He remains focused even in the cold rain falling on the training ground. His reaction to sharp early crosses is faster than that of the attackers. He reads the trajectory of the ball and cuts it off with a sliding tackle. His covering is also impeccable. When the center backs rush forward, he quickly closes in and fills the space in the middle. Takahiro Sekine, who will play right back this season, spoke passionately about the areas he is currently focusing on.

"One mistake in response can be fatal, so I'm very conscious of that. Unless I can eliminate that, it's going to be difficult to continue Trial as a full-back. I learned that the hard way last year."

Although he continued to start as a right-back from the start of the 2025 season, he has been brought on as a winger since the eighth round, coming on in the second half. His position changed during the season, which caused him to struggle in the first half of last season. This season, he was determined to play as a winger, his primary position. However, at the Okinawa training camp in January, the team assigned him to the role of right-back. It wasn't easy for him to sort out his feelings. "It was difficult," he confesses. Of course, as a professional, the most important thing is to stay on the pitch. As a player who grew up in the academy, he knows better than anyone how tough it is to survive at Urawa. He looked back at his own play and focused on the areas where he was unable to improve last year.

"For a defensive player, it's all about how well they can perform defensively. What is expected of a fullback is, of course, defense."

It's not just about the numbers you can see. Even after the match against Yokohama F･Marinos, where they kept a clean sheet, they were quick to speak about areas for improvement. They said there were times when they allowed the other team to break through. They are working to reduce the risk of conceding goals, even if only slightly.

"The job of a fullback is to eliminate as many dangerous situations as possible, and I think my role is to defuse any tight spots. The position of the last line is such that even the smallest gaps can give the opponent chances. Just because we kept a clean sheet doesn't mean it's OK. We need to improve before we concede a goal. It's too late once the opponent has scored. That makes you useless as a defender. If that happens, you'll be replaced immediately in the professional world."

Participating in attacks is one of his specialties, and it's one of the roles the team expects him to play, but his priority is risk management. He carefully considers the timing of his overlaps. However, as soon as he sees a golden opportunity, he makes a bold move. That was exactly what happened when he scored his first goal against Yokohama F. Marinos Marinos. He smoothly ran up to the front of the goal and, just as the team staff had analyzed, found himself in the vulnerable space on the far side. He headed the ball powerfully, and immediately smashed it into the goal, even after the goalkeeper had deflected it.

"I thought I could get in there and was confident I could connect with the cross. It all worked out well, and I think that led to the goal."

He spoke in a somewhat curt manner. Even when praised for his offensive skills, he kept his mouth tight. He doesn't talk much about his offensive skills, but he has done valuable work at key moments, such as setting up the opening goal with a long pass from his own half in the match Kashima Antlers. He also actively communicated with Takuro Kaneko on the same side, often creating good opportunities through good teamwork. However, Sekine spoke as if he was trying to convince himself.

"This season we're focusing on defense. We have players with great individual abilities, and we play simply on offense, with 80% of our focus being on defense. I personally feel that today's Trial wasn't very good."

An unfortunate handball led to a penalty kick, and then two more goals were conceded from corner kicks, resulting in a comeback defeat, but looking at the individual situations, their defensive performance did not look that bad. In fact, even manager Maciej Skorza acknowledged this.

"I've been performing well since the preseason and have won the starting lineup at right back. I'm pleased with my performance so far. Compared to last year, my defensive play has improved, especially my positioning."

In the match against Kashima, he quickly covered to prevent a crisis when the opponent countered, and even managed to clear the ball just inside the goal line to avoid conceding a goal. He kept his mark and dealt with the opponent's crosses. Even in the first half, when Leo Ceará allowed a header that he himself regrets, he tenaciously stayed close to the goal, but the shot ultimately went wide. Even so, Sekine shook his head.

"The public's view is harsh. I think there is at least a certain amount of the image that 'He can't do it because he's an attacking player' or 'He can't do it because he's Sekine'. In fact, I do receive those kinds of comments and words. Unless I perform perfectly (defensively), I won't be able to change this image. If even one thing goes wrong, everything will be negative. I have to do the basic plays more naturally."

He is very determined to make it as a right back. He says there are still many areas he needs to improve in defence in order to achieve perfection. He is not satisfied even with a clean sheet. He is conscious of maintaining the correct positioning throughout the 90 minutes. He does not intend to show even the slightest weakness in the match against Mito Hollyhock on March 7th at his home stadium, Saitama Stadium.

(Interview and text by Sugizono Masayuki)