On the 17th, manager Maciej Skorza held an online press conference, where he spoke about his enthusiasm for the 24th Meiji Yasuda J1 League match against FC Tokyo, which will be held at Ajinomoto Stadium on (Sat) July 19th.

(It was a while after you left the J1 League, but in the meantime there was the FIFA Club World Cup. How do you sum up what Urawa Reds gained from the tournament as a whole, and what they need to improve on?)
"I have a lot of impressions from playing in the Club World Cup. We talk almost every day about what areas we need to improve in comparison to the opponents we played against in the Club World Cup. There are many elements, but one of them is how quickly we can rebuild our defensive line when we lose the ball. We also saw at the Club World Cup how we set up in the penalty area to deal with crosses when playing low defense, and how we can manage situations when we are dropped into the final third. I believe that the experience in this Club World Cup will help this team improve even further and make it an even stronger team."

(Unfortunately, the third match against CF Monterrey was Trial after they had already been eliminated in the group stage, but I think you played with the same lineup as usual. 18 players took to the pitch throughout the tournament, and 12 were in the starting lineup. I wonder if you were thinking of using a wider lineup in the third match. What was the process and reason for that decision?)
"First of all, in the third match, even though we had been eliminated, we went in to win this Trial. It was a very important tournament for Urawa Reds, and we wanted to win that Trial. We had many discussions among our staff, and it wasn't an easy process to reach that decision. Ultimately, we went in with the members we thought were the strongest in order to get points in that Trial."

(There are two Trial left in the J1 League so far, but the gap with the leader is not that big. What do you want to emphasize most in the second half of the league to seize the chance to win the championship?)
"Right now, our big challenge, our big job, is how quickly we can regain our game instincts. It's been seven weeks since we last played in the J.League, so it's a bit of a difficult situation for us. We need to get used to the J.League once again, and see how we can play effectively on both offense and defense. As you said, we're not that far behind in points with the leaders. We're doing everything we can to get closer to that point."

(While you gained something from the Club World Cup, when you face the J.League matches, the opponent's fighting style, the temperature, the intensity of play, etc. are different. Is it difficult to adapt as you mentioned earlier? Conversely, do you feel that having played in the Club World Cup, you can use something in the weekend match against FC Tokyo?)
"I think there are some aspects to that. I think the biggest issue in the Club World Cup was consistency. We had some good moments in all Trial, but we weren't able to maintain that from the start to the end, so it's about how we can extend those periods. However, there were good periods in each Trial, so the players should have confidence in their own skills. Playing against such good teams is an experience you can't get in the J.League. In the match against FC Tokyo, I hope we can be confident and use the experience and knowledge we gained in the Club World Cup from the start. We played against a great team, so in those Trial your weaknesses are more noticeable. I think it was good in the sense that we were able to find our weaknesses. I think all the players and staff need to make use of that."

(After returning from the Club World Cup, you took a break and then started training again. What did you focus on and what process did you go through in preparation for the league resumption?)
"First, we got the players acclimatized to the Japanese heat. The climate is a little different in America, so it was important for us to get used to the Japanese heat first, and to do that, it was important for us to get used to it smoothly over the first three days of the first week. After that, we focused on more tactical aspects, especially defensive training. We ended the first week with a training match. In the second week, we're preparing for the next Trial over five days. We've also increased the intensity of our training this week. We've focused on building up in zones 2 and 3. That was the overall flow."

(Hiiro Komori joined the team before the Club World Cup. He didn't have a chance to play in the Club World Cup, but what was your impression of Komori's play and what do you expect from him?)
"Hiyan is a very interesting player and shows intelligence on the pitch. His reading of the game and his movements are excellent. I have only seen his decision-making ability in the J2 League until now. However, given his age, personality and ability, I think he has a bright future at the Reds."

