<Match Preview>
The third match of the consecutive games to be played in 3 days will be against Urawa Reds away. In the previous match, Tokyo played in the "voice" of the fans and supporters for the first time in two and a half seasons, and received a big boost to achieve their first league victory in 4 matches.
Urawa, the opponent, has struggled in the first half of the season, unable to win for a period of 9 games. However, in the last 5 games, they have improved with 2 wins and 3 draws, and have managed to climb up to 11th place from the relegation zone.
In the previous match against Kyoto Sanga F.C., although we took the lead in the first half, we allowed a quick turnaround in the second half and ended up with a draw after catching up with a goal immediately after. However, as the 17-6 shot count shows, we had a significant advantage over the opponent in terms of finishing scenes and decisive scenes close to the goal, and it can be said that we were unable to win despite taking control of the attack as Urawa.
In the first half of this season's match, both teams lacked the decisive factor and ended in a 0-0 tie. Both teams had periods of possession, but overall in the 90 minutes, it seemed like Tokyo was able to withstand Urawa's strong attacks. For Tokyo, this was the third game in a row, just like this time, and the whole team seemed fatigued. Despite the strong sunlight and temperature of 25.6 degrees in April, they were able to hold on for a point in this day game.
Urawa's manager Ricardo RODRIGUEZ is known for analyzing the opponent's movements and making changes to their attacking and defending styles. Despite struggling with results, in his second year in charge, he has made progress in building a tactical foundation and their attacking style has finally started to lead to victories in the middle of the season. On the other hand, Tokyo has also made rapid progress in implementing their tactics, as seen in their dominant victory over Kashima Antlers, who were at the top of the table in the first half of the season. Of course, there are also moments like their match against Sagan Tosu where one small mistake can lead to a complete collapse, but going through that experience has only made the team stronger.
In the clash between two attacking-minded teams, Tokyo wants to push and maintain their style, score goals, and achieve consecutive victories to further accelerate the team's evolution.
[Interview with Coach Albert]
Q, Was the change in practice time also taken into consideration the coolness of today?
A, There is simply the fact that it is very close to Urawa. Therefore, we started a little later because we didn't need to hurry and leave early in the morning for training. We set it for 11 o'clock, but we will arrive at the destination by 4 o'clock. The most stressful time when playing or commanding a professional team is the long time spent in the hotel. We started at 11 o'clock because there was not much temperature difference between 9 o'clock and 10 o'clock.
Q: Does the coolness affect the content of the practice?
If it is hotter in the 11 o'clock hour than the content, it becomes necessary to find a time when we can start practice as early as 9 o'clock or even 8 o'clock, and have time to do what we want to do. However, we can currently withstand the heat, so we are able to achieve our expected content even during this time.
Q, What is the purpose of the 8v8 plus 3 freeman possession in the training content?
A, For our playing style, this training is one of the most essential practice menus. This is a practice menu that is done almost every day by teams aiming for this playing style, such as Barcelona, Manchester City, and Liverpool, and it contains many elements of tactics. By repeating this, I think we can firmly instill it in the players. And it will also lead to an improvement in technical level, and I think it will particularly improve tactical elements and decision-making.
Some people mistakenly think it's the same as a possession game, but it's definitely not. It's a very difficult practice that incorporates almost all elements of football. We do positional game training almost every day, not just the day before a match, and the format may change.
Q, Is the current training content the same as when coach Albert Puig Ortoneda was a member of Barcelona's academy?
A, it is certainly true, not only me but also many coaches such as Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp are said to place great importance on this training menu. It is not something I created, nor something that Barcelona created, but a widely known training menu that many club teams and coaches have adopted.
Q, Player Kajiwara played in the previous match against Sapporo.
A, I think it's a very simple thing. As Kajiwara proved in the Sapporo match, I think only players who have a strong desire to succeed in this world and stand on the pitch can survive. They can't survive if they just look at the ground and don't show the will to fight by raising their gaze. They must have a strong mentality, and of course they must have talent, but Kajiwara has talent from the beginning, so I think that strong mentality led to him expressing his talent on the pitch. Even if you have high-quality technique and wonderful talent, I think it's worthless without a strong mentality.
Q, Are there any players playing with ambition in Tokyo?
A, Is it not a problem for young players to not have the desire to go abroad? Where are the best players in the world gathered? Regardless of whether it becomes a reality or not, I think it is something that everyone should have a big dream. For example, I think judo is Japan's national sport. I also know Spaniards who do judo in Spain, but I think Spaniards who want to aim high in judo would want to go to Japan and win there. If you are a soccer player, I think everyone has a dream of playing in Europe. That's why I think everyone understands that it is difficult to succeed there. Not only the best players in Europe, but also wonderful players from Africa and South America are gathered in Europe.
Q: What is the importance of the Urawa match and what kind of analysis are you doing for the Urawa match?
First of all, it is a match against Urawa, one of the largest clubs in the current J1 in terms of management scale. I don't think their current ranking is a normal position. And in terms of management scale, we are aware that they clearly surpass us. Considering their situation, I think it is easy to imagine that it will be a difficult match.
We have a team of high-quality players. If we let them play well, it will be a very difficult game. Therefore, we must eliminate their strengths. At the same time, it will be crucial for us to showcase our strengths as much as possible tomorrow. We have had good training in the past few days. It will be a very challenging game. That's why I think it will be a very attractive game to play.
[Player Interview]
＜Yuki KAJIURA＞
Q, How was the game looking back on it again after some time has passed since the Sapporo match?
Upon reviewing the game again, I felt that it was a match where I was helped by the players around me. It was good that we won, but when looking at the content, there were still areas that need improvement. It was a game where what we were able to do and what we were not able to do became clear.
Q, What were you thinking about before entering the game?
A, I thought that such an opportunity would rarely come, so I have been thinking about expressing what I can do to the fullest from the beginning. I think it was good that I was able to show what I had prepared.
Q: What were the things you were able to do and unable to do during the game?
Although we were able to increase the pressing strength in defense, we were not able to participate in ball possession or build-up play. Tokyo's desired style of football is to attack while maintaining possession of the ball, so I want to focus on increasing the number of times I am involved with the ball and continue to improve.
Q, How was it playing with the cheers at Ajinomoto Stadium?
A, During the pre-match warm-up, the cheering started and I felt "amazing" as my first impression. It's a privilege to be able to play in this environment, and the feeling of needing to win came out again in my emotions. Even during the match, when I looked at the fans and supporters, I could see them cheering with all their might, and that made me feel like I had to live up to their expectations.
Q, What kind of play do you want to show for the Urawa game?
A, while continuing to maintain a high level of defense, I have only played one game in the previous round, so I need to continue this and gradually increase what I can do.
Q, what kind of analysis are you doing against Urawa?
A, I think it is important for the team to press together while not letting the opponent have the ball because they are good at passing the ball. Since our playing style is also to value the ball, I think that keeping possession of the ball for a long time and not allowing the opponent to show their strengths will lead to victory.
Q, What do you want to focus on in terms of communication and collaboration with your teammates?
A, During practice, I communicated a lot with the players around me and talked about how to press in each situation. Even during the Sapporo game, we were able to defend together by communicating without much trouble, so I want to continue playing while maintaining a strong understanding of communicating with those around me and working together in the next game.
Q, please give a message to the fans and supporters for the upcoming Urawa match.
A, until the previous Sapporo match, we were in a state where we couldn't win, but we were finally able to win and we want to continue winning in the next Urawa match.
