I thought I would be more easily overwhelmed with joy, but surprisingly, I felt more relieved. Looking back on this season, we started with a match against the Reds at Xerox, and ended up in this way, with the Reds in the EMPEROR'S CUP's Cup final. I would also like to thank the players for winning the opening and final games against the truly wonderful Urawa Reds, and I would like to express my sincere gratitude to the supporters who have supported GAMBA OSAKA all year.
In today's game, we didn't have a fullback, so we were wondering what to do if something happened to the right fullback. I thought Imamura would be able to play smoothly on the left. I had him play on the right once last year and didn't have a very good image, so I was thinking about what to do there, and just as I thought, Yonekura got injured, Konno was suddenly replaced and Ideguchi played defensive midfielder, but Imamura showed a great performance until the end of the game. Also, Yosuke, who was suddenly replaced, didn't start the game very well, but he did his job well as time went on. In that sense, I think Yosuke's solid growth this season was a big point of this game.
In the EMPEROR'S CUP, the Reds have always used a 3-back, 3-6-1 system, which is the specialty of Head Coach, but we have played against such opponents against Kawasaki, Tosu, and Hiroshima, so we had some idea of ​​their characteristics and what we had to be careful of, but today, without Kashiwagi, they attacked with a lot of power on the side, and Zlatan was brought in at the last moment, so we had many dangerous moments, but Uchida, who returned from injury, played well in those situations. I really think that the result of the work of the start and bench members in this EMPEROR'S CUP was the result of the team's victory, and we were able to end with this result, the championship. I would have liked to have Myojin on the bench today, but I couldn't. I think Myojin understood that in his own way, but Futagawa, Myojin, and LINS Lima De Brito, who were on the bench today and couldn't play, really trained hard. I'd like to thank everyone for being able to play with the team for a whole year, and for being able to end it in this way, winning the title, at the very end of the season.

Q: Regarding the Reds not having Kashiwagi, what were your thoughts on how they would approach the game, and how did you plan to respond to that?
A Kashiwagi was injured in the semi-finals, so we put in Aoki, dropped two double defensive midfielders, and rotated the players on both sides to come up. As there was no one at the pivot, the pressure of the attack on the side increased, and after we scored a goal, the line dropped, and the opponent felt the pressure of the players pushing in, so the line dropped, so we told the players up front to put more pressure during half time. So we talked about getting the line a little higher. After we scored, there was no player there. Makino didn't come up much in the second half, but when he came up, it was easier to make use of Anderson PATRIC Aguiar Oliveira's speed and momentum. So we started with Kurata, but after we took the second goal, we took advantage of Aki's defensive ability and Takashi's forward momentum, and we changed the members a little to take advantage of Aki's defensive ability and Takashi's forward momentum, and instead of receiving, we tried to attack. With Kashiwagi, the Reds can freely use the center and the outside, but without Kashiwagi, I think the pressure on the sides will increase even more. In the second half, Nasu took a slightly more forward position, which made for some difficult moves, but I think the players understood it well and kept their concentration until the end.

Q: Regarding the second and winning goal, it seemed to me that it was more a case of the team being very well prepared, rather than the two players just agreeing on what to do. What do you think about that?
A: Yes, set pieces are a very important factor in the final. We scored set pieces in the Nabisco Cup and the CS, but we were unable to win because they were scored on, so I had told the players that both offense and defense were important factors. In that sense, with only two days of rest in between, Marquinhos and SIDICLEI De Souza were the main players in thoroughly analyzing the opponent's offense and defense, and the players understood that and made preparations, which led to the winning goal.

Q: This season you came in second in the Nabisco Cup, second in the league, and fourth in the ACL, so you've now won a title. What do you think about the meaning and value of winning a title this time, as opposed to finishing in second place?
A: I have no idea. I think I feel more relieved that we didn't lose. If we had come in second in all three major titles, I would not have been able to recover (laughs), and even if we collected 10 silver medals, it wouldn't be enough to get one gold medal, so the fact that we were able to get the gold medal in the end was the result of the players and staff coming together. At the end, KIM Jungya ya swung and missed (laughs), but I think that luck was also a factor in helping us.

Q: I think the Head Coach's amazing tactics have been spot on again. In the CS and this match, you used players who were not in the starting lineup, and players who had not played in official matches. And then those players performed well. How do you judge whether they will perform well or can play? Also, since the players themselves had not used them, I imagine they were nervous or under pressure when they went on to play, so what words do you say to them when you send them out onto the pitch?
A When I cut or select members, I trust my players and make the cuts. I thought he could start, so I put him on the bench, and it was a difficult situation today, but putting him on the bench means that I have a certain amount of resolve, so I trusted my players and made the cuts. As for Uchida, it was his first big stage in a while, but I put him on because I wanted him to bring out all the feelings he had over the past year. As for Yosuke and Nagasawa, they have both been in some tough battles this season, so I wasn't worried about them at all.

Q: I'd like to ask about Anderson PATRIC Aguiar Oliveira. He played well against the Xerox, in the CS semi-finals, and today against the Reds. What is your opinion of him?
A: I think he played great today. He was not used much in the CS, and I think he was stressed, but Nagasawa did a good job, and Anderson PATRIC Aguiar Oliveira has shown his dedication. I think this is a big weapon for the team, and a big weapon for defense. In the Hiroshima game, he pressed back a lot to help the back. Today's game was also great in both defense and offense. Anderson PATRIC Aguiar Oliveira is not good at it, but he is slowly getting better, and on the other hand, he listens carefully to our intentions and continues to grow, so in that sense, I think our other ace really played a big role today.

Q: Today, Urawa was said to be putting pressure on the sides, but you started with Usami on the left and Kurata in the middle, but did you ever think about doing it the other way around? If so, what was the aim of putting Usami on the left?
A: I never thought about doing the opposite from the beginning. I wanted to play our own style of football against the Reds, so I had no intention of accepting at all. If it was necessary to do so throughout the game, I thought about moving Kurata to the side, but I never had any intention of using Takashi in the middle from the beginning. The reason I used Takashi on the side was because both Hiroshima and Tosu played very well on the side, so I didn't want to change him in the good rhythm, so I used Takashi on the side and Kurata in the middle.

Q Until now, Gamba has had a playmaker called Yasuhito ENDO, two hard-working side halves and two fullbacks, two geniuses. I thought there was no team with such a strong character, but today was an exception. I've heard that Anderson PATRIC Aguiar Oliveira has started to work hard since the middle of the season, and he's right. I think that the football itself has improved collectively. What do you think?
A: I think that disappointment is what makes players and teams grow. If we hadn't had that shocking loss at Nabisco, and if the CS system had been introduced for the first time this season, and we had won that match against the Reds, and then lost to Hiroshima with disappointment, then of course players and teams who lose think about how they don't want to lose again, and they learn a lot, and I think that's what makes players and teams grow, so if we hadn't had that loss, especially the 0-3 result where Kashima couldn't do anything, I don't think the team would have grown this much at the end of the season.

Q: Do you think you did a good job?
A: I don't know. I don't think of it that way.