NEWS
Maciej Skorza and Hiroki Sakai attend the official press conference on the day before the match against ACL Al-Hilal
On the 28th, the official press conference was held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Saudi Arabia on the day before the AFC Champions League (ACL) 2022 Knockout Stage Final Round 1 vs Al Hilal. Coach Maciej Skorza and Hiroki Sakai from Urawa Reds attended and talked about their enthusiasm for the first match.
[Director Maciej Skorza]
“Right now is a very special time for us. I think it is a period of very important work for Urawa Reds team, the players, and for me. I think we can aim for that in this 180 minute match because we have prepared and we must not forget that it is 180 minutes and we have Al Hilal, a good team with a lot of experience, in this match in Riyadh. I want to put in a good performance here and get a good result.I think I'm ready to fight on this stage and I'm looking forward to the match."
(Hiroki Sakai)
“Tomorrow, I am very excited about the wonderful stage of the final, and the opportunity to fight against a wonderful team like Al-Hilal. Above all, I think that nearly 700 strong fans and supporters will come to Saudi Arabia tomorrow, so I want to present them with a good performance and a good result. I think"
[Question-and-answer session]
(A question for Maciej. Will this game also be an opportunity to test new players?)
"I'm not thinking about it. I just want to fight with everyone."
(I have a question for Maciej. As an international coach, he coached Etifaq Fc 11 years ago. How will you analyze Al-Hilal, who will be second in the FIFA Club World Cup, and how will you tackle this match?)
“Thank you for your question. It reminded me of the time I spent with the great players at Etifaq. As for Al-Hilal, I think they are a very strong team, they have a lot of experience and they did very well in the Club World Cup. Data Looking at it, it may seem like it will be a tough match, but when the kick-off whistle blows, it doesn't matter. We want to work together as a team and play for 90 minutes, making the most of our players' skills. I believe we can achieve good results.”
(I have a question for Coach Maciej. Since this is the first game away, what do you want to focus on in order to lead to the second game?)
“Thinking about the second game, I would like to leave a good result in the first game, but I want to fight bravely for that. I want to score goals, and I think tactical discipline is the key to that.”
(I have a question for Sakai. I heard that you were injured in early April and have been preparing for this final. How did you feel during that period? want to tow?)
“I am recovering well from my injury and I will have to play tomorrow to see how much I have recovered. It's a very big tournament for me.It's a tournament where I definitely want to win the result, so I want to show that kind of strong feeling tomorrow."
(I have a question for Sakai. About 60,000 Al-Hilal supporters are expected to attend tomorrow. Do you perceive that as a player positively or negatively?)
“As I said earlier, over 60,000 supporters are a threat to us and we expect a very tough match. I think that those who can play courageously in that situation will advance to the next big stage with a future, so I am also looking forward to it, and I am very much looking forward to the completeness of the team.”
(I have a question for Maciej. There is a player from Nigeria named Odion Ighalo who is scoring a lot of goals. How do you stop him?)
“I can’t answer that question openly, but I think there are other good players in attack besides Ighalo. Controlling the penalty area is especially important during low defense, and it's a difficult job, but with a good defender like Hiroki, I want to make it a tough match for Ighalo."
(A question for Maciej. What about the previous manager and the availability of newly signed players?)
“Ricciardo [Rodriguez] and his team have worked so hard that we are now in the final and it was good to have the new players playing. I think I would have been quite surprised if I hadn't been able to do that."
(I have a question for Coach Maciej. What do you think about the matchup between Urawa Reds, who played in the ACL last August, and Al-Hilal, who recently played in the FIFA Club World Cup?)
“I don’t think it’s a situation where one side has an advantage, and Al-Hilal will have a tough schedule, but I think they are ready for this match. For the Reds, what is the J-League? We will be playing against a team with a different style, but we have players like Sakai who have experience in Europe, so I think we can handle it.”
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]
[Director Maciej Skorza]
“Right now is a very special time for us. I think it is a period of very important work for Urawa Reds team, the players, and for me. I think we can aim for that in this 180 minute match because we have prepared and we must not forget that it is 180 minutes and we have Al Hilal, a good team with a lot of experience, in this match in Riyadh. I want to put in a good performance here and get a good result.I think I'm ready to fight on this stage and I'm looking forward to the match."
(Hiroki Sakai)
“Tomorrow, I am very excited about the wonderful stage of the final, and the opportunity to fight against a wonderful team like Al-Hilal. Above all, I think that nearly 700 strong fans and supporters will come to Saudi Arabia tomorrow, so I want to present them with a good performance and a good result. I think"
[Question-and-answer session]
(A question for Maciej. Will this game also be an opportunity to test new players?)
"I'm not thinking about it. I just want to fight with everyone."
(I have a question for Maciej. As an international coach, he coached Etifaq Fc 11 years ago. How will you analyze Al-Hilal, who will be second in the FIFA Club World Cup, and how will you tackle this match?)
“Thank you for your question. It reminded me of the time I spent with the great players at Etifaq. As for Al-Hilal, I think they are a very strong team, they have a lot of experience and they did very well in the Club World Cup. Data Looking at it, it may seem like it will be a tough match, but when the kick-off whistle blows, it doesn't matter. We want to work together as a team and play for 90 minutes, making the most of our players' skills. I believe we can achieve good results.”
(I have a question for Coach Maciej. Since this is the first game away, what do you want to focus on in order to lead to the second game?)
“Thinking about the second game, I would like to leave a good result in the first game, but I want to fight bravely for that. I want to score goals, and I think tactical discipline is the key to that.”
(I have a question for Sakai. I heard that you were injured in early April and have been preparing for this final. How did you feel during that period? want to tow?)
“I am recovering well from my injury and I will have to play tomorrow to see how much I have recovered. It's a very big tournament for me.It's a tournament where I definitely want to win the result, so I want to show that kind of strong feeling tomorrow."
(I have a question for Sakai. About 60,000 Al-Hilal supporters are expected to attend tomorrow. Do you perceive that as a player positively or negatively?)
“As I said earlier, over 60,000 supporters are a threat to us and we expect a very tough match. I think that those who can play courageously in that situation will advance to the next big stage with a future, so I am also looking forward to it, and I am very much looking forward to the completeness of the team.”
(I have a question for Maciej. There is a player from Nigeria named Odion Ighalo who is scoring a lot of goals. How do you stop him?)
“I can’t answer that question openly, but I think there are other good players in attack besides Ighalo. Controlling the penalty area is especially important during low defense, and it's a difficult job, but with a good defender like Hiroki, I want to make it a tough match for Ighalo."
(A question for Maciej. What about the previous manager and the availability of newly signed players?)
“Ricciardo [Rodriguez] and his team have worked so hard that we are now in the final and it was good to have the new players playing. I think I would have been quite surprised if I hadn't been able to do that."
(I have a question for Coach Maciej. What do you think about the matchup between Urawa Reds, who played in the ACL last August, and Al-Hilal, who recently played in the FIFA Club World Cup?)
“I don’t think it’s a situation where one side has an advantage, and Al-Hilal will have a tough schedule, but I think they are ready for this match. For the Reds, what is the J-League? We will be playing against a team with a different style, but we have players like Sakai who have experience in Europe, so I think we can handle it.”
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]
