We were completely defeated today. Many Gamba fans came to support us in the final, and I believe our players fought until the very end, but we were overwhelmed by Kashima's strength and were unable to give the Gamba fans a victory and a championship, which is a really disappointing result.
Congratulations to the Kashima supporters, players, staff and club. I think we played a game worthy of winning today, and we struggled to find a way through the 90 minutes.
As I said at the beginning, I don't think any of the players played with the intention of losing today, and I think the responsibility for not winning is on me. We have to reflect on the fact that we were not able to play in good form for today's final, including the atmosphere and conditioning, and we still have two league games left, so we lost in the ACL semi-finals and the Nabisco Cup final, so we need to switch gears now and see if we can play in the remaining two games, whether we can play in the CS or not. This season, so many people have supported us and the club, and we have fought hard, so I hope we can somehow switch gears and end this season in a good way.

Q: You made various changes to your attacking line-up and tried to somehow score a goal at the end, but it didn't seem to work well. As a Head Coach, what do you think it was that didn't go well?
A: We couldn't create an attacking point in the front line. Whether it was Shoji or Van Sokko, they were holding back Pato, and when Kurata dropped back, we had a few chances, but we couldn't create an attacking point in the front line. Kashima's pressure was very fast, and especially in the defensive midfielders, the FW pressed back, and I didn't give Imachan any freedom, so I think the main reason was that we couldn't create time in the opponent's half. We tried to break through with individual strength by putting in LINS Lima De Brito and Omori, but it didn't work out until the end. However, I think the players fought desperately against Kashima, and I think I was too lenient in assessing that.

Q: Up next is the big game against Hiroshima, and if you don't hold on now it will all just be a dream. What are your thoughts on this final, decisive battle?
A: As I said earlier, if we don't switch gears now, this season will end in three more games. We'll be playing the EMPEROR'S CUP against Frontale, and we'll have some very tough games ahead of us. We lost today, and we can't lose the final. I'm tired of watching that scene from the bottom so many times, so today I felt that we really have to win. I think the players were disappointed, but I think they felt that way again when they looked up at the happy Kashima players, and I don't think we're a team that can't switch gears now, so I'll believe in the players and switch gears for the Hiroshima match this week.

Q: As you say, I think Kashima dominated the game in terms of content. However, in the first half, Kashima couldn't score, even though they were creating chances. In the second half, Kashima dominated the game early on, but after about five minutes, they had three chances in a row. In terms of content, results, and the flow of the game, I thought that Kenta HASEGAWA was in control, but what did you think about that flow and the time period?
A: That's what I was thinking when I watched the game. They missed the ball in the first half. I was hoping for a chance, and although it wasn't really a decisive chance, the players had tried hard and scored, and Takashi created a scene that could have been scored. However, today Kashima's desire to win a title for the first time in a long time was really strong, and although I don't think they were particularly satisfied with their win last year, I think there was a bit of arrogance within the team that they could win. I think the players fought with the feeling that they couldn't lose even though they were being pushed back like that in the first half, and that they could win, and I think that, roughly speaking, Kashima's desire to win and take the title surpassed ours in terms of their feelings.

Q: During halftime you said that we needed to show a fighting spirit, but it looked like we were defending and fending off Kashima's attacks. From your perspective as a Head Coach, did it not seem like we were fighting?
A: It wasn't like that, we were losing in the ball, so I told the players not to lose the battle for the ball in that sense. The referee today was Iemoto-san, so I knew he wouldn't call a foul in that area, but he let the charge go, even though other referees would have called a foul, and I think that this area had a synergistic effect with Kashima's feelings, and the ball rolled in a good way for Kashima. It was because we were willing to receive that we hardly won in the ball area, especially in the first half. The defensive line was defending at the very end, but there were slides and confusion. I thought we could make the same use of it if we came back, but I thought it would be a difficult game if we conceded a goal in the first half, so I thought we would go to Iwashita around 30 minutes if we didn't calm down. It wasn't that Nishino was particularly bad, but I think we were able to somehow go into the second half with a score of 0 by changing the members, and I think that the nuance of that was that we were willing to fight, but we didn't lose the battle for the ball. Also, I think the Kashima players were better at switching their moves. I mean, don't lose in such basic battles.

Q: Last week was the ACL, and this week is the Nabisco Cup, with big titles at stake. Which fatigue are you feeling more - physical fatigue or mental fatigue? Also, in terms of switching gears, it must be difficult to switch gears after three weeks of these matches, so what kind of support are you using, be it a system or substitutions of players, or giving players time off?
Could you tell us what solutions Head Coach are considering?
A: I think it's really difficult. I'm going to give them two days off after returning home today. It's really difficult to take two days off a month in September and October, if you include downtime, but the real break was only about two days in September and October. I think the players are probably quite exhausted. First of all, I'd like to give them a little rest to refresh themselves. Also, I don't think we can make too many big changes to the members, so I'd like to decide on the members while assessing their condition. In terms of the system, we will continue to use the system that we've used up to this point, and Hiroshima is also in a match for the championship, and we can't let them lift us up at home, so I would like to work together with the players to prepare for the Hiroshima match in a good way.

Q: You said that you can't lose the last game to win the title. Last year you won three titles. Did you feel the difficulty of your mental condition today, including your hunger for victory?
A: Yes, I felt that way.
Q: How do you plan to move forward in this area?
A: I think there is nothing that gives you more energy than the frustration of not winning, watching the winning team from the bottom, and seeing the supporters of the winning team rejoicing. The players have to win. I think Endo also said at the press conference before the match that he couldn't be happy unless he won, and I think the players understand that, but I think there was a gap in their hearts somewhere. I should have been aware of that and not created a gap, but I think I was not prepared enough, and as I said earlier, it's really important to be able to switch gears. There's nothing we can do about what's already happened, so I'll switch gears and focus on the J.League battles.