Q, What should fans call the coach?
A, For the past two years, I have been called Albert, but the 'to' is not pronounced, just Albert. The original pronunciation has an accent on the 'be'. For some reason, in Japan, I have been registered as Alberto and even Wikipedia has it as Alberto (laughs). I would be happy if people could call me Albert from now on.

Q, So, Mr. Albert, this will be your first time in J1 and your challenge with FC Tokyo, the club in the capital. How did you feel when you received the offer?
A, First of all, I want to say that I was really comfortable working in Niigata. The club made efforts to change its direction and the players followed my preferred playing style. I think the fans and supporters also liked me. However, I always seek new challenges. I have spent most of my career as a coach in youth development. After working as a coach at Barça (FC Barcelona), I was able to take on the most important position in the world of youth development as the director of Barça's academy. I was also involved in various reforms within the club and then embarked on a new journey of challenges.

Q, You have served as the technical director of the Gabon national team and as a coach for New York City in Major League Soccer.
A, I was invited to join New York City by Domenec Torrent, who had been the right-hand man of Pep Guardiola (former Barcelona manager, current Manchester City manager) for a long time when he became the coach. During the two years of supporting Torrent, I developed a desire to become a coach myself. However, I didn't want to go just anywhere. When I was thinking about wanting to be involved in an attractive project in a country or city that I respect, I received an offer from Albirex Niigata. After two years, I felt the desire to take on a new challenge once again.

Q, It's a challenge in J1, right?
A, And it's also a top-class club in J1, so I wanted to challenge it if it's an attractive project. I received several offers, but the most attractive one was from FC Tokyo. I was attracted to the club's reform and their challenge to a new team playing style. And it's a club located in the capital of a wonderful country, Japan. I was also interested in the fact that they have the potential to become a great club, but they haven't achieved the results that match that yet. Additionally, the fact that their uniform is similar to Barça's Blaugrana (meaning "blue and scarlet" in Catalan) was also one of the factors that caught my interest (laughs).

Q, Do you feel any connection to the club where Takefusa KUBO used to play?
A, Barcelona acquired Takefusa KUBO when he was 10 years old, and I was the academy director at the time who made that decision. It's a beautiful story that I ended up at the club where KUBO played after Barcelona. However, it's a shame that he didn't return to Barcelona (laughs).

Q, I also watched the matches during your time in Niigata, but what kind of soccer do you aim for at FC Tokyo?
A, (Thank you for watching the matches) Thank you. The Barcelona I used to work for emphasized positional play and has always sought how to handle the ball in both attack and defense. I think the style that Barcelona has expressed matches well with the strengths and characteristics of Japanese players. There are many intelligent players in Japan. They have a strong understanding of why certain plays are required and why certain phenomena occur. Compared to the top countries in the world, they may lack in physicality, but on the other hand, their technical level is very high. They also have speed. They also have a selfless personality, so they are good at pressing and stealing the ball.

Q, It's exactly what is required for Barca's style.
A, I've always thought, why don't Japanese people pursue a play like Barca's? I think we proved that Barca's style suits Japanese people in Niigata. Even though most players had never experienced it before, they were able to express it in their second year. What's even more important is that the fans and supporters liked this playing style. Many spectators came to the stadium. If we can express the soccer we showed in Niigata in Tokyo, the capital of Japan, it would be wonderful.

Q, In the Niigata era, football seemed to be designed with both attack and defense in mind. It was also characteristic that the shape changed significantly when building blocks in defense and building up in attack.
A, In both attack and defense, everyone must play as one block. In my country, we express this as "travel together with everyone." Possession of the ball is important, but what we emphasized even more was position. By combining position and possession, we can achieve better attacks. In football, there are two main ways to defend. One is to defend the space, and the other is to defend by possessing the ball. As Johan Cruyff said, as long as we possess the ball, the opponent cannot attack.

Q, In other words, having the ball means good defense, right?
A, Yes. By each player having good positioning, we can create more chances. In attack, if we have good positioning, we can quickly regain possession when the ball is lost. That is the positioning I am looking for. And in defense, players must sweat and run for the team. I will not let players who cannot do that play. If there is a player who thinks they are so great that they don't need to run, I will give them Guardiola's phone number (laughs).

Q, I recommend going to Manchester City (laughs).
A, However, in reality, there is only one player in the world who doesn't have to run. That's Lionel Messi. In other words, in Tokyo, everyone has to run. Plus, even if the opponent presses high, I want them to pass firmly without fear. In Niigata, in the first year, we cleared the ball one after another. In the second year, we started to keep the ball and pass it to our teammates instead of clearing it. I want the Tokyo players to change in a shorter period of time.

