Post-match comments for the 2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 6 Trial Kashima Antlers

"Considering the team's performance, I think there were many good moments. There were some very good moments. However, we lost our concentration towards the end of Trial, which caused us to lose two points. During Trial, we were playing the way we wanted and the players were working hard, so I have very mixed emotions.

In the second half, we created chances, like Thiago (Santana) did. We wanted to win in front of 4,000 Urawa fans and supporters, but we missed the chance at the end, which is very disappointing.

I said earlier that we had some good moments, but I think we were able to see the team moving forward today. We will use the time during the FIFA match week to thoroughly prepare for the difficult Trial against Cerezo Osaka."

[Question and Answer Session]
(The way we used the time towards the end was better than in the match Fagiano Okayama, and I think that's a step forward for the team, but what about the team's mentality in the second half?)
"In my feedback for the Okayama match, I told the players, 'After we scored, we had time to hold the ball and we also created chances, but we had to make the shot then.' Even in today's Trial, we created chances after scoring, but there were times when we just needed to score, if only we were one meter away or two seconds earlier. However, I think we improved compared to the Okayama match."

(What was lacking to score additional points?)
"Most of our chances in the second half came from counterattacks. I think we need to be more patient when we push into the final third. I'll check the video again, but my impression is that we needed to be a bit more patient when we got into the final third and make side changes. When we made side changes, we needed to get behind the defense and exploit the gaps, or something like that."

(With Leo Ceará replaced and Suzuki Yuma taking a position similar to that of a left winger, what about the use of Rikito Inoue?)
"Today, controlling Leo Ceará and Yuma Suzuki was essential to our success. Another key point was the battle for the center against Gaku Shibasaki and Yuta Higuchi. I think we achieved that with Kaito Yasui, Yasushi Matsumoto and Samuel Gustafsson.

We also succeeded in stopping those two with the entire defensive line. After Suzuki started playing on the left, we brought in (Inoue) Reihito. This was to allow him to demonstrate his one-on-one defense and strength in aerial battles. We had been making preparations for this game. It was also included in our scenario that Reihito would come in as a right back if we were leading towards the end of Trial.

(You courageously took the lead just before the end of the first half, but after Matheus Savio was substituted, it seemed like you were more interested in defending than going for extra points?)
"The substitution of (Matheus) Savio was not to go into defence, but because Savio was exhausted. He was doing a great job, working very hard, including defensively. And it was an eventful week for him in his personal life too.

I put Yusuke Matsuo on the pitch for the last 20 minutes, but I think it was an offensive substitution. Yusuke (Matsuo) is a very offensive winger, so of course he has a defensive role, but I brought him on to create chances from the wide areas. I didn't bring him on to keep the game going."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]