On the 18th, a press conference was held online with manager Per-Mathias Hoegmo, who spoke about his enthusiasm for the Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 9 match against Gamba Osaka [MATCH PARTNER Medical Care Services] to be held at Saitama Stadium on Saturday the 20th.

(How does Coach Matthias feel about the departure of Technical Director Tsutomu Nishino and the appointment of Sports Director Satoshi Horinouchi Horinouchi?)
"I received an explanation from the club. I have worked closely with both Horinouchi and Nishino since day one. We shared a common vision for the direction of Urawa Reds. It is always sad when good people leave. But at the same time, Horinouchi is a very capable and ambitious person."

(When something like this happens, how do you think about your approach to the players and their feelings?)
"The players and staff have handled the situation in a very professional manner. In professional football these things happen. Managers, players and other leaders come and go. Whatever the situation, our responsibility is to stay focused on the next training session and the next game, and I think everyone is doing that."

(What kind of attitude does the team need to show in the match against Gamba Osaka?)
"I think it's important to maintain the momentum of our home games and further develop them. I think we're getting better with each home game in terms of creating chances and scoring goals. I think the players will be able to play with even more confidence in front of our wonderful fans and supporters. I want to hear the supporters sing after the game, so I'll do my best."

(What kind of discussions and confirmations did you have with Sports Director Horinouchi about your future? When were you informed of this decision?)
"I spoke to Tokari-san (Jun Tokari, Head of Football Division) a few days ago. I also heard about the process that led to this and the current situation. I have had a relationship with Horinouchi-san and Nishino-san since we first began talking last year. We have had general discussions about players and team concepts. With Nishino-san taking on a new challenge, I think it was a very safe decision for the club that Horinouchi-san stayed."

(I wasn't informed of any changes in policy from the club, but rather that it was going to continue?)
"That's right. From the very first day, Horinouchi-san has been very clear about the team's direction, and that will continue. He watches practice every day, and almost every day he talks about football, concepts, and players."

(You said that you needed to use long balls effectively against opponents who play a solid block like Kashiwa Reysol, your opponents in the previous match, but it's tough to kick a simple long ball, so I think you need to have a strategy before that. What are your thoughts on that?)
"It can't be just a simple ball. There's something to learn every time we play, and we have to explore the challenges and possibilities there. I think we need to read the flow of the game, and find out where the opponents are giving us space. And in order to exploit that, the relationships between the players are important. I want us to play while reading the game, but it may be taking longer than we thought to be able to do that. For example, our original plan was to use longer balls in the first five to ten minutes. We were going to move the ball quickly with a back four and then go forward from there, but that became a little difficult. We also couldn't find the space between the lines."

(I think the inside halves have a lot of work between the lines, but especially when the center backs pass the ball to the inside halves, it seems like the intentions of the inside halves and the center backs are not aligned. Does coach Matthias want the center backs to be more courageous? Or does he want the inside halves to make more obvious movements?)
"I don't think it's a black-and-white thing. With the way we play, the center backs play a central role, and it's also a matter of whether the center backs can create two-on-one situations. We also ask the full-backs to make an attack when they're one-on-one, and I think Hiro (Hirokazu Ishihara), (Watanabe) Ryoma and (Ohata) Ayumu have all improved in that area. Connecting passes from the back is important, but if we can steal the ball from the opponent in a higher position and launch a counter attack, we don't need to connect from deep in the back, and we can exploit when the opponent is off balance. In order to steal the ball, we have to press aggressively and be strong even in one-on-one situations, and we're currently practicing that."

(I think the pressing from the front showed good coordination in the two days of training that were open to the public, but how do you feel about the coordination when the flanks are used?)
"At the end of today's practice, I told the players that not only have the team tactics improved, but also that each individual has improved in how they approach one-on-one situations. Waiting and defending in a low defence and going forward and applying high pressure are completely different ways of defending. As you saw in practice, I think that these areas are also improving. I hope that we will be able to show growth in these areas in future matches. The players are also ambitious and are practicing in this way with a great attitude."

(What do you think about Gamba OSAKA?)
"I watched the preseason match against (Sanfrecce) Hiroshima, and have also been watching their league matches. I think they are a team with good counterattacks. Our next game is a home game, so I hope we can control the game as much as possible."

(What about Yusuke Matsuo 's condition? What about Alexander Scholz 's return?)
"This week, Scholz has been able to train fully, which is very positive for us. Matsuo has been suffering from back pain, so he has been in and out of training. We'll see how he is when we play on Saturday."

(My impression of the match against Kashiwa was that the players on the sides were lower than usual, and they were unable to apply pressure from the sides, leading to a low defensive position. Was there a problem with what they had prepared not working, leading to them being defensive?)
"That was a challenging aspect of the match. In the match against Sagan Tosu, Ken Iwao applied very good pressing. He read the situation and pressed at the right time. I think that those details were where we struggled in the match against Kashiwa. It may be a small thing, but differences in those areas may have prevented us from making clear moves as a team."

(I think the pressing on the open training day was very intense, but was it meant to raise awareness as there were some areas where things did not go well as a team? The pressing was so intense that I wondered if they would really go that far in the actual game?)
"If the movements of the players in front are clear, the players behind can also understand the distance and it becomes easier to read. I want to create a culture of high pressure, but it also requires individual habits, so I would like to develop those."

(For the match against Kashiwa Yota Horiuchi was included in the squad for the first time in a J1 League match. He stood out in training on the 16th, but does that mean his performance is that good?)
"Thank you for saying that. Yota Horiuchi was in very good form in practice, so he was included in the team. Other than him, I also told Jumpei Hayakawa today that he is improving very much, and Hidetoshi Takeda is also growing in the same way. When young players grow, the quality of training as a whole improves. I think Yota Horiuchi is mentally very strong. He is not afraid of making mistakes, and even if he does make a mistake, he is a player who can move on to the next play without worrying about it."

(So far, very few players have scored goals as inside halves. I think that as coach Matthias, you want the inside halves to score goals, but what is your view of the current situation? When I watch practice, I get the impression that there are many players who can play inside halves, such as Hayakawa, who is doing very well, but are you considering making some changes?)
"In our concept, we want the number 8 player, the inside half player, to be involved in scoring by scoring or making assists. In the previous home game, (Ito) Atsuki had a close call. (Koizumi) Kaho also had two chances in the away game against Bellmare, and also had a chance to score in the previous home game. I think you need the quality to get behind the defense and the ability to ultimately score. There are other players who can play in this position, and they are also improving, so I think there will be good competition. And I think the players feel that not only inside half, but any position can make the team if they show good form in practice."

(Iwao senses many things even in the process of team building, such as the details of Iwao, and I think that he understands things faster than the growth of the team, which is helpful. I think that whether Iwao is there or not has an impact on tactics in terms of connecting the players. What do you think about this?)
"I think each player has their own unique playing style and personality. Ken was one of the two or three most stable players last year. He is very professional, and his adaptation to the new football style was amazing. I think the relationship between him, Samuel (Gustavsson) and the wingers has also improved greatly. He is a player who has really surprised us."

(I think that you understand and support Gustafsson as if you have been working with him for a long time, but what is your vision for understanding Gustafsson even more as a team and making the most of him?)
"I think that both Samuel and Ken are very smart players. Because they are such players, it didn't take them long to build a relationship. And when strong relationships are formed within a team, I think it creates an environment where the surrounding players can grow even more.

Well, I'll see you again on Saturday. We've sold about 40,000 tickets for Gamba OSAKA match, but we hope even more people will come."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]