Your thoughts on the match?
We had a lot of the ball in the first half, so we felt that our opponents must be tired and wanted to shift gears in the second to take advantage. We did make them run a lot and their legs were getting heavy, so it felt like we would be able to pull it off. In the midst of that, however, I was subbed off. It was a difficult match.

Today, you combined with Shion Inoue on the left side, instead of Kajikawa.
With different personnel, there’s bound to be some changes in our football, and the style with which we carried the match was a little different from normal. As the match went on, we reverted to the style with which we’d played the last six matches and that went smoother. I think having players fill the spaces between their lines makes things more difficult for them. Of course, it doesn’t hurt us to work the ball out wide, as well, but we needed to be more effective in how we mixed the two.

Just as you seemed to be making a go of it in the second half, you gave up the opening goal. That had to hurt.
I think it did a lot of damage. We had been moving the ball well in the first half and I believe they were growing tired. The player who I was matched up against, individually, was late getting back on defense quite a bit, so personally, I felt we could have done more.

In terms of how the team has managed the full 90 minutes over the last two matches, do you feel that things haven’t gone right?
In the first half, they were slower than we expected in following our passes and even at the start of the second, we evaded their pressure. They didn’t press as much as in the previous match, so I feel like the goal we conceded was poor. Their whole approach was to take advantage of one opportunity on the counter, so if we concede a goal in that fashion, it plays into their hands and allows them to raise their concentration levels. This is our second losing streak this season, but the first one came after we had gone ten matches without a loss and at that time, it didn’t feel like we were in a position to win so much. This time, we’ve lost two in a row after winning four straight, so it feels like a waste and makes the next match very important. We have a lot of matchups with opponents in the upper half of the table this month, so we have to do well in that period. I think we need to start over and focus on maintaining the style of play we had during the four-match winning streak.

You had a near-miss at the end of the first half.
I had been concentrating on getting up to the front line and putting crosses in, but then I realized I might have more of a chance if I cut inside a bit more. Our opponents scored with their only chance of the game today, so I feel like we should have at least gotten a draw. Of course, winning is important, but I feel like it was that kind of match today. The result stings.

You controlled most of the possession in the first half.
Ryohei drifted out wide a lot to get on the ball, but it left us without numbers in the box. We were building good moves, but in terms of how much threat we posed to the opposition, we were lacking. Our only shots came from crosses and I think we needed to be a little more intricate and avoid having too many numbers in the wide areas. We made some adjustments, like passing with four instead of three, but I think we have to continue making changes before next week.

The team did seem to be attacking with force in the second half, though.
I think the last opportunity we had from Nara(wa’s) cross was good, but I also feel like we could have carried the ball at our feet into that area as well. We were putting in a lot of crosses from behind and aiming to win the loose balls, but I think a cross put in from a high position would have posed a greater threat. If you do that, then even when they clear, they’re forced to play it out for a throw. If you’re putting in long balls straight on, I think it makes it easier for them to clear it downfield.

The consecutive losses hurt a bit.
To be honest, it hurts a lot. Last week’s match against Katamare was wasteful enough, but if we want to earn promotion, we can’t be losing multiple matches in a row. This will drop us down the table, but I hope we can build momentum like we had during the four-match winning streak and recover our position once again.

Your thoughts on the match?
In the last match against Okayama, I wasn’t on the pitch before the suspension and could only watch from the outside, but it felt like they were completely dominating us. Just the opposite, today, we completely dominated them. It’s true that we didn’t get a goal, but compared to other matches where we’ve gone goalless, we didn’t feel that stifled today. Anyway, this was the second time we’ve played them lately and I think we should avoid being too down on ourselves and just try to refresh before the next match.

How do you feel about giving up the opening goal, just as you seemed to be building momentum in the second half?
Our balance wasn’t bad, we were getting back well in defense, and the players at the back were working hard to win the ball back when it was cleared. As far as the goal we conceded, there’s always going to be periods when the opposition gets on the ball and they made a good move before putting in the cross. It was a perfect move, the kind that makes you think “we’re gonna score here” as you carry it out. Of course, when we review the film, there will be mistakes we need to correct, but in some ways, I think there was nothing we could have done. On the contrary, I think our problem was that we didn’t get a goal ourselves while the score was 0-0. No matter who you play, there’s always going to be moments where they create a good opportunity for themselves, so our job on the back line is to figure out how to deal with that.

Inoue played in placed of Kajikawa, today. Was there anything that changed as a result?
It wasn’t that big of a change. The only thing was that when Shion (Inoue) received the ball, I wanted to be able to support him better by doing work in front of him. In the first half, when we were trying to push them, Shion helped us out by dropping deep. Just like with Kaji(kawa), that adds some stability to our build up play. It’s just that when we push forward, we have to allow him to play from a higher position if things are going to go well. I should have talked t o him more. His involvement was much better at the beginning of the second half and I think that’s the kind of play we look for from an inside half.

In the second half, it seemed like there was a difference of opinion among the players about whether to continue as you had in the first or to compromise more in your approach.
For me, personally, both options are fine. Each player has different characteristics and since the manager sent on Yong-ji (Rik), that’s how we needed to play. The opposite can also be true. When the opponent has a one goal lead, it makes it easier for them to defend and it’s important that the players on the pitch make decisions themselves about the best way to attack. Ideally, we’d like to have created more chances in the first half, but sometimes it’s your work in the first half that allows you to receive a payoff in the second.

What kind of instructions did you receive when you took the pitch?
Just as we always do in training, I was conscious of trying to get on the end of crosses. With that said, the atmosphere on the pitch was a little lukewarm, so I thought getting numbers into the box would be key. When I first came on, however, I was making the runs but not receiving the ball. I felt like the team was a slow in adjusting to the situation and I made sure to talk to everyone and make my thoughts known. From the first half, it was all about playing to feet, playing to feet, so even if you tried to play a long ball, there wasn’t anywhere to go. We didn’t have any players who were willing to make the run behind or try to force things with a mid-range shot, so after I came on, I asked Uchi(da) to play the ball behind them, which eventually helped us upset their balance. I think that if the players had done that from the first half on, the match would have developed differently.”

Overall, do you feel like it took too long to get the engine running?
Watching from the bench, I feel like we need to shift more between trying to play beautiful football and trying a more direct approach. To be honest, when there’s that many players packing the same space, even if you try to make short passes, you’re only going to break them down once out of every ten tries or so. Myself, Alan, and Doug(las) were all winning our aerial battles and that increases the chance for something unexpected to happen, so I feel like we should have taken better advantage.

The team has developed a bad habit of following winning streaks with losing streaks. How do you feel about the current losing streak?
Myself included, for all of us, suffering a losing streak after winning consecutive matches is unacceptable. In my experience, it’s the teams that start stringing wins together as summer approaches that end up moving high up the table. That we haven’t been able to do that shows that we still have some immaturity as a team. We are heavy on young players and I, as a sub, can’t comment too strongly, but I feel like we need to rely less on specific players, including the 11 men on the pitch at the start. Each individual needs to play as if they are the team leader. I feel like that is lacking right now. If the players wait for someone like me, who isn’t shy about making my voice heard, to come on before they build momentum, it’s going to be too late. The season will be over before we know it. The starters need to play with the same sense of urgency before we wall too far behind. That is an area where the team needs to grow.