent's strengths and find ways to limit them. The reason I have been rating Niigata and Kawasaki highly since last season is because they have very good build-up plays."

(The Reds had a hard time attacking the Japanese defence in the first half of this season. I think that manager Maciej also instructed them to place emphasis on side changes, but Yoshio Koizumi said that the overseas clubs they faced in the FIFA Club World Cup were more effective. Do they need to be special in their attacks against the Japanese defence?)
"Earlier, I spoke about looking at the opponent's strengths and eliminating them, but I feel that many Japanese club managers stick to their own unique style. For example, in the match against Kashiwa (Reysol), I knew that the opponent's left flank was their strong side, so I changed my defense a little from usual to eliminate that side. In the match against (Sanfrecce) Hiroshima, I considered the opponent's defense and used an asymmetric build-up. This was to free up the left winger. My style is to not let the opponent do what they want. However, I also think about what our own style should be when we have the ball."

(The members for this match against Kawasaki are almost the same as those for the Hiroshima match. Did they plan the match against Kawasaki to some extent? Or was it just a coincidence that the members were similar?)
"It was a coincidence. The Hiroshima match was a very important match for us. We take each match one at a time. We're not trying to get closer to a match because we have one in two or three weeks."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]