Emperor's Cup JFA 105th All Japan Football Championship Round of 16 (4th round) match Montedio Yamagata Trial comments

"We conceded a goal early on and didn't get off to a good start. The reason we didn't start Trial well may have been because I gave poor instructions after the warm-up. The pitch conditions weren't very good, so I told them to start by using long balls. Normally, we would connect from Zone 1 and keep the ball, but that didn't happen today.

After that, we were able to change sides and use the space behind us, like when (Matheus) Savio passed the ball to Thiago (Santana). Also, (Haraguchi) Genki's excellent cross led to a header for Thiago. We were able to control the game better and made some dangerous plays in Zone 3, but we couldn't convert them into goals.

In the second half, we brought on Samuel (Gustavsson) and Takuro (Kaneko) to speed up our build-up. Takuro also moved into a wide position, allowing us to use the width of the right flank. However, Yamagata also played determined defense when they were pushed into Zone 1, making it very difficult for us to score. Then, in the second half, Yamagata brought on Ryoma (Kita), who we considered to be our most dangerous player. While he may not have been particularly dangerous, he did create some dangerous opportunities on counterattacks.

And today, I think it was good that we made the decision to shoot with determination. Both of the shots (that resulted in goals) were from long distance. Takuro and (Komori) Hiyane made some very good decisions. Incidentally, today was Hiiro Komori 's birthday, so it was a goal that came at a very good time for him.

First of all, I think it was great that we didn't have to go into extra time today, and I'm also pleased that our players showed such a good attitude that they were able to turn the game around after conceding a goal, especially in an away Trial.

The voices of our fans and supporters who continued to cheer us on warmly in the heavy rain and nervous atmosphere made us feel as if we were playing at home today. It was a huge boost for us. We are very grateful. Thank you very much."

[Question and Answer Session]
(I think this victory will lead to a tough series of games from the end of this month to the beginning of next month. It will be tough for your main players, but have you considered using players like Kenta Nemoto and Jumpei Hayakawa for longer periods?)
"Of course, we are aware of the tough schedule. There were players on the bench who could be brought in no matter what the outcome. For example, if we were leading, we could have brought in (Nemoto) Kenta or (Hayakawa) Shunpei, but if we were in a bit of a tough situation, we were also thinking about bringing in players who had been in the starting lineup in the league.

Yamagata scored four goals against Gamba Osaka here at home, so I think this was Trial where we needed to play as strong a team as possible."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]