"Yojiro TAKAHAGI"
"It was a tough away game with only two days in between. Although we were caught up in the end and the atmosphere became negative, we want to take the positive aspect of being able to earn one point."

(The second half was a great fight as a team)
"In the first half, we couldn't quite manage to go and take the ball from them. In the second half, we were able to fix that and take the ball at a high position and connect it to the goal. We were able to change in the second half by reflecting on the first half, so I think it will be important to continue doing this throughout the year."

(Assisted the second goal. Looking back on that last pass)
"After taking the ball, I gave the last pass to Adailton to go straight to the goal, but he returned the ball and it became a one-two play."
"I changed my decision, took some time and stopped the defense's feet before passing to Diego OLIVEIRA. I think Diego OLIVEIRA did a good job scoring the goal."

"Diego OLIVEIRA"
"It was a very difficult game, and the result was also tough. In the end, it was a very disappointing result that ended up losing 2 points."

(The second goal was a great goal, running all the way to the goal)
"I believed the ball would come, and it came because I ran all the way there. In that moment, I was able to stay calm and take it all the way to the finish."

(He also contributed to the defense with a lot of physical activity. A message for the upcoming three home games)
"I'm happy to have scored a goal, but it's really frustrating that it didn't lead to three points. To be honest, whether I score or not, I wanted to take three points. From now on, we have a tight schedule with three home games, but I hope to rest well and prepare for the next game."

"Manato SHINADA"
(The past two starts were in the form of a substitution with player Takahagi. This time, it was a play with Takahagi on the field.)
"We started with a double pivot, but we didn't want to give the opponent's midfield, especially the anchor, too much freedom. So we set up the midfield to play man-to-man with three players."
However, there were some mismatches on the side, so the midfield needed to slide and a lot of physical effort was required.
Takahagi was playing as an attacking midfielder, but he was a player who could see the whole team and maintain balance while playing, and he also became a starting point, which made me feel his reliability once again.

(The result was a draw, but it was a promising performance)
"I feel like we only gave up one goal in the first half. We had to defend for a long time, but we were able to create a solid block and play the game as a team."
"As an individual, I want to make a difference when I have the ball, so I want to be able to work hard not only in defense but also in attack."

(No losses in the games played so far)
"It's difficult to evaluate the results on my own, but I feel like I'm gradually able to play at the J1 level."
At first, I was a little worried about causing trouble for those around me, but now I don't feel that way. As people around me gradually come to understand me, we have been able to work together well. Personally, I want to make more plays that help the team win."

(When I started for the first time, the next appearance was two weeks later, but this time it was an appearance in one week. Was there any change in preparation?)
"There is no particular change, but it is a situation where anyone can come out at any time, so we have to prepare to play for 90 minutes. We can play without any worries, so there is no concern about that."

"Tokyo - Manager Masaru HASEGAWA Press Conference Summary"
"The first half was a difficult development. It took time to get used to the delicate position within Kobe's system."
In addition, there were many long balls and the handling of the ball did not go well due to the unique pitch conditions in Kobe, resulting in Kobe being outperformed in second ball recovery.
Just adjusted from the middle of the first half, and it wasn't bad, so we continued in the same form in the second half. In the second half, we were able to smoothly recover second balls and switch to attacking by connecting passes.
Despite turning the tables, there were many chances to seal the deal, but not being able to convert them led to the final goal being conceded. However, in 17 games, we have earned 32 points and the players have been working hard. We want to continue to improve and earn more points in the remaining 17 games."

(Today, we used both Takahagi and Shina as starters, but regarding the intention and evaluation of their performance in the midfield)
"We didn't know what kind of system Kobe would come with, so we wanted to be able to respond to whatever form they came in. Also, there are circumstances within our team, and Kobe also has talented players in the midfield. Today, Iniesta was on the bench, and if we give the opponent too much freedom in the midfield, it will be a difficult match."
The three in the middle did well. Hitoshi also did well as time passed. I don't think it was bad.

(I think the strength in terms of adaptability during the game was also shown)
"Even in difficult situations, the players were able to adapt as time went on, so even though we were down by one point, there was a sense that if our movements came together, we could score solidly."

(What about the third goal?)
"In a situation where Kobe was pushing forward, it was physically tough with only 2 days of rest and the game was dragged out. I think not allowing the final blow was what earned us 1 point."

"Kobe - Thorsten FINK Press Conference Summary"
"Speaking of recent games, I think there have been many matches where we have surpassed the opponent in ball possession and number of shots."
Overall, we are satisfied with our performance, but there are many cases where mistakes like those in the second half lead to conceding goals, so we need to eliminate those mistakes in order to change this situation.
In the first half, we were able to play really well and had some shots that hit the post. I think we were able to score goals in a good flow, so it's a shame that we conceded a goal from a mistake in the second half after such a good first half.
I am happy that the team was able to show a good mentality and earn one point in the end.

(How do you interpret the number 20 points after finishing 17 games in the first half?)
"There were many games where we could have achieved better results at the end of the first half of the league. For example, there were games like the away game against Kashima where we were able to score at the very last minute."
I think it would have been better if we had more points because there were a lot of games that we couldn't decide on our own.
This year's league has already faced Kawasaki twice, which is unusual. Furthermore, playing against Kawasaki twice and playing against other teams twice will probably result in different outcomes, so there are also factors like that.
Recently, there have been many injured players, but in the future, some of these players will return. If the key players come back, it will be a plus for the team and we can achieve better results.
"Realistically, at this point, it seems unlikely that we will win the league with this number of points. However, we want to finish with the best possible ranking and focus on the growth of our young players, which is also a priority for the club."