On the 1st, after the Juice Special Match against RB Omiya Ardija, Kotaro Hayashi, who started the game, reflected on Trial, which was his first competitive game at Saitama Stadium since joining the team.

"Despite it being the preseason, we had a large number of fans and supporters come to the match, and I think we were able to Trial in a great environment."

(There was an exciting moment right at the start of Trial, wasn't there?)
"I went into Trial with the intention of being aggressive from the start, so I think that's why it started the way it did."

(You switched from right-back to left-back midway through the season, and I think that showed a unique strength, don't you?)
"I believe I can do both, so I'll do my best in whatever position I'm given."

(Could he have shown off his long throws as a weapon as well?)
"Today I felt like I was throwing without much organization, so I want to refine that a bit more from here on out."

(Was the sliding difficult in the goal conceded?)
"In playing this style of football, we know that when we concede goals in that way, or when the opponent switches sides, it creates dangerous situations. We need to reduce those situations and score more goals ourselves, so we need to reflect on that goal we conceded and see if there were any areas where we could have prevented it. We want to improve those aspects as a team."

(I think your ability to exercise in the heat is one of your strengths, don't you?)
"We had a training camp in Okinawa, and since coming back here, I feel like my body is moving much better. I wasn't out of breath that much during today's Trial, so I have a feeling that if I can improve my condition even more, I can run for the full 90 minutes."

(What about the coordination that led to the second goal conceded?)
"I can't say for sure until I see the video, but speaking from my own experience, I knew beforehand that Izumi (Shuya)'s strength is his cut-in, so I think I made a mistake in my response when he cut in a little too early."

(RB Omiya attacked aggressively at the start of the second half, but gradually the Reds gained control of the game. From the feel on the pitch, it seemed like the Reds were able to regain control, or perhaps RB Omiya's pace dropped?)
"I think there are many aspects of Trial that we can't control, but we were able to create many opportunities to press forward like that, so whether we can finish those chances or not will determine whether we win or lose. We want to improve our precision in that area."

(With the season opener just one week away, which aspect should be highlighted the most: the many chances they created, the fact that they only scored two goals, or the fact that they conceded two?)
"Personally, I think the biggest challenge is that we were able to press so hard but couldn't score. However, the opponent also scored two goals with only about three shots, so as a defensive player, I felt that we had to be very vigilant about that."

(Coach Cho Kwi Jae jae said that "the speed at which we attack the red stands will increase," but is that correct?)
"I honestly felt that when we were attacking on the home side of the stadium, our morale was higher, and everyone's desire to score in front of the fans and supporters was clearly evident."

[Urawa Reds Official Media]