On the 7th, after the Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 7 match against Sagan Tosu, Yusuke Matsuo shared his thoughts on today's performance and his first goal since returning Urawa Reds.

(The players were pressing back hard and I think they were able to defend in a way that they weren't able to do in the match against F.C.Tokyo.)
"I told the back line members that I would go forward and apply pressure. There may be times when we are not able to get past them, but we need to make sure the opponent feels the pressure, so in that sense I think we were able to apply good pressure. Today, I was substituted after about the 70th minute, but I would like to bring the intensity up so that we can continue for longer."

(Regarding the goal scene, you stopped the ball from Yota Sato perfectly, but did you have the image in mind?)
"I thought the goalkeeper would come out the moment I trapped the ball, and I managed to throw off the timing nicely. There was a defender there and I was lucky, but I'm glad it went in."

(I think there were a lot of great traps today.)
"Yes, I'm not particularly conscious of it. But I've been taking long baths recently, so maybe that's the effect. Maybe my muscles are a little looser (laughs)."

(He seemed a little heavy when he first returned, but today he was sharp.)
"I was a bit worried before the match, but I was really motivated today. I went into the first 45 minutes feeling like I was going to burn out, and I think that was a good thing."

(In terms of your vertical relationship with Ryoma Watanabe, you were able to overtake him, so I think you had a good relationship.)
"We've been playing together for quite some time now, so I think we understand each other's expectations of how to play. I get the impression that our teamwork is improving, so I'm confident."

(Today's match embodied the style of football played by the wingers. What was your enthusiasm for it?)
"When we were one-on-one, we wanted to go for it and push the opponent back. There were some scenes in the first half where I thought we could have made more choices, but I think that attacking is an opportunity to push the opponent back, so I want to continue creating those opportunities."

(What happened when Thiago Santana held him after he scored a goal?)
"I don't know why, but I think he did that because I've been yelling "Thiago! Thiago" (after matches and so on) recently. I think he likes me too much (laughs). I felt Thiago's love."

(Is scoring goals something you want to achieve more as a winger?)
"I think that running behind the defense like we did today is necessary to score points, so I think I was able to do that well and I would like to do it more in the future. There were times when I didn't make the most of it, but I think it's important to keep running for the team. I think consistency and continuity, including that, are important."

(How do you switch your press from the front?)
"Although it was a little less than before, I think that we were able to bring some intensity to the match, which created a good feeling of pressure. It's the same with form, but in the end it's the players that make the difference, so I think the speed and intensity of today's match was good."

(There were times when the opponents fouled them to stop the ball, but perhaps their speed has improved along with their condition?)
"I don't think that's the case, but I had the impression that we hadn't had much momentum recently, so I wanted to get that momentum going. In that sense, I may have made a different choice than usual and tried to carry the ball forward in situations where I had previously kept the ball. That was also because I was passionate about it, and I wanted to push the team up the ranks, and you can't get to the top unless you score goals, and you can't just defend. I wanted to get the momentum going for the team."

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