AFC Champions League 2023/24 Playoff Trial Comments from R&B

[Yoshio Koizumi]
(I think he did a good job, scoring the opening goal, which was his first goal in an official match this season. And what about your relationship with Shoya Nakajima?)
"My challenge was to get involved in scoring goals, so I'm happy that I was able to achieve one result. I think that Shoya Nakajima is the type of player who finds it easier to play with his teammates in close proximity, so I tried to play as close to him as possible. I also tried to think about how best I could pass the ball to him."

After the score was 2-0, you slowed down the pace to gain control of the game. Did that happen naturally or was there an instruction to do so?
"The coach also instructed us to keep possession of the ball. We scored two goals early on, and if it looked like the opponents were going to put a lot of pressure on us, we would have aimed for their backs, but they were playing a five-back defense, so we made the decision as a team to play smart and play Trial well."

[Director Maciej Skorza]
(At yesterday's press conference you said that this was the most important Trial of the season, but what about your progress to the group stage as the defending champions?)
"Even in our pre-Trial meeting, we said, 'Four months ago, we celebrated winning the ACL (AFC Champions League) here at Saitama Stadium. If we want to repeat that, today's Trial is the first step towards that goal.' And I think that Urawa Reds advancing to the group stage is not only important for Urawa Reds themselves, but also for Japanese football.

For me, today is also a special day. About 10 years ago, I led Saudi Arabia's Al-Ettifaq FC to the group stage, but we were unable to advance. This time, I will definitely advance."

(Today, we slowed down after scoring two goals, but as a manager, were you happy with how things played out?)
"I don't think it was a bad idea to slow down the game after we scored the second goal. The players know where they are in the season. I think the players were aware of their physical condition after the summer break, which led to the game unfolding in this way.

In the second half, I instructed the players to hold the ball for a long time. I aimed to draw the opponent out while keeping the ball, and to tire them out by making them run and increase the space. I think we were able to create chances despite that. However, we applied a lot of high pressure at the start of the game, and some of the players were feeling tired from that. That's why I made two substitutions at halftime.

(I think the two goals were scored thanks to the fluid positioning of attackers Shoya Nakajima and Yoshio Koizumi, but what is your assessment of the attackers? Also, what do you think of Nakajima's role in defence?)
"I was pleased to see Nakajima's performance today. I realized that he can contribute to the team for a longer period of time than before. His combination with (Koizumi) Kaho was particularly interesting. I think it created a lot of scoring possibilities. (Nakajima) Shoya brings power to our offense. I also think he is a player who excels at keeping the ball in a higher position.

On the defensive side, we changed the high-pressure system between the first and second halves, but in either case, he and the center forward formed the first line and played the role of applying pressure."

(I think today's opponent's formation and line-up were different from the previous Trial. Did you expect that, and did it affect your start to Trial?)
"We had anticipated what the opponents would do, but there were some surprise elements. However, we have ways of dealing with a four-back and a five-back, so we responded by making some changes to those strategies."

(When you substituted in Takahiro Sekine, I think the usual way was to put Koizumi in the center and Sekine on the side, but today you kept the position and placed Sekine at the bottom of the attack. Is that the way you're going to play from now on?)
"This was in line with the high-pressure system we were using at the time. We needed a fresh player at the attacking midfield."

(What are your thoughts on Takuya Iwanami 's performance, and what can you take away from that for the match against Shonan Bellmare in three days?)
"I think (Iwanami) Takuya played very well. I was happy to see that he was in such good condition. It was a bit difficult for him because Marius (Høibrathen) and (Alexander) Scholz were doing very good jobs, but he waited for his chance and it came today. I hope he can perform like he did today Shonan Bellmare, and I think it will be a good headache for me."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]