On the 28th, Per-Mathias Hoegmo held a press conference online, where he expressed his enthusiasm for the match against Avispa Fukuoka in Round 5 of the Meiji Yasuda J1 League, which will be held at Saitama Stadium on the 30th (Saturday).

(It's been two weeks since we played, but after analyzing the last four games, is there anything you feel you should work on during that time, or is there anything different from what you thought before the league started?)
"First, we gave them three days off. After that, we practiced for two days on Thursday and Friday, and on Saturday we had a closed practice game. There we played three 45-minute games. Then this week, including tomorrow, We have five days to prepare for the next match.Of course, we analyze the games we have played so far, and the last game we played, I think the opening 20 minutes and the last 40 minutes were very good.The score was also good. We were able to score four points.We were also able to create three chances at 4-4.However, we stopped converting in the 20 minutes of the first half, and we conceded two goals in quick succession. What we didn't do well was that we were trying to further develop our offense during this practice, but the number of points scored during training has also changed between when we started in January and now. I've been working with a good attitude. I've also practiced pressing and one-on-one defense. During the normal microcycle, I also play 11-on-11 games. And last week and this week, I played a red-and-white game like that. I think the level was very high. Compared to when we first arrived, we have improved a lot and I feel like the team is moving forward."

(Overall, there haven't been any major changes to the members, especially from the goalkeeper to the midfielders, but were there any players in training during this period that made you want to use them in the match against Fukuoka and the next match against F.C.Tokyo? )
``As you all know, there are several injured players. Naoki (Maeda) is also in good condition and I think he is stabilizing. Tomo (Tomoaki Okubo) has also returned to training and his condition is improving. .I think Matsuo (Yusuke) had a great second half after coming in from the middle of the last match. He was also hurt a little bit, but he's going back to training now. Also, Thiago (Santana) and Shinzo (Koroki) also had a great second half. I feel like I'm improving physically.In Saturday's practice match, both of us scored points.

The competition in the midfield is very fierce, and I think Ken (Iwao) is also improving tremendously. He has performed well both as an anchor and as an inside half. There are also players who went to the national team. Samuel (Gustafsson) played two games for Sweden: 66 minutes and 20 minutes. Ayumu (Ohata) played 85 minutes for the U-23 Japan National Team, and I think it was very good for him. (Hayakawa) Junpei also played almost a full game, so I think it was good for him as well.”

(Coach Matthias was absent on the open practice day, but is it no longer a problem?)
``At that time, I had a slight sore throat, and if it was an infection, I didn't want to pass it on to the players, so I rested at home.''

(Fukuoka is changing its shape from 4-back to 5-back, what is your impression?)
“I think we are a tactical team that plays in accordance with the opponent team.We are a team that plays the ball directly to the front line, especially long balls to Wellington.We play directly and try to get inside the opponent's penalty area as many times as possible. This is a team that is trying to get in. I think the second ball will be important.”

(Coach Matthias himself would like to win at home games, and I think Reds fans and supporters are also waiting for a home victory.)
``Of course we want to win at home, and after this we want to win all the games at home, but at the same time we want to show some good soccer.In the last game against Verdy (Tokyo), we didn't create too many chances. So I would like to show that I have moved forward from there.”

(In the match against Shonan Bellmare, you were able to create a good form in the 20 minutes of the first half, but what do you think is necessary to make this good form last longer?)
“We are in the process of changing from a team that is good at low defending fences to a team that presses high. To do that, we will need the attitude, physical conditioning, and tactical understanding of our players. We have to get used to playing with high intensity throughout the 90 minutes.In the match against Shonan, we showed good, aggressive plays from the start, but in the middle we didn't connect as much and there were times when we stopped pressing. I think I was able to play at a high intensity for nearly 90 minutes in Saturday's practice match.In the match against Bellemare, I played for about 60 minutes in total, and I want to further extend that time in the next official match.''

(Coach Matthias, I would like to know your definition of good training and good matches.It may be abstract, but when we make decisions, I would like to hear from the coach's perspective that this kind of training is good training and this kind of match is good match. I want you to)
``Good is a comprehensive evaluation, so I would like to talk about it in more detail.First of all, if you look at the previous game, in the first 20 minutes, we were playing the way we were trying to do. They were able to control the game while keeping their hands on the ball and watch for the timing to attack. They took a high position and pressed aggressively from the front even when defending. At that time, the sense of distance between the players was also good. After that, I couldn't hold back and there were times when I made the wrong decisions.I lacked stability in my press.We talked a little bit about good times and bad times.It's called good practice. For example, the days when the Red and White matches are held are the days when it is most difficult to maintain strength.It is important to find out how to maximize the intensity and quality of time during the 11v11 game. I've talked about the general story, but thanks to this question, I was able to provide some details, so thank you very much."

(I think it's possible to have good training or a good match but not get a result, or a good match, and vice versa.I think there are also cases where it wasn't a good match but the result was achieved.) , how will you approach your next training or match?)
``When the game is over, we analyze it and come up with areas for improvement. We train on those areas, but at the same time we continue to work on the principles of our attack. I think everyone, both players and coaches, understands that the match was not good.As you said, in soccer there are times when you win with a bad game, and there are times when you lose with a very good game. However, in the long run, I think if we can consistently play our game, we will win more games than we lose, so we are training with that in mind.''

(Before starting tactical practice, I think you do power training such as pulling on a tube and running. Is that something you feel is necessary to play the soccer you want to play and that you feel the team is lacking?)
“First of all, we want them to do as many sprints as possible in their training throughout the week, so sometimes we do tube training at the beginning, and sometimes we put in sprints during the ronds. .Our soccer is physically demanding, so we want our players to push their limits during daily practice."

(I previously talked about Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi's flow model, where I talked about the psychology of having to step out of your comfort zone. Overcoming your physical and mental limits. I think you place emphasis on being able to fight even when times are tough, but how do you approach stepping out of your comfort zone in terms of thinking about soccer and changing your common sense?
``For example, it's a new tactic for them, so I think they had to change their way of thinking, but I think they've adapted well.There have been challenges like that, and each player has There is also the challenge of increasing strength through training.To do this, you must also increase your physical strength.I believe that as you gain physical strength, your strength will further increase, creating a good cycle.And that is where we can grow as individuals and as a group. I think there is room left.”

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]