Q, Did you watch any Tokyo games in the 2021 season? Are there any players you are looking forward to or interested in for the 2022 season?
A, I watched a lot of Tokyo games, but you never know until you see the players in person. I want to see the players with a blank slate first. I want to have meetings and clear communication with the players. I prefer to talk to players individually. If there is something you don't understand, I want you to come and ask me, and I also want to give advice. I am the type to speak straight without sugarcoating, so sometimes it may be hard to hear. Regardless of whether they are young or veteran players, I want to communicate my thoughts to them.

Q, Niigata had a great season in 2021, but they stumbled a bit towards the end. What do you think was the cause of this? Tokyo also had a great season in 2019 but stumbled and missed the title. Are there any lessons that can be applied in Tokyo as well?
A, I cannot speak for what happened in Tokyo, but I can explain what happened in Niigata. In over 90% of the matches in the 2021 season, we had more chances and shots than our opponents, but our lack of finishing ability caused us to drop points. Niigata was clearly the most attacking team, but it's difficult to explain why a team like that had so many draws. There were even games where we had 20 shots to our opponents' 3, but the score was still 1-1.

Q, When looking at rival teams, players like Peter UTAKA (Kyoto Sanga F.C.) and Lukian (Júbilo Iwata) showed their scoring abilities.
A, I think they brought points to their teams. If we can score the first goal, the opponent will have to score as well, making it easier for us to score additional goals. For example, in the game where we beat Tokyo Verdy 7-0 at home, that was the case. However, perhaps due to the impact of that game, many teams started to tighten their defense after that.

Q, Tokyo has a great lineup of strikers.
A, They need to prove their high scoring ability once again. This is because the 2022 season will require them to demonstrate their scoring ability in tight spaces. Counterattacks usually have space to shoot, but in the 2022 season, there will be more games where the opponent is pushed back. This means that the space in front of the opponent's goal will become smaller. Can they still score? Of course, I have high expectations for them. I also have high expectations for young players. Japanese players tend to worry about their age, but I do not hesitate to use young players. I respect veterans, but what is important on the pitch is not age but performance. It doesn't matter if they are 35 or 15 years old.

Q, Takefusa KUBO also stood on the J1 pitch at the age of 16.
A, There are many talented young players in Japan, so I also want to pay attention to academy players. If there are good players, I want to challenge them in the top team. On the other hand, foreign players must bring something to the team that Japanese players cannot. That applies to me as well. If I can only offer what a Japanese coach can offer, then I don't need to lead the team. Also, I believe that the coach who will succeed me must be a Japanese coach.

Q, It means to build a solid base, right?
A, Sooner or later, I will leave this club, this city, and this country. My mission is to nurture FC Tokyo, a club for the people of Tokyo. I was surprised that everyone in Japan says, "We aim to win." I don't say such things. I hate losing more than anyone else and I am a person who is obsessed with winning, but what I can promise is to instill a clear playing style, equip the team with the strength to always be in the race for the championship, and grow the club. We will continue to grow by valuing players from our academy, reinforcing with high-quality foreign players, and signing players who fit my playing style. FC Tokyo is not yet at the top level in terms of management size in J1. The current professional soccer world is not an easy world where clubs that cannot compete at the top level in terms of management size can always aim for the championship. However, if the team and the club continue to grow, we can also promote the growth of the management size.

Q, In addition to developing the current players, if the club's financial strength improves, we can gain even more solid power.
A, This is a time-consuming process and we must proceed with patience. I hope that the fans and supporters will support us with a long-term perspective. Please pay close attention to the team's play and how we express ourselves. If we continue to express ourselves with plays that make you feel proud, the number of fans and supporters in the stadium will increase. I believe that the more fans and supporters we have, the more sponsors we can attract.

Q, With more sponsors, the income will increase, making it possible to reinforce the team with higher quality players.
A, For example, Kawasaki Frontale is always able to compete for the championship because they have a clear playing style. I also want to build the foundation of this club over the next 2-3 years. Based on that foundation, I want to grow the club into one that can compete for titles every year. This requires not only the players and the team, but also every aspect of the club to become professional. I believe it is also my role to encourage this. It is not just about the playing style on the pitch, but the entire club must grow. Being a great person and a professional, excellent worker is required.

Q, Finally, please give a message to the fans and supporters in Tokyo.
A, I believe that Japanese people have a national character of respecting each other. I am also a person who values respect. Let's work together and fight. If I make a mistake, I will apologize, but even if we lose the game, I will not apologize. It is possible to give our all and still not win the game. That is not a failure. Success in any project requires time and patience. In the midst of that, I want to continue fighting so that everyone can unite. I look forward to the day when I can meet you all!

text by Atsushi Iio