On the 23rd, manager Maciej Skorza held an online press conference, where he spoke about his enthusiasm for the Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 12 match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima, which will be held at Saitama Stadium on Friday, April 25th.

(Thiago Santana joined the team for the training session on the 22nd, which was open to the media, but is his condition good enough to cause manager Maciej trouble when selecting the team members?)
"As for Thiago, he trained fully today and we've heard good reports. He should be ready for the match against Sanfrecce."

(Yusuke Matsuo is in the team while Thiago is out, but what do you expect from the number 9 player?)
"It depends on the opponent and the tactics of Trial. For example, sometimes the striker's role is to drop back and draw out the centre-backs, creating space for the attacking midfielder to get behind. Other times, you need to make long runs to get behind the defenders. I think the Reds' strikers can do both. In Thiago's case, it gives us the option to either keep the ball or go towards the goal. I think we're in a position where we can change the type of striker we have depending on the opponent."

(I think that at the press conference after the previous match against Yokohama F･Marinos and before that, he said that they have to play in a way that suits the strength of the players they have now. Does this mean that their true ideal is different but they are compromising?)
"Each player has different abilities, and there is an ideal model among the manager. And the manager should take the players' abilities into account when thinking about the tactics and strategy of Trial."

(If it's a club with the world's wealth, the manager may be able to change players to suit his own ideals. How does Maciej balance choosing and combining capable players with getting the players to do what he wants them to do?)
"I have only experienced one transfer window with Sports Director (Sei) Horinouchi. It is difficult to acquire players for all positions in one window. In addition, we also have to consider what type of sub-players we need, so I think it will be a long-term process. For example, in my first year in 2023, while I was trying to acquire my ideal striker, I had Brian (Linssen) and (Koroki) Shinzo play in a way that suited them. After that, (Jose) Kante came."

(This is not necessary, but there was a referee briefing today, and it was mentioned that a Japanese referee had just officiated several Trial in the Polish first division. Did he receive any contact from a fellow Polish coach?)
"There was no such communication."

(It depends on the results of other teams, but if you win the Hiroshima game you could take the lead. What do you think about the impact that being in the top spot or taking the lead has on the players?)
"I think the players will gain confidence with each victory, and being at the top of the table will make them feel even more comfortable. However, I think it's a dangerous situation for teams that aren't used to being at the top. For example, we only have seven players on our current roster who have won the league. What I'm telling the players over and over now is not to let their guard down or become overconfident in the current situation, and to keep working hard."

(In your experience with other teams, have you ever been in the lead but the team fell apart due to players' overconfidence?)
"I have had that experience. In the Polish league, the characteristics and personalities of the players are different, but in the end they are all human beings, so I think they have similar feelings. However, we are still far from the top of the league, so I think it's best not to talk too much about being in the lead. I want to focus on our next game against Sanfrecce."

(Did you know that Hiroshima was the team with the most loose balls stolen in two consecutive seasons, 2023 and 2024?)
"I think that's one of Sanfrecce's strengths. We have some new players this season, but our playing style is pretty much the same as it was last season."

(Did you know that the Reds were last in the league in loose ball recoveries last season?)
"I didn't know that. I'm asking the players to work hard in that area, and I think they've improved a lot. I gave the players feedback on the previous match today, and we also talked about second balls. I think that's especially important for a team like Sanfrecce that uses man-to-man marking."

(The Reds are currently second in the league in loose ball recovery. I know that's a bit longwinded, but how have they improved to go from bottom to second?)
"Firstly, we made the players aware of the problem of not being able to recover second balls and explained the reasons for this. They need to be aware of this and act before the second ball is lost. We have been conducting training to improve this."

(We have won three games in a row, but I think the reason for this good performance is that we have been able to organize what we want to do and what we can do and communicate that to our players.)
"That's right. I think it's necessary to prepare taking into account the players' potential. I won't force them to do things that won't work. There are basic rules that can't be changed, but there are also aspects that need to be adapted to the players' characteristics. I think it's easier to adapt to the characteristics of the players in offense. There are some things in defense that shouldn't be changed."

(Coach Maciej 's expression seems to have softened compared to before, but does winning still feel good?)
"I think so. I'm human and I feel more confident and more comfortable after a win. To be honest, I haven't been in a situation like this since I arrived last September. I've had the least successful period in my career as a manager, so it hasn't been an easy period for me."

(After the Yokohama F. Marinos match, you said that you had some luck, but is there anything you feel you need to fix?)
"One of the good fortunes in the last Trial was the second goal. When you get an opportunity like that, it's important to capitalize on it, and I think we did a good job of that. In terms of defence, we conceded goals again in the same way as before. I think we allowed crosses into the penalty area too easily. We also need to improve our control of the far post zone."

(What exactly is the far post zone?)
"If we think back to the opponent's chances to score, it was in the first half when we lost the ball in our own half and they sent the ball up to the far post, where they took a shot and (Nishikawa) Shusaku made a save. Around the 75th minute, the opponent sent the ball up to the far post, cut it back and created a huge chance to score, but they missed. We made other mistakes as well, but I don't want to dwell too much on them. It just goes to show that we still have a lot to work on."

(Perhaps we haven't perfected the defensive details as much as we did when we won the AFC Champions League in 2023. I think we were a bit stronger at confining the opposition to one side and preventing them from crossing. How do you feel about the level of completion now?)
"I think the ACL winning team and the current team are two completely different teams. I think each team is doing their best, so I don't really want to compare them."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]