MEIJI YASUDA J1 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE Regional League Round #4 Kashima Antlers Comment after the game Trial

We started the game as we intended. We pressed high, got the ball in their territory, and scored two goals from there. But Kashima's build-up was very high quality, and as time went by, they started to dodge us, and Kashima started to create chances.

I think the decisive moment was when a cross turned into a handball. It was a bit of an accidental cross, but the penalty kick made it more difficult for us.

After the second goal, we were more open and looked for an extra goal, so we introduced more offensive players. Both teams had many chances to score, and I think the game became more open. However, we lost a goal near the end of the game from a set play, a CK, which is Kashima's strong point. Today, we used Danilo (Boza) instead of Mya (Yuta Miyamoto) because we were wary of set pieces, but we still couldn't stop Kashima's third goal from a set piece. And because it was the last minute of the game, there was not much time for us to do anything after that.

This was a very painful loss for us. I think the lesson we can take from this is that when you play a good team like this, it is better not to be too open, because that will lead to a better result.

However, compared to last year, more open development is what we are aiming for. As I have been repeating since last week, in order to bring that style, I think mistakes in the process are bound to happen. It was a sad result for the fans and supporters, but I think that is the direction we are heading in.

[Q&A]
(Both of the two goals in the second half came from CKs. Was there any difference from what you had prepared for in defense?)
The third goal, the second one, came after a lot of players had been replaced, so I think it is a little difficult to maintain structure when players are replaced.

(Today there was the element of strong wind. Maybe that pushed us into the second half, but wouldn't it have been different if you had been able to settle Trial down on your own ball there?)
Yes, I think that keeping the ball and playing with it was an area that was lacking in today's performance. It was part of what we had been executing in practice as well, that there are times when we have to hold the ball and play by ourselves. If we had been able to keep the ball moving and let the opponents run and keep it, it might have Trial been different. But Kashima was very organized defensively, and if we made back passes, they would come to high press us, and that was the flow of the game."

(The data from last season shows that the expected goals scored at set pieces is high.)
(What are you working on to improve this season?) "For example, against Yokohama F･Marinos, we had players who attacked the ball and players who blocked the ball, and we switched the players who blocked the ball a little bit. However, even if we change the positions of players, we are not going to change the way we play defense or the system itself. Considering that we gave up two goals from set pieces today, and that the number was high last year as well, it may be necessary to analyze the situation a little more deeply. But as I said earlier, the third goal was a more difficult situation because several players were replaced."

(In the second half, after you caught up, I think you wanted to take back the flow of the game with your substitutions, but it didn't quite work out. What do you feel was the point of reflection?)
(What do you feel was the main point of regret?) "Overall, what we said at halftime, 'Let's do this,' we didn't execute very well in the second half. In the second half, we pressed high at the beginning of the game, but after that, I instructed the team to set up in the middle block and then counter.

In order to counter, I replaced Takuro (Kaneko), who had been playing well up to that point, with Rio (Futa), because he had a little more medical time up front. We also replaced Renji (Hidano), who had been limited medically up front, with Isaac (Kiesetelin), because he had been limited in time. And of course that's what we were aiming for, but we couldn't execute it that way.

(Isaac Kiese Thelin I think it would have been nice if you could have fit a few more players in, but was the wind a factor?)
I don't think it was the wind. As for Rio, he created a good chance when he first received the ball, but he may have lacked a little experience. Today, I don't think we should use the wind as an excuse."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]