J.League YBC Levain Cup Group Stage Matchday 1 Shonan Bellmare Post-Trial comments

"Both managers changed their line-ups in today's Trial. In that context, I think it can be said that the Reds' players performed quite well. This was true mentally and tactically they maintained good discipline, especially in their defence inside the penalty area. Shonan uses a very interesting system, which makes it difficult to stop their strikers and midfielders in particular. However, the Reds' players executed their tactics well, so in that sense I think they did a good job.

In the second half, we had two or three very good chances to score, from David Moberg, Atsuki Ito and Takahiro Sekine, but we are still not in a position to say that finishing is our strong point.

There was a medical situation with Kai Shibato and Toshiki Takahashi that needed to be looked at. I'd like to hear the medical report tomorrow and get an idea of what the actual situation is."

[Question and Answer Session]
(I think the defense was really good, but how do you rate the offense?)
"Honestly, I think we are still struggling offensively. I can't say that the attacking third is the space where we are able to play ideally. It's something we're focusing on in practice. In the last match against Cerezo Osaka, I think we were able to create some good opportunities. However, when I think about what we really want to do, I think we still have a long way to go."

(Looking at the way you use Yoshio Koizumi and Shinzo Koroki, it seems like you are prioritizing the league?)
"There was a lot of contact on the pitch, so I was a bit scared of injury and was substituted."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]