On the 14th, manager Maciej Skorza held an online press conference, where he spoke about his enthusiasm for the Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 26 match against Nagoya Grampus, which will be held at Saitama Stadium on (Sat), August 16th.

(Recently, young players such as Jumpei Hayakawa and Kenta Nemoto have had the opportunity to play and contributed to victories. What factors, such as the current team situation and their performance in training, did you evaluate in order to decide to use them?)
"It was both. First of all, they had been performing well in training. I had been thinking about using players like that, and in the match against Yokohama FC, we were leading 2-0 and the opponents were down to 10 men, so I decided to use them."

(Hayakawa often plays as a defensive midfielder in training, and Nemoto mostly plays as a center back, but in the match against Yokohama FC, even though the opponents were down to 10 men, you used them as a left back. What was the intention behind using them in positions that they don't usually play in training?)
"We chose him for that position for tactical reasons. In Junpei's case, we needed a player who could play between the lines, so we chose him because he is good at that. Junpei himself is a player who can play equally well as a defensive midfielder or as an attacking midfielder. In the case of Kenta Nemoto, we were thinking about which position to put him in until just before he was substituted in. After observing Yokohama FC 's playing style and how they play in the final stages of Trial, we decided to use Kenta as a left full-back. We had discussed this with the players themselves, so I think he was able to enter the game prepared."

(Has playing in an official match made your post-training conversations more concrete, given the confidence to listen to what Maciej wants, or to discuss how you want to play?)
"I feel like they've gained new energy by playing. I hope that this new injection of positive energy will have a positive impact on their future, and I want to increase competition not only between them but also with the bench players within the team. For example, we have a young talent in Toshikazu Teruuchi on the team, and I'm sure he'll get his chance in the near future."

I think the team is in a good position, but without a fourth center back, there are difficult situations, such as when Kaito Yasui and the youth players play in the intrasquad games. How do you view this situation, and how do you intend to overcome it?
"We are currently working on adding one more centre-back.

The best players from the academy come to our training, and for example, Yoshimine Tanaka is here as a center back. He's been a great help, so when he's there, we can use Kaito Yasui and Kai Shibato in their natural positions. So far, we haven't had any major issues with that sort of thing."

What is your recent impression of Nagoya? They have a decisive striker up front and I think they will attack with crosses from both wing-backs, but I also get the impression that the Reds concede a lot of goals from crosses. What are the key points you are considering?
"As you said, Nagoya is a team that excels at crossing, and we can see good coordination between their two strikers and (Ryuji) Izumi up front. I also think they are a stronger team than when we last played against Nagoya. For example, they have new recruits such as (Yuta) Kimura, who plays as a striker, and they have a number of very good strikers. Kimura also played in yesterday's Trial, and he took a powerful shot from a cross. They have four strong strikers up front. We need to contain those strikers, but I think our defense, which has been performing well recently, will be able to do that.

Also, when we have the ball, Nagoya will mark us man-to-man, unlike our recent opponents, so we are looking forward to that challenge. We respect Nagoya and will play with them in mind, but we will also do what we want to do and develop our own habits, and hope to show our home fans and supporters that we are a team that has grown even more.

According to J.League data, the Reds have stolen the ball in the fewest high positions in the J1 League. I think Coach Maciej has spoken about his desire to play higher up the pitch and to steal the ball in higher positions, but the reality is the exact opposite. Does he want to develop a team that can play higher in the second half of the season? Looking at this season's lineup and the J.League's current trend, do you think it's better to defend low, as is the case now?
"We want to steal the ball as close to the opponent's goal as possible, but I think we mainly defend from the middle zone. That way there is more space left after we steal the ball. For example, looking at the last match, if the opposing team doesn't connect the ball much at the back, including goal kicks, and kicks long balls, we won't be able to steal the ball in a very high position. So, although you can see the numbers in the stats, I don't think that tells the whole story."

(Is it correct to understand that you will basically proceed according to the situation and not worry too much about the numbers?)
"Statistics are important and I look at the numbers. However, I look at the flow of Trial and the tactics first, and then I look at the stats."

(We were talking about team formation earlier, but how many players do you think is the right size Maciej a team? For example, do you think two players per position is good? Or, if you have players who can play multiple positions, would you be okay with having 18 to 20 reliable players and the rest being youth players? Or would you like to have around 30 players who can play professionally?)
"I don't think two players in each position is enough. For example, when we look at defensive midfielders, we need to have the option of switching to an attacking defensive midfielder or a defensive defensive midfielder depending on the flow of Trial. Rather than the overall number of players, I think we need bench players who are capable of performing at a level comparable to the starters. For example, when a winger is substituted, it is important that we don't have to change our approach just because someone has been replaced. However, building such a team takes time, and I don't think it can be done in one transfer window."

