Although the game ended with a 0-0 score, I think the players really fought Jeonbuk until the very end. Of course, there were many times at the end where we were pushed back without receiving, but I think the reason we ended the game with a 0-0 score was that we were able to fight well without receiving in those situations. It was by no means the best result, but we want to prepare well so that we can win at home and move on to the next round.

Q: Why did you put Niwa at right back and how did the defense perform?

A: Konno couldn't play today, so we wanted to deal with the height, the tendency to make long crosses from the right side, and Leonardo, and we wanted Daiki to deal with it well. We used Daiki, and at first, he was blown away several times and it seemed like he didn't know how to feel about the opponent, but gradually he got a grasp of the opponent's characteristics and I think he dealt with it well in the end. Even in set plays, there were many very tall players, but I think Daiki, Iwashita, Jeonya, and others, concentrated well and dealt with it.

Q: Today's defensive midfielder, Jeonbuk's No. 25 Choi Cheol-sun, usually plays on the right side, but today we used him as a defensive midfielder to allow Usami to defend. Do you think that this was the reason why Usami was unable to show his usual strengths?
A: I never thought that No. 25, who can usually play on the right side or both sides, would be playing as a defensive midfielder and keeping Takashi one-on-one. I think we were completely suppressed in the first half. However, in the second half, he came out to the side a few times and showed his typical Takashi-like play. However, considering that we were kept to zero, I think No. 25 worked hard until the end.
Q: In the first half, Usami was placed as an attacking midfielder and was kept one-on-one, so in the second half, we placed Kurata as an attacking midfielder and Usami on the left side. Did you go in offensively to score points?
A: Yes. In the first half, Takashi was not placed as an attacking midfielder, but we played as a two-top, but he was not allowed to receive the ball easily and he often retreated and was crushed. If we don't have rhythm in our attacks, it's hard to play Gamba football. I think that by putting Kurata in, we were able to create a lot of rhythm and create some great attacking shapes. Takashi also played on the left wing and showed some of his typical plays a few times.