"Keigo HIGASHI"

(Impressions looking back)

"Despite playing a good game, we unfortunately conceded a goal which made the match difficult. We have to patiently continue working hard in order to turn this good performance into a victory."

(What will be the trigger for improvement?)

"It's a difficult problem, but we've been talking about focusing on the switching parts and the parts where we fight for the ball. Those parts are increasing, so we have 8 more games left, but I think we have no choice but to solve them one by one and gradually build up from there. I believe that a good flow will definitely come, so I want to believe in that and work hard from practice."

(For the next match)

"Since it is a team that is running away, there is nothing to lose. On the contrary, it would be great if we can win against such a team and make it a good opportunity. Even though it is an away game, I want to win and achieve victory like today's game."

"Yojiro TAKAHAGI"

(It was a game where only the goals were missing)

"I think it's getting better. We have no choice but to continue. We are also creating opportunities."

(Regarding the part of building the attack?)

"I think we are becoming capable. Everyone is aware and we are able to unify our will. That's why I think we have more time to push the opponent, so I think that's good."

(Is it just a matter of deciding the rest?)

"Well, I think it would be better to have a little more leeway towards the end. I feel like it would be okay to relax and incorporate some playful moves."

"Tokyo - Manager Kenta HASEGAWA Press Conference Summary"

"I think it was a good game that we didn't lose. We were focused on scoring goals, so our mindset was towards Sendai's goal. When we are able to score, ideas and confidence naturally come out. However, we still have a strong desire to score, and there are various constraints that we can't overcome, which makes us feel rigid. I believe that we can't create goals unless we overcome that. So, in times like this, we need to think about players who can play with all their might and focus on the next match... Today's game wasn't bad, but I want to think about it a little more. The players who played today couldn't play at a high tempo during the busy summer schedule, but now that the season has changed, we talked about increasing the tempo. I think everyone was conscious of that and we were able to show some aggressiveness in terms of winning the ball and moving forward. However, towards the end, some players experienced cramps or fatigue, so there are naturally areas where we haven't fully recovered. But I believe that continuing to play games like this will contribute to the team's growth. It may be a really difficult period right now, but the fans and supporters are cheering us on with their voices, and I want to fight together with the players to respond to that support."

Q=Is there a possibility of using players in good condition, including substitute players?

"I can't make a calm analysis without reviewing the game again. After the current game, I feel that we need more boldness. We also have a J3 game tomorrow, so I want to decide whether to use the players based on the training and also considering those games."

Q=Is it safe to say that there will be bold selections in the future, continuing from the previous story?

"I'm not sure if it's because they're being bold or not, but I think it might be good to add a little stimulation. However, if such players don't come out, I don't think the players who played today had a bad performance at all, so I want to think about that for a week and decide."

"Summary of Sendai Manager Susumu Watanabe's Press Conference"

"Thank you for your hard work. In preparing for this game, the club came up with various ideas and focused on attracting spectators. There is no doubt that the supporters will create an amazing atmosphere, even more so than usual. We talked about delivering the best results to these supporters. However, since there is an opponent, we won't know if we can deliver the best results until the game is over. What we can promise when we play the game is to give our maximum effort. After doing that, let's definitely deliver the best results to the supporters, that's what we talked about and sent the players off to today's match."

It was a very difficult game, but I think it was a very important victory to win against a strong opponent and earn 3 points in the battle of endurance.

I also talked to the players, but it is our mission to prepare well for the next game right away, to focus on the game in front of us, so I want to prepare well for the next game and continue to do so.

Q: I think you showed a defense that went to get the ball from the front from the start of the first half. Please tell me about your performance and how you felt about it.

"Honestly, in the first half, both in attack and defense, it didn't go very well. I feel like if we could have had a little more control of the ball and entered the opponent's territory, we could have shown a higher defensive position and pushed forward a little more after forming a block."

It is difficult to separate defense from attack because it is already linked from the attacking phase, but if we limit it to the second half, we were able to make solid adjustments in the attacking aspect. In terms of switching to defense, we first focused on trying to regain possession of the ball. If we can actually do that, we can then play with a block and move forward, so I think that was a second half that was linked to the attack.

Overall, I think they did a good job in the final moments rather than defending forward. I believe that was one of the factors for the victory."

Q: There was a word called "competition of endurance", please tell me the reason why you endured the first substitution until a considerably late time.

"First of all, we had a difficult time in the first half, and without a doubt, Tokyo's pressure decreased in the second half. That was already within our expectations, so we organized our ideas during halftime to find a way out in our build-up, and I think it worked well in practice."

I wanted to make the second half with the message of "take the lead and if possible, score more goals and protect it at an earlier stage", but it was difficult to make that decision. I had both the expectation that we would score more goals and the concern that we would not be able to hold on like this.

When I thought about it, I had a discussion with the coaching staff about cutting a card with a message to hold on like this for the remaining 10 minutes, so the reason for the substitution is that we cut the cards one by one in the last 10 minutes.