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

(It was recently announced that Ryoma Watanabe has been appointed team captain. What are Coach Maciej 's reasons for selecting Watanabe as captain, and what are his expectations for him?)
"That's a good question. I hope Ryoma can unleash 100 percent of his mental strength. He was already one of the leaders of this team, but taking on the role of captain will further increase his importance, and I hope he will play with even more confidence. However, handing the captain's armband to Ryoma doesn't solve all of our mental problems. We're starting off with a tough three-game away series, and I think that this role needs to be taken on not just by the captain, but by the entire team, including the staff. If we don't improve our team spirit and coordination during the difficult periods of away games, I don't think we'll be able to achieve better away results than last year."

(I think the players supporting the captain are also important, and Takuro Kaneko and Yuta Miyamoto have been chosen as vice-captains. Miyamoto is a returning player and was suddenly appointed vice-captain, but from what I've heard from Coach Maciej 's comments since the training camp, I feel he has high expectations for Miyamoto. What are your impressions 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 to build a good relationship with him this time. I thought what was important was the relationship between Miya and the whole team from day one. From day one, he didn't hesitate to act as a leader of the team. That came across in a very positive way, so I felt his importance there. I also took into consideration that he played as captain (in games) for Kyoto (Sanga FC) last year."

(What was the most important thing you emphasized and communicated to the team during the confidential time?)
"First, we've slightly changed our pressing tactics, so we've been training on those aspects. This includes high pressing and pressing from higher up in the middle zone. There are still areas that need improvement, so we'll have to continue working on that. We're also trying out new options in our build-up play. Regarding the build-up, it will probably take a little more time to fully implement them."

(I believe you watched the Chiba Bank Cup the other day. What were your impressions of Chiba?)
"I felt that Chiba is a very well-organized team. They are a team that can play without getting flustered or intimidated even when the opponent applies high pressure. I felt that they are a team that knows what they need to do in all situations on the pitch. The coordination between Carlinhos (Junio) and Ishikawa (Daichi) is automated and I think they have a good relationship. I think Isaka (Zain) will play on the right due to Sugiyama (Naohiro)'s injury, but Tsukui (Takumi), a new signing, has also made a good impression on the left. I think attacking fullbacks play an important role in the build-up play. However, the Chiba player who is most important to me did not play in the Kashiwa match. That is Eduardo. I think this defensive midfielder is a very important player."

(What are the key differences from last season, and what aspects would you like people to see in the first game of the season against Chiba?)
"First of all, I want to change our overall away performance. Compared to last season, I want to reduce the amount of time we are pushed back. Last season, we were pushed back into the penalty area a lot, so I want to increase the number of times we win the ball back in Zone 2. There will definitely be times when we have to sit back and defend, but I want to avoid being pushed back by pushing forward whenever possible."

(Having come this far from the training camp, how do you feel about the progress made since last season and the areas where you've improved? You mentioned Miyamoto, but what are your impressions of the new players?)
"I think we can truly evaluate the team once the league actually starts. What we've seen in the preseason training matches is that the team is moving in the right direction. We've seen improvements, especially in high pressing. While the build-up play has also improved, I think there's still room for improvement in the coordination and timing between the midfield, strikers, and attacking midfielder. However, they've been able to maintain possession of the ball for longer periods once they enter Zone 3 without getting impatient, so I hope they can demonstrate that under the pressure of an actual official match."

(The J1 League's 100-Year Vision season is different from previous years, lasting only six months, so not many teams have made major signings, and are instead focusing on using younger players. I think the Reds are also following this trend, but normally, it would be natural for a manager to want to use players that the club has spent a lot of money to acquire, but I think this year is different. For example, does Manager Maciej feel that there is an environment that makes it easier to use younger players?)
"We haven't really added a lot of players. So, we're focusing especially on developing our younger players, the ones we already have. We've already seen improvement in players like Teruuchi (Toshikazu), Hayakawa (Shunpei), and Hidano (Renji). It's a shame that Ueki (Hayate) got injured early on, but I think Futada (Rio) has grown during his six months at Shonan. We also have high hopes for Nemoto Kenta's development. Kenta Nemoto who has been called up to the U-Takeshi Wada team, is also a very interesting player. We're considering using him when the time is right."

(What aspects of Wada's performance are interesting?)
"I'd rather not talk about too many good things here. I want him to continue working hard and show everyone his abilities on the pitch, but he's a very skillful player, a highly capable, complete number 8 and defensive midfielder type. He's a player who can move well both offensively and defensively. His pass choice and timing are very good, and he's a player who can use the space behind the opponent's defense. 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's 100-Year Vision will feature penalty shootouts for the first time in 28 years. Until 1998, penalty shootouts were held after extra time, but this time, they will be held after 90 minutes if the score is tied. So, I'm not sure if the data from 1993 to 1998 will be relevant, but do you know what Urawa Reds' winning percentage is in J.League penalty shootouts?)
"i don't know"

(The Reds have played 17 penalty shootouts, with a win rate of 64.7%. They've won about two-thirds of them. While 17 is not a large sample size, the club has a history of not being bad at penalty shootouts. What are your thoughts on this?)
"The fact that draws result in a penalty shootout is an interesting aspect of this half-season. I think our win rate in that regard is excellent, so I hope we can continue that this season. Because of the penalty shootouts, we've been doing them every 45 minutes in training matches whenever possible. Of course, it's difficult to replicate the pressure of an official match to that extent, but I think it's been very important training."

(There's someone close to manager Maciej at the Reds who knows about penalty shootouts, and coach Nobuyasu Ikeda has taken five of them. Have you ever talked to Coach Ikeda about penalty shootouts?)
"I spoke with Coach Ikeda and Coach Maesako (Masato) about the penalty shootout. However, I didn't know that Nobu-san was taking the penalty kicks."

[Urawa Reds Official Media (URD:OM)]