On the 5th, manager Maciej Skorza held an online press conference where he spoke about his enthusiasm for the match against JEF United Ichihara Chiba in the first round MEIJI YASUDA J1 100 YEAR VISION LEAGUE Regional League, which will be held at Fukuda Denshi Arena (Sat) Saturday the 7th.

(Recently, it was announced that Ryoma Watanabe has been appointed team captain. Why did Coach Maciej select Watanabe as captain and what are his expectations?)
"That's a good question. I hope that Ryoma will be able to demonstrate 100% of his mental strength. Ryoma was already one of the leaders of this team, but by taking on the role of captain, that role will become even more important, and I hope that he will play with even more confidence. However, just because we've given Ryoma the captain's armband doesn't mean that all of our mental problems will be solved. We're off to a difficult start with three consecutive away games, but I think that it's not just the captain who has to take on that role; the whole team, including the staff, has to do it. Unless we can improve our team spirit and teamwork during the difficult times of away games, I don't think we'll be able to achieve better results away from home than last year."

(I think the players supporting the captain are also important, and Takuro Kaneko and Yuta Miyamoto have been appointed vice-captains. Miyamoto is a returning player and was suddenly made vice-captain, but listening to Coach Maciej 's comments from the training camp, I sensed high expectations for Miyamoto. What is your impression of him and what are your expectations?)
"First of all, I've known Miya since I first worked with the Reds two years ago, so it didn't take long for us to build a good relationship this time. I thought the important thing was the relationship between Miya and the entire team from day one. From day one, he didn't hesitate to act as a team leader. That was reflected in a very positive way, so I felt his importance there. I also took into consideration the fact that he played as a (game) captain for Kyoto (Sanga FC) last year."

(What was the most important thing you emphasized during your private time and what did you convey to your team?)
"First of all, we changed the way we pressed a little, so we trained on those areas. This applies to high pressing as well as pressing from higher up in the middle zone. There are still areas that need improvement, so we need to continue working on that. We are also trying out new options in our build-up. It looks like it will take a little more time to introduce these in our build-up."

(I think you watched the Chibagin Cup the other day. What was your impression of Chiba?)
"I felt that Chiba was a very organized team. Even when the opponent applied high pressure, I thought they were a team that could play without panicking or fear. I felt that they were a team that understood what they had to do in every situation on the pitch. The coordination between (Junior) Carlinhos and (Daichi) Ishikawa is automatic, and I think they have a good relationship. Due to (Naohiro) Sugiyama's injury, (Zain) Isaka will play on the right, but (Takumi) Tsukui on the left is also making a good impression despite being a new addition. I think attacking fullbacks play an important role in build-up plays. However, the Chiba player who is most important to me did not play in the match against Kashiwa. That player was Eduardo. I think this defensive midfielder is a very important player."

(What is different from last season? What appealing points would you like people to see in the first match against Chiba?)
"First of all, I want to improve our overall performance away from home. Compared to last season, I want to spend less time being pushed back. Last season, we were pushed into the penalty area a lot, so I want to increase the number of times we win the ball in zone 2. There will inevitably be times when we have to fall back and defend, but I want to push forward when possible and avoid being pushed back."

(Having come this far since training camp, how do you feel about the progress made since last season and the areas where the team has improved? You mentioned Miyamoto, but what are your impressions of the new players?)
"We will be able to make a true assessment once the league actually starts. From what we saw in the preseason training matches, the team is heading in a good direction. We have seen improvement in particular in their high pressing. Although they have also improved their build-up, I think there is still room for improvement in the coordination and timing between the midfielders, strikers and attacking midfielder. However, since entering zone 3, they have been able to keep the ball for long periods without rushing, so I hope they will be able to demonstrate this under the pressure of an actual official match."

(The J1 League season is six months long, which is different from usual, so not many teams have made major reinforcements, and they are instead trying to use younger players. I think the Reds have a similar tendency, and normally it's natural for a manager to want to use players that a club has spent a lot of money to acquire, but I don't think that's the case this year. For example, do you feel that the environment is such that it's easier to use Maciej players?)
"We haven't recruited many players, so we are focusing on developing the young players, especially the current players. We have already seen growth in players like (Toshikazu) Teruuchi, (Hayakawa) Junpei, and (Hidano) Renji. However, it is unfortunate that (Ueki) Hayate was injured early on, but (Nita) Rio went to Shonan for six months and I think he has grown and returned. I also have high hopes for growth from Nemoto Kenta. I think Kenta Nemoto has been called up to the U-17 Japan national team, is a very interesting player. I am considering using him when the timing is right."

(What is interesting about Wada?)
"I don't want to talk about too many good things here. I want him to keep working hard and show everyone what he's capable of on the pitch, but I think he's a very skilled player, a very capable number eight and defensive midfielder. He's a player who can move well both offensively and defensively. His choice and timing of passes are also very good, and he's a player who can use the space behind the opponent. Considering the changes in the J.League in recent years, I think it's important for him to adapt to the physical intensity."

(The J1 League will be using a penalty shootout for the first time in 28 years. Until 1998, penalty shootouts were held after extra time, but this time, a penalty shootout will be held if the score is tied after 90 minutes of play. I'm not sure if the data from 1993 to 1998 is useful, but do you know what the winning percentage of Urawa Reds in J1 League penalty shootouts is?)
"i don't know"

(The Reds have been to 17 penalty shootouts, with a win rate of 64.7%, meaning they have won about two-thirds of the time. 17 shootouts is not a large sample size, but the club has a history of not being bad at penalty shootouts. What do you think?)
"The fact that we have to go to penalty shootouts if we end up with a draw has been an interesting thing this half-season. Looking at the data, I think we have a great win rate, so I hope we can continue that this season. Because we have penalty shootouts, we have also practiced them every 45 minutes in training matches whenever possible. Of course, it's difficult to recreate the pressure of an official match to that extent, but I think it has been very important training."

(There is someone close to Coach Maciej at the Reds who knows about penalty shootouts, and Coach Nobuyasu Ikeda has taken the penalty kick five times. Have you ever spoken to Coach Ikeda about penalty shootouts?)
"I spoke with Coach Ikeda and Coach Maesako (Masato) about the penalty shootout, but I didn't know that Nobu had taken the penalty kick."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]