(What do you think about FC Tokyo 's image and key points?)
"From my experience with the Reds, I can say that playing against FC Tokyo is always a tough Trial. Every Trial is tough. The last time we played against them, we were losing 2-1 after 80 minutes, but we scored two goals in the final minutes and won in a very dramatic way. However, we have changed our system since the last time we played them, and we have new players, so we are a different team from last time. We have a new goalkeeper, and we have added players like Alexander Scholz and (Sei) Muroya, and I think they have had a huge impact. I also think the addition of (Nagakura) Mikiki is a big deal for FC Tokyo. I am also happy to see Mikiki playing a lot and scoring goals. Thanks to that, I think he will be an even better player when he returns to the Reds in the future. We have changed our system to a four-back, which I think is closer to the system that manager Matsuhashi Rikizo used at (Albirex) Niigata. We have a good balance between offense and defense, but we are a more offensive team, and I think our defensive line is stronger."

(During the Club World Cup, there were reports that Maciej had turned down the offer to become the manager of the Polish national team. I'm sure it would have been a great honour, but why did he decide to turn it down and stay with the Reds?)
"Of course, I think it is a great honour to be the national team coach. However, I also have goals to achieve with the Reds, so I have made the decision to stay here. I always approach the role with the feeling that this is my last chance to realise my dream of winning the J.League."

(For the Reds to win the league, I think they need to make use of the experience they gained at the Club World Cup, as you mentioned earlier, but the players said that they felt the difference in physical strength and speed of decision-making during the tournament. What approach do you think is necessary to improve that in the J.League?)
"First of all, we are paying close attention to these elements in our training. The players are also working hard while understanding what areas they need to improve. We need to strengthen our DNA. We will try to put into practice what we learned at the Club World Cup, but we also need to think realistically about what we can do. We will continue to train while taking many elements into consideration."

(No team has surpassed the 2-point average per Trial mark, which is the winning line in this season's J1 League, but I think the Reds are currently at about 1.62 points. What are you thinking about to get closer to an average of 2 points?)
"We need to increase our conversion rate and effective plays in the final third, while also improving our defense, as we conceded many goals in the first half of the season this year. In order to increase our average number of points, I think we particularly need to improve our transitions from defense to offense. I think the speed of our decisions also plays a role in this. When we watched our opponents in the World Cup, they had faster reactions than us when switching from offense to defense. That kind of transition is something we are currently focusing on in practice."

(What do you think about the advantage of playing two Trial less than the other teams?)
"I don't feel like we have any particular advantage in that regard. We're just thinking about getting the best results we can with the 17 Trial left. I think what we definitely need to be successful in the second half of the season is results on the road."

I heard that the reason for your slowdown at the end of the 2023 season was that you did too much high-intensity training during the hot summer months. What measures do you plan to take about that this year?
"Two years ago, I think I made a mistake in the summer with the intensity and load. All of the staff are trying to control that. Everyone knows that I made a mistake two years ago, so they are giving me advice to control the training load as well. The medical staff is excellent, and physical coach (Ken) Ishiguri, physical coach (Wojciech) Ignatiuk, and (high performance coordinator) Seigo Ikeda are doing a good job as a team, so I believe the problems that occurred two years ago will not happen again."

(This is off topic from FC Tokyo match, but I'd like to ask you about the job of a manager. I imagine that the job of a manager is very hard, there is a lot of pressure, and it can be very stressful, but there are many people who want to do it, and in Maciej 's case, he came to Japan from Poland to work there. What is rewarding about being a manager? What are some of the reasons you have continued as a manager, and based on your experience so far, what can you say about that?)
"I think this is a very interesting question, and not one that can be answered briefly. I don't think it's a question of motivation, but I don't think right now is the most satisfying time for me as a manager. First of all, of course I am not satisfied with the result of the Club World Cup, which was an important tournament for me, the club, and the fans and supporters. I also feel some resentment towards myself, and I ask myself every day what else I could have done in the preparation stage. My motivation now is how quickly I can change this situation. I would like to think of this not as a meaningless tournament, but as a tournament that gave us the opportunity to play more strongly in the second half of the season. Conversely, those negative feelings are a source of motivation for me heading into the second half of the season. Negative feelings are a source of motivation, and they make me want to change the current situation.

However, that is the current situation. During my time as manager of the Reds, there were times when I was motivated by more positive situations and worked harder. I think Urawa Reds is a club that must not forget its goals. To achieve that, seeing the fans and supporters is also a great source of strength."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]