MEIJI YASUDA J1 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE Regional Round Matchday 2 match against FC Tokyo Post-Trial comments

"It was a very disappointing result for us. We were so close to getting three points, but we only managed to get one. However, looking at the way the players played and worked hard, I think there were some positives for the upcoming Trial.

We lost concentration in Zone 1 at a crucial time, and football taught us a very cruel reality today.

The first half was a bit of a close match, but in the second half we opened up the game more and played in a way that was worthy of scoring. I think our players showed us performances that were worthy of more than just one point.

The players showed good attitude today, team spirit, teamwork, and high-intensity play. The area for improvement is the start of the game. Today, we didn't start as well as we hoped. In the locker room, we've been talking about creating a DNA that allows us to play aggressively with high intensity, and with that in mind, I'm fairly satisfied with the content of Trial.

[Question and Answer Session]
(You had one more substitution available at the end of the game, how were you planning to finish Trial?)
"I think there is an aspect to it where I could have helped the team more by substituting. It's easy to say this after the game is over, but the fresh (Fuki) Yamada came on and (Matheus) Savio was starting to show signs of fatigue, so I brought on (Yoshi) Naganuma to stop him, but unfortunately that's what led to us conceding a goal."

(I think they solved a lot of problems by kicking the ball over the opponent's zone when they had the ball, but it sometimes seemed like they would be better off keeping possession of the ball themselves to make the game a little more stable.)
"I think that's correct. I think there were times today when we could have kept the ball while making more side changes. I don't think we made the most of (Matsuo) Yusuke in the first half. (Alexander) Scholz and (Inamura) Hayato dropped back early to counter Yusuke, so when that happens I think we should have used the space in front of the defensive line, or at our feet between the lines, but I think we were too fixated on passing the ball behind us.

We've already been working on keeping the ball for longer in practice, and I think that's one area we need to improve on."

Regarding the VAR decision on offside, how did the fact that it took so long affect the team? Also, what do you think about the VAR decision?
"We had to wait eight minutes, which is an unusual situation. I haven't seen the video myself so I can't say for sure, but I believe the VAR checked it and made the right decision. It was taking a long time, so the staff were encouraging the players to keep moving and not get cold.

I think it was a difficult situation for VAR to judge, which is why it took so long, but of course the shorter that time, the better.”

(This was the first time we went all the way to a penalty shootout. What are your thoughts on penalty shootouts?)
"I think skill is the key part. Penalty shootouts may be appealing to the spectators, but maybe not so much to the team."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]