Player comments can be found here

"FC Tokyo U-23 Tetsu NAGASAWA Manager Press Conference Summary"

"I think all the fans and supporters who came today are supporting the J1 game after watching the J3 game. In the midst of such a schedule, I am truly grateful that you have come to Nishigaoka. The supporters of Gunma are also getting excited, and their support is powerful. We are grateful to have the players play on such a good stage."

The match was, to put it bluntly, lost in the battle for the ball, and as a result, we conceded a goal within 5 seconds. That's what it comes down to. The J1 league is a league of quality. In the J2 and J3 leagues, the battle for even balls and ball possession becomes crucial. I think if you have those qualities, you can reach a higher level.

Today, I think the Gunma players picked up about 60-70% of the second balls and balls in the situation. As for that part, it's not about physicality, but about being able to respond with starting position, prediction, and reaction. The starting point of the opponent's attack was not about connecting cleanly from the back, but rather about winning headers and starting from there, such as with a middle shot, from the battle for loose balls.

We have a 16-year-old player and a young defensive line, but it was a beneficial game in terms of firmly checking the "standard". We approached the game with the theme of "winning by scoring 2 or more points". We were able to score 2 points, but I think we lost the battle on the ball side, which resulted in 4 goals against.

The reason why South American players can perform well all over the world is because they have a strong presence in the game and their quality is based on that. From that perspective, this was a game where I could confirm where to set the "standard" and how to approach it.

It is important to use today's results to our advantage. We must overcome them regardless of age. We want to work on both quality and other aspects together with a strong awareness. "