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"Summary of the Press Conference with Tetsu NAGASAWA, Coach of Tokyo U-23"

I am grateful to all the fans and supporters who came to cheer after yesterday's J1 League match. However, I feel very sorry that we could not win.

I was surprised that the opponent had a three-back formation, but in the first half, we often lost the ball within their defensive block and faced counterattacks. We couldn't play according to our attacking priorities, such as making movements that would trouble the opponent or taking advantage of spaces behind their defense. We frequently lost the ball to their three-back or had it cleared, leading to many situations where we were under attack. It was a tough situation that lasted a long time, but the young defense did their best in the final moments. I believe that being able to hold on even in bad situations shows that the U-18 players have grown compared to the beginning of the season, so that aspect was positive.

After conceding a goal, I was hoping we could somehow score, but when the defensive shape was set at the final line, we needed to move the three back players in the middle, yet we continued to play before that. We took several shots, but all of them were limited in their shooting angles, making it difficult to score. Once, Kobayashi Riku broke through the opponent's defensive line and created a chance, but we needed to repeat such plays more often to confuse the opponent and make them uncomfortable, which we failed to do. We ended up choosing only safe plays, and ultimately, we fell into the opponent's trap, trying to score and instead conceding a second goal, leading to a typical match development. Even though the young players understand what needs to be done in situations like today, the important point is whether they can demonstrate that in their play. In terms of persistence and cleverness, regardless of whether a pass comes from a teammate or not, the opponent was superior.

It is very frustrating to have lost to a U-23 team like ours, but it is also our mission to use this as fuel to move forward. I just conveyed this to the players in the locker room with some harsh words, but I want them to properly accept this match and prepare for what comes next.