Post-match comments from the 32nd round Trial against Tokyo Verdy in the 2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League

"We got off to a good start and dominated the game, using the half-spaces on both sides effectively. Samuel (Gustavsson), Shoya (Nakajima) and Savio (Matheus) all passed the ball behind us, but there were times when the timing was a little off. For example, Takuro (Kaneko) made a good move, but Savio's pass was a little late and the timing was off. Also, in today's Trial, Yusuke (Matsuo) was aiming to make diagonal runs behind the opponent, and I thought he did an extremely good job.

We were able to get into the final third, but we lacked the final passes and shots from there. Take Yusuke's shot, for example. I think we controlled the game well, and our Gegenpress, which involves pressing when we lost the ball, worked well, so I think we were able to win the ball back in the opponent's half and continue our attack.

In the second half, we didn't change our approach. After a few minutes, we brought on Isaac (Kise Thelin) as a target man in the penalty area. We had been getting some good crosses up until then, but we weren't getting any opportunities to take shots on them, so we brought on Isaac as a finisher.

After that, we started to see some fatigue in the attacking players around us, so we brought in (Watanabe) Ryoma on the left wing and (Takuya Ogiwara) Takuya as an attacking left fullback, aiming to provide more crosses. (Shibato) Kai, who had been doing a great job up until that point, also started to tire, so we brought in (Aigo) Kaito. I think Savio was particularly good in the first half. Not only in attack, but also in covering the wide area when dealing with crosses. We brought in Kaito, and (Hayakawa) Shunpei played as an attacking midfielder and on the left wing, in order to increase the intensity of our play.

I think our build-up went extremely well, and we were able to penetrate the final third with long balls, diagonal balls, and fine combinations, but we lacked the final pass. I think one of the reasons for this is that Tokyo Verdy 's defense was extremely good today. Today, Tokyo Verdy made no mistakes in defense and held firm, but the space in front of their defensive line was where we could have created chances, but it was very difficult to exploit that space. Savio, Yusuke, Junpei, and others took long shots, but Tokyo Verdy, as the stats suggest, was a team with a very low expected goal conceded rate, making it difficult for them to create chances.

However, in the end we were unable to achieve an important result, and it was a disappointing Trial for both our fans and supporters. We ended the game without a goal today, but that's something we need to change. I think the players are working hard and creating good chances. However, we lacked the decisiveness again today. We've finished without a goal in our last four Trial, so considering the quality of the Reds' players, I think that's something we definitely need to change."

[Question and Answer Session]
(The Reds have not conceded a single penalty this season, but perhaps they are not playing in a way that makes the opposition panic in the penalty area?)
"We try to play offensively and I think we're actually doing that. However, in 32 league Trial we've played we haven't scored a penalty, and just one this season, against CA River Plate (in the FIFA Club World Cup).

I don't really want to use this as an excuse, but when Danilo Boza was brought down, the staff analyzing the video said, "Maybe it should have been a penalty kick." We weren't able to analyze that moment in detail, so the whistle was never blown.

But certainly, we should be sharper when it comes to the ball in the penalty area."

(When it came to the movement inside the box when crossing the ball, when Takuro Kaneko sent a low cross to the near post, there were often only players at the far post and no one to get in. What do you think about that?)
"At the time, I thought Kaneko's cross wasn't good, but I think the opposing goalkeeper touched it. I think we're talking about almost the same scene, but the goalkeeper's touch changed the trajectory. I think Takuro sent in two good balls, one from a diagonal long ball by Marius (Højbraten) and one from a combination with Taka (Takahiro Sekine), and I think those were opportunities to finish with a shot. However, the Tokyo Verdy players had a firm grip on the Reds players, and it looked like the only chance we had was a back-ball. A cut-back back-ball near the penalty area line might have created a better chance."

(What about an inswing cross?)
"We have team rules for in-swing crosses. There were certainly instances today where those rules were not being followed."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]