2025 Meiji Yasuda J1 League Section 33 Vissel Kobe game [MATCH PARTNER DHL] Trial Comments after

I think we got off to a good start. We were able to recover the second ball, which is Kobe's strong point, and to stop the combination of front line players such as Yuya Osako, Eriki and Daisho Miyashiro. I think we also made good side changes today. I think Kenta (Nemoto) could have done more with his long balls.

We lost the ball from a set piece by Kobe, and Gegen pressed us, and Ogi (Takuya Ogiwara) handled and it became a penalty kick. But Zhou (Shusaku Nishikawa) made a save and did a great job. Had that goal been scored it could have been a difficult Trial for us, but thanks to the save we were able to keep it 0-0.

In the second half, we talked about increasing the intensity of our high press even more. We also talked about continuing the combination between (Mateusz) Savio and Isaac (Kiesetelin), and there was a great ball from Savio to Isaac, which led to a goal.

However, Kobe is a very good team and after that they started to use the space on the right side of our box, so I replaced (Yasui) Kaito with Kai Shibato to deal with that.

In the 86th minute, a mistake by us allowed Kouya Takagi to get in behind us, and he had a very dangerous shot, but again Shusaku saved it.

I think we Trial were able to maintain tactical discipline. After a low-scoring and low-winning September, it was very good to beat defending champion Kobe at home. Even under such difficult circumstances, the players did not give up and worked hard to get the three points.

Also, I think Kenta's performance was very positive. He showed a lot of promise, and I hope to see more opportunities for him to play during this season.

[Q&A]
(Against a high pressing team like Kobe, you sometimes adopted the strategy of putting a player like Yusuke Matsuo player in front of the team to make them run behind, but what was your aim in using Isaac Kiese Thelin player in today's Trial?)
There is a way to get in behind, but today we adopted a different approach, in which Isaacs is the target in front of the opposing defensive line. Then, both wingers and Ryoma (Watanabe) aimed at the back of the line. We were aiming to deliver a vertical or diagonal ball there, and Kenta had a great ball.

Of course, as Plan B, there was also a plan to use Yusuke (Matsuo) or Komori (Tobiyo) as strikers, and they themselves could get through behind.

(Kenta Nemoto This Trial was the player's first start in the league, but his performance was such that it seemed to take a long time to give him a chance. In what way were you thinking of using him?)
"In the period before the FIFA Club World Cup, we played mainly with Marius (Huybraten) and Danilo (Boza), who have a lot of experience, and Kenta had a great game against Kawasaki Frontale in the YBC Lewan Cup. At that time, I was convinced that he could play in the league, and there was a possibility that he would be in the starting lineup for the Tokyo Verdy game. We decided on Marius and Danilo at the last minute, but I am sure he will have a chance to play in the remaining 5 Trial games."

(Wasn't one of the factors that contributed to the great game, the weather today, as opposed to the harsh summer?)
'Yes, there was enough of a difference that you could actually feel it. I think everyone wants to play in temperatures like today and conditions like today. We are a team that likes to press high and play with the ball as high as possible, so we appreciate the cooler temperatures for the intensity."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]