On the 7th, manager Maciej Skorza held an online press conference where he spoke about his enthusiasm for the Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 36 match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima which will be held at Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima on Sunday the 9th.

(I think the current challenge is that there are few goals. What have you been working on as an approach to that goal, and how do you feel about the results and evaluation?)
"As you said, we have been training on how to create chances from zone 2 onwards. With two Trial in a row away from home, the transition from defence to offence will be important, so we have been training on that aspect as well. We have also been training to improve the coordination between the players up front and between them and the defensive midfielders. We are also working on the timing of when to exploit open spaces.
To put this into practice, we also played a training match against the (Urawa Reds) Youth team. It was Trial that also served as training for Zone 3. There were many good moments and many goals were scored. I hope that this will be good preparation for the match against Sanfrecce."

At the open training session on the 5th, it was impressive to see the players doing so-called shadow training, where they were checking their attacking formations without an opponent. In soccer, there is an opponent, so training with Maciej opponent is important, but I think shadow training is also effective in building a common understanding of how the ball will move depending on how teammates move. What are your thoughts on the effectiveness of shadow training and training with an opponent, and when you should do what?
"At the beginning of the week, we sometimes do shadow training without an opponent to check their movements. As a next step, we also have training where we have staff stand and check their movements. Ultimately, we have the players play with each other. I think shadow training, which is the first stage of this process, is effective for coordinating movements and timing. However, rather than training specific shapes or patterns, we focus on how to think and what kind of situation we want to create. For example, this means using the gap that appears when you draw out the opponent's center back at the right time.

I think he's been playing well in Zone 2 in recent games, but in Zone 3, the most difficult zone in soccer, there have been times when the timing between the passer and receiver wasn't right. We have Isaac (Kise Thelin) and Komori (Hiyan), so I think we need to do a lot of this kind of training. I think they're still in the process of adapting to the team. For example, Isaac has only started Trial Trial far."

(Hiroshima's weapon is long throws, and they are also good at blocking the goalkeeper, but what kind of preparations have you made to counter that? How do you plan to deal with tall opponents?)
"Usually, we train on set plays two days before Trial, and that was the case this week as well. We trained to counter Sanfrecce's long throws and corner kicks. Looking at the numbers, Sanfrecce is one of the strongest teams in set plays, and their aerial battles are also top class in the J.League. So I think it's necessary to train against Sanfrecce's movements and ball-fighting, but how you respond will depend on the type of players you have on your team.

For example, Kashiwa Reysol (who faced Hiroshima in the YBC Levain Cup final) has many players who are not very tall, so Sanfrecce attacked while blocking Kashiwa's players, including the goalkeeper. We have a defensive system for goalkeeper blocking, but I don't want to share the details here.

(You talked about attacking during the open training session, but defensively, I think you were working on how to deal with early crosses. With your defense being so stable, what do you want to focus on? What are your thoughts on second balls?)
"Sanfrecce often kicks diagonal long balls to the wing on the opposite side. From there they cross to the far post or get behind the defense, so this was training to respond to those. I think second balls are very important. I also think that cutbacks and negative balls after getting behind the defense are Sanfrecce's strengths."

(Polish media have reported that Coach Maciej is tired of life in Asia and is considering returning to his home country, but is this actually true?)
"First of all, I want to tell everyone that I have not spoken a word to the Polish journalist. I don't know who said this or how, but I am very happy with my life in Japan. I think it is wonderful. The situation has changed since two years ago, and this year I am living in Japan with my family, so I am living in a truly wonderful environment. I am also grateful to Japan. So, I can say that the report is not true, but my future is not something that can be decided by me alone."

(I think there will be a Trial between the remaining three Trial, but Trial density is different from other teams competing in cup competitions, so I think there will be various advantages and disadvantages. How do you feel about the impact of this, and how do you plan to make use of that time?)
"I think that's an interesting question. From my experience, I can say that game instinct is very important. If you look at our results after the break, I think you can say that they weren't very good. So, if I had to choose, I would say to keep going between games. When we play like that, my team tends to get good results. This time, playing against Sanfrecce after a two-week break will be a challenge for me as well.

What's important here is that, mentally, we have to approach this game in a completely different way than we did in our last away game against Yokohama F. Marinos. However, considering that we're at the end of the season, I also think it's important to give the players some rest while we prepare. I'm analyzing data with the staff, and after the Sanfrecce match, there will be a gap of 21 days until our next Trial. I think we need to manage that wisely."

(Looking at the YBC Levain Cup final, Hiroshima's defense was based on man-to-man defense, and they tried to trap the opponent, but it seemed like this left space open, and the Kashiwa players also said the same thing. What do you think will be the key to attacking Hiroshima from an offensive perspective?)
"I thought Kashiwa Reysol 's build-up in the final was fantastic. They created good opportunities, especially with their rotation. By switching positions, players created holes in Sanfrecce's defensive line. We would like to use that kind of play as part of our attack, but as a team, we are not a team that builds up as slowly as Kashiwa. However, using rotation is one way of attacking."

(You have played in the J.League for two full seasons and 10 and a half Trial last season, as the match against Kawasaki Frontale was only played in the second half. What do you think of the J.League and Japanese football?)
"I think Japanese football is currently undergoing change. Two years ago, there were more teams like (Albirex) Niigata and Kawasaki that excelled at building up their plays. I think the current J.League is trying to strike a better balance between offense and defense. Teams that are striving to strike that balance are at the top of Standings. I also think the intensity of play is increasing. Overall, it can be said that it is an offensive league. It is characterized more by offense than defense.

This is just my personal opinion, but I think Kashiwa plays the best football when it comes to offense. I think it can be said that among the top teams, they are the team that places the most emphasis on offense. I think that the overall trends in the J.League and changes in referee standards are ultimately intended to make the Japanese national team play in a style closer to Europe, including increasing the intensity of play.

(I think you explained to the players your vision for football structure when you took over in 2023, but have you been able to communicate that effectively to the current players?)
“I think the team from two years ago was closer to my vision of football. Considering the style I was trying to play, I think Ken Iwao, Atsuki Ito, (Alexander) Scholz and Marius Hoibraten in the middle were closer to it.

The team has undergone major changes this season. It's been a year of rebuilding into a new, more attacking team. Part of my job has been changing the players' habits, and I'm grateful for their efforts. For example, Samuel Gustafson has made a big difference in defense. I also think that our wingers, including Yusuke Matsuo, Savio Matheus, and Takuro Kaneko, have done well. We had some good periods, like winning five games in a row before the FIFA Club World Cup, but I think we lacked consistency throughout the season. We couldn't maintain that streak.

One of the reasons for this is the characteristics of the players on the bench. Even if we started the game in a certain way, there were times when we had to change it a little when we were substituted. However, several important players who were the backbone of the team transferred last year, so this is also part of the process of rebuilding the team. We haven't been scoring goals recently and haven't been getting results, but I would like to maintain the style we showed in games against Kashima (Antlers), Shimizu (S-Pulse), (Tokyo) Verdy, and (Vissel) Kobe, for example."

(I think you've often asked for more details in defence, and I feel that this has taken hold, so with three Trial left this year, what do you think is needed to transform Urawa Reds into an attacking team?)
"I think it's important to keep developing. It's important to keep wanting to improve and grow with every Trial you play and every training session, and I think the thing that makes that possible is the competition in each Trial."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]