Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 7 match against Sagan Tosu [SPORTS FOR PEACE! DAY] Post-match comments

"I'd like to thank Sagan Tosu for today. Thank you very much. The players played very faithfully to our playing concept, so I'm very grateful. I think they showed a good attitude throughout the match."

[Question-and-answer session]
(All three goals in today's game were scored by players who were not part of the main team before the season. What is your assessment of them as the manager and what is their attitude?)
"You know there are a lot of injuries, so that's the first reason.

Thiago (Santana) joined the team and has been working on improving his physical condition ever since. He is now able to press throughout the game and run behind the defense. He has also improved in terms of tactical concepts and I think he is gaining confidence.

Matsuo (Yusuke) has been in very good form since the beginning of the Okinawa camp. However, he has been struggling with injuries to his lower back and hamstrings, and today he was finally able to start. In our style, wingers are those who use their speed to attack one-on-one or get behind the defense.

Okubo Tomo (Tomoaki) had a serious injury at the Club World Cup, and was finally able to train full time two weeks ago. I think we could see his growth in the last match against F.C.Tokyo. His movement, his ability to get behind the defense, and his threat to the opponent's goal were even better today.

We are trying to instill a "culture of practice" in the Reds, and we have been increasing the intensity of practice. I think the players have adapted to that. I am very happy that all three of them were able to practice fully and show such good performances."

(What do you think is the reason for your performance so far, given that it hasn't been long since your last loss?)
"We have been training hard both tactically and physically, and we saw them putting that to good use. When we were playing in a middle block or low block, I thought their decisions to go forward were excellent. From there, I think we were able to apply aggressive pressure.

Tosu is a team that plays with many players behind the ball. I think they have also improved their reading of the situation and their pressing as an organization. In terms of offense, I think they have further developed their play by passing from the back. They can build up a pass from the back and connect it to a goal, and when the opponent is marking them man-to-man, they also made great decisions to use their front line players. Today, Matsuo, (Maeda) Naoki, Thiago, and the inside half players all read the situation and made good moves to get behind the defense."

(There was a scene where Yota Sato stepped forward to block the opponent's attack, and that's where the second goal came from. In the match against F.C.Tokyo, it looked tough for him not to get forward as much, but what do you think about the fact that he was able to play with confidence?)
"If the pressing from the front line is clear, it becomes easier for the defenders to read the situation. This allows them to go in forcefully against opponents who are in their zone. Also, when one player goes in forcely, the surrounding players can cover well, so I think the four-back formation provided very good zone defense. From a tactical point of view, I think that if the pressing from the front line is good, it creates situations that are easier for the players at the back to read."

(Hiroki Sakai was not on the team. What is his situation?)
"I hurt my knee a little bit in the match against F.C.Tokyo, so I couldn't be in the squad for today's match."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]