NEWS
Marius: "I can't give up. I'll keep growing, evolving and using it as motivation."
On the 25th local time, after the FIFA Club World Cup 2025 group stage match against MD3 CF Monterrey (Mexico), Marius Hoibraten reflected on the final match, which ended in defeat, and this tournament, which was his fourth time representing Asia.
(Looking at the results, we conceded nine goals in three Trial, but I think this tournament made us realize just how strong our opponents were.)
"That's right. We weren't able to play as solidly as we wanted to. If we concede nine goals, we won't be able to get through the group stage. We've been punished at this level, so we need to take that home and get ourselves in order. There are no excuses. It was a very disappointing tournament."
(It seems like you changed your defensive style in the second half, but how did you change it?)
"We tried to organize the whole thing a bit more, not get pulled over too much, and try to keep a sense of distance between each other so that it doesn't drag on."
(What have you achieved by participating in the tournament for the second time in a row since the last time in 2011?)
"Before the first Trial, we all talked about how we wanted to make sure we had no regrets when it was over. This Trial left us with regrets about what we could have done better. However, we can't just hang our heads and give up now. We need to take a good look at ourselves, grow and evolve, and use that as motivation to fight through the rest of Japan's season."
(CF Monterrey's first and third goals were flat-footed shots from long distance, and the second goal was not so much that the Reds were broken down as that they were hit with a good shot from wide. These were situations that rarely occur in the J-League, but how do you want to use the experience you gained here?)
"There were parts where the whole team was stretched out. When you face an opponent like that, with individual strength, the power of your shots is different. If we had been in the right positions, perhaps we wouldn't have conceded those goals. When you concede goals in soccer, it's often down to a variety of small details. We need to take that back and work on those areas."
(Do you get the impression that clubs from other countries are taking it more seriously since the tournament format changed?)
"I don't think it's that different. Club teams at this level generally perform well. I think where we struggled was with ourselves. It seemed like we were our own biggest enemy."
(We knew that this tournament was one and a half years after the last one. How much has the club improved in the past year and a half to come into this tournament?)
"You should know the answer. To be honest, it's difficult to know how to look at whether we have improved or not. It's hard to find an answer. But football is always evolving, so I think everyone knows that we have individual quality. If we had played to our best, I think we could have done better. It's difficult coming from Japan and ending like this with three straight losses, so we need to turn that into motivation. We have ambition. We need to believe in ourselves. We can't hang our heads here. That's how I feel right now, honestly."
Further comments and Trial photos can be viewed by site members.
■ Site Membership (330 yen/month including tax) is here → https://sp.urawa-reds.co.jp/
*REX CLUB LOYALTY members can use the service free of charge.
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]
(Looking at the results, we conceded nine goals in three Trial, but I think this tournament made us realize just how strong our opponents were.)
"That's right. We weren't able to play as solidly as we wanted to. If we concede nine goals, we won't be able to get through the group stage. We've been punished at this level, so we need to take that home and get ourselves in order. There are no excuses. It was a very disappointing tournament."
(It seems like you changed your defensive style in the second half, but how did you change it?)
"We tried to organize the whole thing a bit more, not get pulled over too much, and try to keep a sense of distance between each other so that it doesn't drag on."
(What have you achieved by participating in the tournament for the second time in a row since the last time in 2011?)
"Before the first Trial, we all talked about how we wanted to make sure we had no regrets when it was over. This Trial left us with regrets about what we could have done better. However, we can't just hang our heads and give up now. We need to take a good look at ourselves, grow and evolve, and use that as motivation to fight through the rest of Japan's season."
(CF Monterrey's first and third goals were flat-footed shots from long distance, and the second goal was not so much that the Reds were broken down as that they were hit with a good shot from wide. These were situations that rarely occur in the J-League, but how do you want to use the experience you gained here?)
"There were parts where the whole team was stretched out. When you face an opponent like that, with individual strength, the power of your shots is different. If we had been in the right positions, perhaps we wouldn't have conceded those goals. When you concede goals in soccer, it's often down to a variety of small details. We need to take that back and work on those areas."
(Do you get the impression that clubs from other countries are taking it more seriously since the tournament format changed?)
"I don't think it's that different. Club teams at this level generally perform well. I think where we struggled was with ourselves. It seemed like we were our own biggest enemy."
(We knew that this tournament was one and a half years after the last one. How much has the club improved in the past year and a half to come into this tournament?)
"You should know the answer. To be honest, it's difficult to know how to look at whether we have improved or not. It's hard to find an answer. But football is always evolving, so I think everyone knows that we have individual quality. If we had played to our best, I think we could have done better. It's difficult coming from Japan and ending like this with three straight losses, so we need to turn that into motivation. We have ambition. We need to believe in ourselves. We can't hang our heads here. That's how I feel right now, honestly."
Further comments and Trial photos can be viewed by site members.
■ Site Membership (330 yen/month including tax) is here → https://sp.urawa-reds.co.jp/
*REX CLUB LOYALTY members can use the service free of charge.
[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]