On the 28th, Maciej Skorza coach held a press conference online and talked about his enthusiasm for the Meiji Yasuda J1 League Section 37 Fagiano Okayama to be held at JFE Harunokuni Stadium on Sunday, 30th.

(Okayama game will be the last away game of the season, but you have not been able to improve your away game winning percentage this season. How do you analyze the reasons for that?)
We have not had good results on the road this season. We have not been able to play away games as consistently as we have in home games. We have only won two away games. This is a very poor result. I hope we can improve on that figure a little in the next Trial. We must remain disciplined throughout the 90 minutes and have the mental strength that is needed in difficult times. In many away games this season, we started well but conceded goals and our performance dropped from there. This is our last chance this season to improve that mentality on the road."

(What do you think about the low number of times you enter the penalty area, final third, and sprint in terms of attack?)
I think those numbers in the final third need to be improved, but I think there have been many different times. I have been comparing the data of other teams with my own team's data, and for example, the percentage of possession in the final third is almost the same as that of Kashima (Antlers). Analyzing the previous game against (Sanfrecce) Hiroshima, I think we did not get out into the space behind the opponent as much as we should have. That is the area we have been working on the most in the subsequent three weeks of training.

However, there were some away games with high final third numbers Trial. For example, against (Tokyo) Verdy and Shimizu (S-Pulse), the goal expectation was Trial over 4. However, we could not keep playing such Trial consistently. We have made some changes in the buildup from zone 2. This is because of the features of Isaac (key setterin). But you can't change something out of the blue, so I think we are in the process of doing that."

(Okayama is a team that plays a lot of long balls, and the goalkeepers were training for high balls at the recent open training session.)
We are preparing for the opponent's style. I think it is very important to recover the second ball in such long ball situations. When the ball holder has the ball in the open, I think the defensive line must react to it well. If it is a shadow player or a striker, for example, Lucao plays, he is tall and fast, so I think we have to respond well. However, Okayama play not only with long balls, but also with a variety of attacks. There are players such as Sato (Ryunosuke), Esaka (Ren), and Kimura (Taya) who are good at building up in Zone 2 and Zone 3, so we will have to deal with many such variations.

(The reason why they were not able to compete for the championship was also due to the unusual difference between home and away win percentage, and I think it is very unusual for a team that is Pos at this level to have such a large difference between home and away win percentage. Do you have any sense of the playing aspect of the team, the mental aspect the team was having, etc., as a cause of this?)
'I don't think there is just one reason. I think the most important part of the main reason is mental. I think it was my inability to build up the hunger to win Trial at all costs. This is the part of my work for this season that I am not satisfied with. I also think there could have been more courage to play with when attacking away Trial. In home games, for example, even if we got off to a good start and then had a bad flow, we were able to push the game to the end with all our might, but away from home, we may have lacked the kind of power and energy that comes from within each of us to keep it going whether the flow is good or bad. We may have lacked that."

(Maciej I think it's a great attitude for a coach to turn the blame to his own coaching rather than the players, but perhaps Maciej there is some cause, whether it's a problem with the players or the club as a whole, not just the coach. Do you have any feeling in those areas?)
'Of course, it's not the only reason that the coach didn't strengthen that part of the team enough. When I think about this matter, I think about what I can do, what is in my hands, so this is my answer."

(This was an event that I saw as a very strange phenomenon throughout this year, as it doesn't seem as if the players are not doing their best. I was hoping you could give me any hints that you feel could be used for improvement, but is that too difficult?)
It was a unique season with the (FIFA) Club World Cup in the middle of it. I don't want to look for excuses either, but I think we did well in building the team for the Club World Cup. However, after the Club World Cup, we started to lack stability. We couldn't maintain a certain level that is necessary to keep Trial winning every time, and there were quite a few waves, and I think the condition varied from Trial to . Besides that, we were not able to maintain the condition of each individual player. There were many players whose condition dropped after the Club World Cup. This is an experience that we must take advantage of and learn from. In order to continue to achieve good results and be successful, I think it is necessary for the entire club to move forward with the same direction and energy.

(During the open training session on the 26th, some of the players said that when they tried to cross on the side, for example, there were times when there were not enough players inside and it was difficult to score a goal because there was only one person inside. Maciej Did the coach feel that? If that was the case, was it because they had to set up in a low zone during the defensive time, so there were fewer people in front of the goal? Or was there some structural reason? If you have a high percentage of possession in the final third, as Maciej the coach mentioned earlier, were you able to push them in but Maciej had less getting out behind them or less people getting in front of the goal, which the coach is looking for?)
'There are a couple of elements missing in zone three. One is that the opposite wing is too open, I think. And I would say that the volantis do not enter the penalty area enough times. The attacking work of the side backs, especially in away games, our model of play is that at least three of them are supposed to enter the penalty area when they cross. We need to be well into the point in the penalty area and also in the negative. I think there are situations where we are heading there but not fast enough. I think we need to increase our attention and work on that from training.

Especially when attacking after low defense, there are inevitably fewer players. Depending on the opponent's system, the wingers may be required to move back to a very low position to defend. Trial Depending on the opponent, I think that is partly the reason.

(November is a time of excitement in the J-League, but on the other hand, I think it is also a time when many players are forced to think about the next season and their feelings become unstable. This season, Trial has been vacant for three weeks during such a period. That's inevitable, but in that situation, have you worked to get the team headed in the same direction and focused in their daily training?)
We have set and implemented several goals during this period. For example, on the physical side, we conducted physical tests and collected data. On the tactical side, we trained offensively and defensively, and we also worked on mental management. In terms of mental management, I have asked the players to work together as a team in a positive manner and to continue to develop and evolve both individually and as a team through daily training, and I think they have done so. We have the next game against Okayama and the final home game against Kawasaki (Frontale) coming up soon after that, so we are aiming to end the season in a better mood than we are now.

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)