Q: After returning from the Okinawa camp to Kodaira, has the understanding of tactics progressed?
A, I think the tactics have changed, but I believe the awareness aspect has changed significantly. I think the entire team is able to share a common awareness.
Q: Is consciousness about valuing your position and the ball?
The most important thing is to value possession of the ball, and I believe we have that common awareness.
Q: Has the team's overall approach changed, and does it feel like everyone has been feeling their way forward?
Honestly, I was also playing with a team last season that used tactics similar to Tokyo's, so I felt some confusion about the new tactics along with everyone else, as well as a gap between what I had been accustomed to and what is now being asked of me. However, I believe that through a month of camp, I have been able to adjust my mindset.
Q: The requirements for the defense change from waiting for the opponent to play to pushing the ball forward while holding it.
A, I think both have their good and bad points.
When you hold the ball and play aggressively, you often create dangerous one-on-one situations on the counter. However, by challenging ourselves, we can grow, and I want to see this positively.
Q: As the initial period of building a team, what kind of risk management do you think you will implement as a center-back, considering the possibility of mistakes?
I believe mistakes will inevitably occur. However, what the coach often says is to eliminate major mistakes. For a center-back, mistakes can directly lead to conceding goals, which can be a factor in not winning. As a professional, while the content is important, we must also be focused on winning. I think there will be mistakes as a center-back, but I want to eliminate major mistakes that directly lead to conceding goals.
Q: As a center-back, you have a position where you can see the entire field. Do you consciously think about coaching corrections when playing positional play?
A, since I have the ball for a long time, I will communicate with my teammates to make it easier for me to play and to pass the ball. I will also communicate with the forwards, but I think my teammates will move freely as well, so I hope we can discuss and adjust together.
Q: Is there a play that you, player Kimoto, would like the fans and supporters in Tokyo to see?
In the build-up phase, we have a longer possession of the ball, which serves as the starting point for our attacks, so I want you to pay attention to the moments when we have the ball. Of course, as a player in the back, I also want you to see my efforts to defend and not allow the opposing forwards to play freely.
Q: In the opening match, Kawasaki Frontale has Leandro DAMIAO.
Although we haven't faced each other many times, he was the league's top scorer last season, so as a team, we want to keep him from gaining momentum and aim to keep a clean sheet.
