Post-match comments for the 2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 3 Trial against Shonan Bellmare

"It was a very poor first half. Everything just didn't go right. We wanted to dominate Trial with high pressure from the start, but we just couldn't do that.

In the first half, we had some issues with our intensity, so we moved Genki (Haraguchi) to attacking midfielder to try to improve that aspect. However, in the first five minutes of the second half, we conceded a goal from a corner kick, and it wasn't until after the third goal was cancelled by VAR that we started to play well. We made some good position changes, side changes, and our reactions after losing the ball were good in the final 30 minutes.

Although they kept the ball in the opponent's territory for a long time and created chances, they only managed to score one goal in 30 minutes. Shonan Bellmare is in very good form, and their play is very systematic, so organized that it can be said to be automated.

We have played three Trial since the start of the season, but we have only managed to get two points. It is not what we wanted after three very tough away games, and we should not be satisfied with it. However, our players are all great people, and I believe they will be able to show their true potential and get their first win in the next game at Saitama Stadium.

[Question and Answer Session]
(Looking at the three Trial overall, it seems like the forwards don't wait for the backs to catch up, but attack in tight spaces and struggle. Is that something you want them to break through even when they're outnumbered?)
"First of all, the third Trial has finished and the content of Trial was far from what we expected, so now is a little difficult to summarise these three Trial.

However, if I put my emotions aside and analyze the team, I think they made too many mistakes. That includes my own judgment. Although 50% of the members have been replaced by new players, looking back at the preseason training Trial, I think it would not have been surprising if they had performed better in the league.

Right now, I am thinking about what I could have done better, such as the selection of the team members or the game plan for today's Trial.

Today, we played against a team with a different system, the first two Trial since the opening match. We are observing how the team functions. What is clear is that there is a lot we need to do and we must not speed up the process.

After three Trial since the start of the season, we are seven points behind the leaders. We need to close this gap as quickly as possible."

What was the positive thing about today's Trial?
"I thought the team's reaction after conceding the third goal, which was disallowed, was good. It was positive for me to see the players trying to turn the tide. It looked like they had more energy and they were playing faster. For example, I think they were able to sprint faster after losing the ball, which was something we weren't able to do in the first half.

So I think we dominated the last 30 minutes. We had some positive moments. But we only managed to score one goal."

(It was hard to see any good points in the first half of Trial. What was the main reason for this?)
"I think our high pressure wasn't fast enough. We changed the way we pressed at halftime, but I think we could have done so earlier, so that's also my mistake. One thing was our high pressure, and once that was broken we were too far away from the opposing attacking line, which left our defensive line free to receive the ball and then knock it to the side. In other words, we weren't close enough.

And in terms of defending low, when we were responding to a cross, the wingers on the opposite side were covering the wide area, but I think there were many instances in the first half where we were late with that. And again, it was our reaction after losing the ball. We were far away from the opponent, so we played at a lower level than usual. So we couldn't get the ball back."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]