J.League YBC Levain Cup Group Stage Round 2 match Shimizu S-Pulse Trial comments

"Today we lost two important Trial. Apart from the end of the first half, I think we started very well. Brian (Linssen) scored a goal and we had several other chances to score. We started the second half by slightly changing the positions of our front line players, and we were in good form for a few minutes and I think we were able to deny the opponents any plays. However, we may have felt like we had won the Trial a little too soon. I think our concentration and attention waned. We gave the opponents a lot of space in our own half and they took a great shot. In the end, (Koroki) Shinzo had a chance to score, and if he had scored it we would have won. David (David Moberg Karlsson) was there, but when I asked Shinzo, he said, 'I couldn't see David at the time,' so we decided to take the shot.

We want to get through this group, and the difference in points between us and the leaders is still just two, so we still have a long way to go. From now on, we'll just focus on the league.

[Question and Answer Session]
(In the second half, you deployed David Moberg Karlsson on the left wing instead of the right wing where he usually plays. What was the intention behind this?)
"We're currently looking at other options for David. Last Sunday we had a training Trial where I played as a left winger and I thought it went really well. After the Trial I said to David, 'I'd like to try this option from time to time,' and today was that day."

(I think things are going well up until the shot before, but beyond that, is the quality of the training not good enough, or is it that even if you do well in training, it doesn't work out in Trial?)
"Everyone is working hard in practice on this issue, but it's an area where we haven't seen much improvement or progress. As we continue training, we'd like to think about what other forms we can take."

(It was after the Reds made substitutions that they gave the opposition time. It seemed like the substitutes were not getting into the game well.)
"When we made substitutions, we changed the team's structure a little, so I don't think we can say that we lost Trial because the substitutes didn't function properly."

(Many Japanese players have difficulty adapting when the structure changes. Does this seem to be a problem for Japanese soccer as a whole?)
"From my perspective, as a manager, I have to get the team used to it, to adapt. If we change the structure and it doesn't work, I think it's the manager who can't make it work. I will work even harder in that area so that I can provide better support in similar situations."

(It seems like foreign players adapt to changes in structure very quickly?)
"Trial has just finished, so it may be a little early for me to make that judgment."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]