I would like to ask you about your ideal central striker. Currently, Maciej Hiiro Komori is showing his strength, but not long ago Yusuke Matsuo was also doing very well. After the FIFA Club World Cup, you moved Matsuo back to the wing and placed Komori in the middle, but what do you look for in a central striker?
"Looking at the current team situation, I think Hiiro Komori is close to the type of striker we could model for ourselves. I believe he has the ability to succeed in the J1 League. I have a positive outlook on him. His movement, the way he receives the ball with his back to the goal, or the way he gets behind the defense, and his instincts in the penalty area - I think he is a player with excellent qualities. He has created an environment where he can communicate with the other players on a common understanding without spending a lot of time. However, he has only recently started playing at the J1 League level, so I think he will need some time. I believe he will improve with each Trial he plays."

(Speaking of Komori's instinctive side, when asked about his reaction to the second goal against Yokohama FC, he said, "That's what I'm always aiming for." I think most forwards are probably conscious of that and always play with the aim of going for the loose ball, but do you ever sense something different about him in your play in training or in his personality?)
"First of all, in terms of his personality, I feel extremely fortunate as a manager to be able to work with such a player. He is very humble, works hard, tries to cooperate with everyone, and is not selfish. I think he is a very intelligent player. Perhaps I am praising him a little too much. If we praise him too much, we run the risk of losing his humility and hard work, so I definitely want him to continue being that way and not change."

(Do you think his hard work and constant pursuit of loose balls give him the nose of a forward?)
"He has good instincts, and I think his conversion rate inside the penalty area is very high. But not only that, he also shows excellent coordination with Matsuo, (Matheus) Savio, and (Kaneko) Takuro in zone 2. His movements create space and gaps for these players. He is also a player who can apply high pressure defensively. In the match against Yokohama FC, he sprinted 45 meters to the goalkeeper and was able to win the ball. He was able to do that in a situation where there would normally be no hope."

(I got the impression that Hiroki Abe is starting to perform well during the recent open training session. He has not been able to play in official matches for several years now. How do you feel about this, Coach Maciej?)
"Yuki is showing signs of improving every week in training. I think the time for him to join the team is approaching. We will be playing against Kawasaki (Frontale) in the (YBC) Levain Cup, but he is one of the players we hope to use before that. We may see Yuki contributing to the team in the near future."

(What kind of performance would you like to see from Abe when you send him onto the pitch?)
"On the offensive side, I expect him to make good passes and make many challenges to the opposing defenders. However, in official matches the speed of play will be faster than in training, so I think he will have to be careful about that. I think he is getting to a state where he can do that. If he plays, I think there is a good chance he will be placed as an attacking midfielder, and he will also be required to defend as an attacking midfielder, but I think he can do that too. He is also working hard and doing his best to make a comeback. We will also take our time and be careful, and gradually increase his playing time, starting with a short one."

The Reds have received just 18 yellow cards this season, the fewest in the league and the only team to have over 10. How will this affect the rest of the season? And what are Maciej 's thoughts on fair play?
"That's an interesting question. I'm a supporter of fair play, but I also require players to press in aggressively to prevent the opponent from easily crossing the ball, for example at the end of zone 1. I don't think that playing aggressively directly leads to a yellow card. However, if I get a yellow card for fighting, I'll accept it. I wouldn't accept a yellow card for complaining or having a bad attitude, but I would accept a yellow card as a result of fighting."

(Nagoya have received more yellow cards than the Reds with 33, but the Reds have received three for dissent and delaying the game so far, compared to Nagoya's two. Isn't this an area where they could reduce the number?)
"Such yellow cards are hard to accept, but I think the players have become good at controlling themselves in such situations, so I don't think they will occur very often in the future. It's very interesting to read the data."

(The other day, when Savio tried to approach the referee, Yasui made a gesture as if to say "Don't come near me," and Marius Hoibraten immediately ran over to the referee. I think that's exactly what Coach Maciej is talking about, isn't it?)
"That's right. With the rule change, there is now a captain-only rule, so I think it's becoming easier for players other than the captain to be given a yellow card when they go to the referee.

When I was in Poland, we had rules for silly yellow cards. For example, the first one was a 1,000 euro fine. If you got a second one, it was doubled to 2,000, 4,000, 8,000, and so on. This was for the first, second, and third yellow cards individually, so the whole team was careful. I didn't think there were many such problems with this team, so we didn't have any such fines."

(Regarding the rescue of fans and supporters during the match against Yokohama FC, what did you think about the team's fair play?)
"I think Urawa Reds should have high standards for fair play in all aspects. I think it was a great reaction from the medical staff of both teams. It was a dangerous situation and I think the medical staff of both teams reacted quickly. I think it's great. There are things more important than a football Trial."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]