NEWS
ACL Group Stage MD2 Match against Hanoi FC Manager Maciej Skorza and Yoshio Koizumi attend the official press conference the day before the match
On October 3, Maciej Skorza Director and Yoshio Koizumi attended the official press conference on the day before the match against MD2 Hanoi FC in the AFC Champions League (ACL) 2023/24 group stage at Saitama Stadium.
[Maciej Skorza Director.
Hello everyone, here we are after our first game in the ACL group stage, and with only one point, we are feeling a lot of pressure. We are aiming to get through the group stage, and we need to make sure we get the points. And tomorrow, we have a chance to do so, and we especially want to win our home games. Our aim tomorrow is to win and get the three points, but at the same time we want to play as well as possible for our fans and supporters. As always, there are no easy games in the ACL. We will be playing against a team that can defend very well. It will be an important game for both teams, as they will be looking to get a point since they lost their first game. We have prepared as well as we can and I think we are ready to fight. We have a great group of players with great ambition and we have prepared to do as well as possible in the ACL."
[Yoshio Koizumi]
I was impressed by the match against Wuhan Sanzhen because not every ACL match is easy, and we will be playing against a team from a different culture than the J-League, so we will only know what to expect when we play them. I will try to be flexible and fight the game as it comes.
[Q&A.]
(Question to both of you: The ACL group stage is sometimes played in five groups of four teams from each region, so even second place may not get through. What do you think will be important in that regulation?)
Maciej Director.
That's right; even if we finish second, it is not guaranteed that we will make it through the group stage, so second place could be a bad result. Therefore, we would like to fight for the top position in the group. We still have five games left, but as I said earlier, we must win at our home stadium for sure.
Koizumi
We still have five games left, and at this stage I think we have no choice but to fight for the top position. I think we will be able to see what will happen in second place in the last two or so matches, so I think we should just aim for the top position and fight for it one match at a time. I think we should just aim for the top position first and fight each and every game in front of us.
(Maciej Question for the director. In the first 15 minutes of today's training session, we didn't see any Atsuki Ito players, what do you think about his condition and how he will be used tomorrow? Bryan Linssen How do you hope the team will be able to show its strength with the increasing number of injuries, including players and Takahiro Akimoto players?
Maciej Director.
I have already played 45 games this season, and I think that has helped the team. Our entire staff, especially the medical staff, is monitoring the fatigue of the players. We are not only playing in the ACL group stage, but also in the (YBC) Lewan Cup, and there is the important J1 League remaining, so we will manage the situation well.
(Maciej Questions for the director. What is your impression of Hanoi FC and what do you want to keep in mind when playing against them?)
Maciej Director.
Hanoi FC is an interesting team with many foreign players. First of all, they have many interesting attacking players. We have Joel (Tagou) from Cameroon, (Erlison) Cayon from Brazil, and Nguyen (Van Quyet), who also plays for Vietnam with the number 10 on his back, so I think they are very interesting players.
(Question for Koizumi. What do you want to emphasize in your game in order to keep your own pace?)
Koizumi
We have done a lot of scouting and preparation before today, but we won't know until we start the match, and since we are away from home, I think our opponents may change their fighting styles. I think it will be important for us to adapt as quickly as possible while considering how our opponents are playing and how we can play to our strengths against them. Each one of us has to think about this, and we want to communicate closely within the team and take control of the game as early in the game as possible.
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]
[Maciej Skorza Director.
Hello everyone, here we are after our first game in the ACL group stage, and with only one point, we are feeling a lot of pressure. We are aiming to get through the group stage, and we need to make sure we get the points. And tomorrow, we have a chance to do so, and we especially want to win our home games. Our aim tomorrow is to win and get the three points, but at the same time we want to play as well as possible for our fans and supporters. As always, there are no easy games in the ACL. We will be playing against a team that can defend very well. It will be an important game for both teams, as they will be looking to get a point since they lost their first game. We have prepared as well as we can and I think we are ready to fight. We have a great group of players with great ambition and we have prepared to do as well as possible in the ACL."
[Yoshio Koizumi]
I was impressed by the match against Wuhan Sanzhen because not every ACL match is easy, and we will be playing against a team from a different culture than the J-League, so we will only know what to expect when we play them. I will try to be flexible and fight the game as it comes.
[Q&A.]
(Question to both of you: The ACL group stage is sometimes played in five groups of four teams from each region, so even second place may not get through. What do you think will be important in that regulation?)
Maciej Director.
That's right; even if we finish second, it is not guaranteed that we will make it through the group stage, so second place could be a bad result. Therefore, we would like to fight for the top position in the group. We still have five games left, but as I said earlier, we must win at our home stadium for sure.
Koizumi
We still have five games left, and at this stage I think we have no choice but to fight for the top position. I think we will be able to see what will happen in second place in the last two or so matches, so I think we should just aim for the top position and fight for it one match at a time. I think we should just aim for the top position first and fight each and every game in front of us.
(Maciej Question for the director. In the first 15 minutes of today's training session, we didn't see any Atsuki Ito players, what do you think about his condition and how he will be used tomorrow? Bryan Linssen How do you hope the team will be able to show its strength with the increasing number of injuries, including players and Takahiro Akimoto players?
Maciej Director.
I have already played 45 games this season, and I think that has helped the team. Our entire staff, especially the medical staff, is monitoring the fatigue of the players. We are not only playing in the ACL group stage, but also in the (YBC) Lewan Cup, and there is the important J1 League remaining, so we will manage the situation well.
(Maciej Questions for the director. What is your impression of Hanoi FC and what do you want to keep in mind when playing against them?)
Maciej Director.
Hanoi FC is an interesting team with many foreign players. First of all, they have many interesting attacking players. We have Joel (Tagou) from Cameroon, (Erlison) Cayon from Brazil, and Nguyen (Van Quyet), who also plays for Vietnam with the number 10 on his back, so I think they are very interesting players.
(Question for Koizumi. What do you want to emphasize in your game in order to keep your own pace?)
Koizumi
We have done a lot of scouting and preparation before today, but we won't know until we start the match, and since we are away from home, I think our opponents may change their fighting styles. I think it will be important for us to adapt as quickly as possible while considering how our opponents are playing and how we can play to our strengths against them. Each one of us has to think about this, and we want to communicate closely within the team and take control of the game as early in the game as possible.
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]
