On the 15th, a press conference was held online with manager Per-Mathias Hoegmo, where he spoke about his enthusiasm for the Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 4 match against Shonan Bellmare, which will be held at Lemon Gas Stadium Hiratsuka on Sunday the 15th.

(In the previous match Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo, Alexander Scholz was injured and Yota Sato had to play at short notice. What do you think are the strengths of Sato, Coach Matthias?)
"I've been watching him since day one, and he's just getting better and better. He has some great defensive plays. He's good at man-to-man defense and can cover a lot of space. He's also good at attacking, and he can read the game well. He's also a player who can score from set pieces like corner kicks. I think he has a special talent there as well."

(If Sato is used in the match against Shonan, what kind of performance would you like to see?)
"If he plays against Shonan, I hope we can see him perform like he did against Sapporo. I want to see him show his authority on the pitch and be brave."

(You got your first win in the Sapporo match, but what do you want to improve on going forward?)
"First of all, I would like to let you know that we have been able to have very good training this week. Each player has shown great improvement individually, and not only are they making good runs, but the relationships that are involved in that have also deepened. I think what we need to improve as a team is our offense, creating goal-scoring opportunities and actually scoring goals, and this week we are focusing on those areas in training. We have been going through the weekly microcycle all this time, and I think the players are getting better with each play. I believe they are adapting to our style of football."

(What is your impression of Shonan?)
"I think Shonan is a cohesive team. They have played with both four and three defenders so far, and we are preparing for both."

(Assuming Shonan plays with a four-man defense, I think they are not a team that plays man-to-man like Sapporo or Sanfrecce Hiroshima, but rather play a zone defense and then come forward. The match against Tokyo Verdy might be a good reference, but what do you think is important in terms of attacking, especially in terms of scoring goals?)
"Firstly, one thing I think needs improvement is the moment of switching. I think there will be times when we steal the ball in various places on the pitch, but at that moment, when the opponent is not yet ready, it is necessary to launch a counter attack. I think we need to create multiple threats at the same time. For example, making the opposite movement. When one of the front players drops back, another one will aim for the back. And when the opportunity arises, I think it's about staying calm and making the right decisions."

(In the last match against Sapporo, you started Shinzo Koroki instead of Thiago Santana. What do you think is important about Koroki that led you to start him?)
"As I said in the press conference after the last Trial, Shinzo is a very tactically clever player. He can come down and become a link himself, or he can get behind the defense. He is a player who can use his tactical cleverness when pressing. Whether he is starting the game or coming off the bench, he is a player who is always involved in creating opportunities."

(Coach Matthias said that by having the wingers take the ball in a high position, it can create space in front of them, but is it better for the centre-forward to be able to move back and forth? Ideally, you would like to have a player who can compete in front of the goal, but do you think that in the current situation you need a player who can help those around him?)
"There is what the team wants to do and the abilities of each striker. Matsuo (Yusuke) is a great winger, but if you use him as a center forward, for example, he will be a good forward who can get behind the defense. Thiago is a player with very high abilities in the penalty area. I think it's a matter of combination. For example, if the striker drops back, the inside half or the winger has to get behind the defense. Someone has to be a threat behind the opponent at all times. As we saw in the Sapporo match, it's not just the strikers, but also the relationship between (Maeda) Naoki and (Ito) Atsuki, for example, when Naoki received the ball at his feet, Atsuki got behind the defense, or when Atsuki received the ball between the opponents, Naoki got behind the defense. Taka (Takahiro Sekine) also works hard in every Trial, and he shows the same in practice. He shows very good defense in practice, and there are many scenes where he gets behind the defense and scores. This was already seen in the previous Trial, but he basically plays on the left wing, but when the ball is on the right wing, he can move to the right and overload."

(What is the status of Scholz, Ola Solbakken and Tomoaki Okubo?)
"The medical staff are keeping a close eye on the injured players. Tomo is already training full time and is getting better. Scholz has a hamstring injury. We hope it won't be too long before he returns. Ola is also getting better but he still has problems with his foot so we hope he gets better soon."

(What do you think about Okubo?)
"I think Tomo is a player who can play with a high level of intensity. He's good in one-on-one situations, and his running to get behind the defense is also good. He's a very energetic player who can always play proactively. He's returned to training and is already training full-time, and is showing us some very energetic play."

(I think Okubo will primarily play as a right wing, but are you considering other positions?)
"I think that's true. Given his characteristics, he can play as a winger, but I think he can also play in other positions in our football."

(Does that mean a position closer to the middle or on the opposite side?)
"Maybe. He's a player who is good with the ball, so I think he could thrive in the center. He's fast, he's technically good, and he has endurance. I think he has the ability needed to play the kind of football we want to play."

(I think Coach Matthias is aiming for attacking football, but judging from Trial so far, I don't think we can call it that. In the last three Trial of last year, we had a total of 28 shots, but in the three Trial this season, we have only had 27. We have Yoshio Koizumi and Ito as inside halves, but they have not taken a shot in the last two Trial. I know they are very good players, but is this the best combination of inside halves? Kaito Yasui played in many Trial last year, but this season he has not even made the bench. He is physically strong, has the ability to steal the ball, and is good at developing the ball, but is Yasui injured?)
"Kaito is not injured. Right now, we are bringing a new structure and a new way of playing to the team. We need to look at various details, but right now we are in the stage of creating a platform. When developing a team, it is the attacking aspect that takes the most time. There are many things to consider there, such as the relationships between players, skills, and finishing. We have also increased the intensity of training, so the players' bodies are catching up physically.

And I think you asked about the inside half, but there are many players on this team who can play in that position. Each has different skills and different characteristics. For example, I think Kaito is a player who has good running and good shooting, as you said. The players are competing well in practice. I think each player is showing their good points. You can see that the number of chances we create increases with each game, but I think that sometimes the start of the season is like this. In the first half of the Sapporo match, we didn't allow the opponent to create chances, and we created three or four clear scoring opportunities, so we would like to build on that. And again, I think it may take some time to change into an offensive team. We are trying to raise the center of gravity of the team from low to high.

(Coach Matthias often says, "We played a good game," or "We played well," but I think the fans, supporters, and people involved in soccer in Japan are also expecting Urawa Reds to win. How long should we wait to see what will happen? How many Trial should we play before we expect results?)
"In that sense, I'm glad that I was able to win the previous Trial. I can't say how long it will take, but I'm getting better and better in practice."

(Want to see some good things in Trial?)
"On the difficult pitch in Sapporo, the players are creating many chances by playing their own style of football, the style they have practiced. I'm sure the fans and supporters will naturally want us to win, but we can see the players improving even in their daily training, so I think we will be able to show even more good plays this weekend in Trial on Sunday."

(The weather will be over 20 degrees on Sunday. In the summer, you have to play in temperatures approaching 40 degrees. What are your thoughts on the heat?)
"I think the summer is an important factor when playing soccer in Japan, and I believe the club has the know-how to deal with the summer. For example, we will have to adapt to playing in temperatures approaching 40 degrees and humidity levels of over 96 percent, but I also think it is a skill to be well prepared for Trial, so we need to be good at that. We have already been talking about this within the club. I think it will be one of the exciting challenges in Japanese soccer."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]