Head Coach: "The Fukuoka match was postponed, so we had two weeks to prepare for the Shimizu match. And while both the players and we knew the importance of today's match against Shimizu, I'm sorry that today's match ended in such a disappointing result. I'm really disappointed that we couldn't celebrate the victory with so many fans and supporters during the Obon holiday, and today, about 27,000 supporters came to celebrate the victory. Shimizu has really built up a team with new players and a new Head Coach, and I knew that they were a very strong team, so we all fought to win the 90-minute game, but it's very disappointing that we couldn't break through (the opponent's goal). In terms of content, the players tried very hard to do what we had prepared, and I feel that if we had scored the first goal in the first half, the game could have turned out differently. We fought tenaciously in the second half, but we conceded two painful goals due to a counter attack and an error in the blink of an eye. This result is something we brought upon ourselves, including myself, so there is nothing we can do to change it. We will now focus on our next away game against Hiroshima, which will be a very tough match, but we will do our best to win.

Q: With two weeks to prepare, you started the game with new signings JUAN ALANO and Musashi SUZUKI on the bench. Did you want to make an impact in the second half, or was there a specific goal in your game Head Coach?
Head Coach Katanosaka: "We have some new players up front, including (Suzuki) Musashi, (MESHINO) Ryotaro, (Juan) Alano, and Rihito YAMAMOTO, who is injured now, so we have strengthened our front line with some talent. So, one of the issues we are currently facing, which is why we are not winning, is how we play in the second half, and we will need to score again in the second half, bounce back, score additional goals, or take the lead. We have two sets of combinations up front, so we want to bounce back and step up a gear in the second half, push back the opponent, and score again, so we have put together the team with that aim in mind. Of course, we thought about how to give Musashi and Alano as much time as possible from the start, and we also considered the other members and other front line players who were not in the squad today, so we decided on the 18 players today after giving it a lot of thought, so we will have them watch the training closely and compete with each other, and we will think about how to combine players and score goals for the Hiroshima match, and create a situation where we can score points, because we can't get the three points without scoring.

Q: "When you brought on two players in the 15th minute of the second half, it seemed like the other players were noticeably tired. How did you feel about your own level of exhaustion compared to Shimizu?"
Head Coach: "I don't know. In my opinion, they fought really well, they ran well, and there was still plenty of energy left. I thought they could go, and when we put in Musashi and Alano, the other members were also in the same condition with 30 minutes left. I thought Ryotaro had dropped off a little, so we made three substitutions, replacing the one striker and two shadow strikers, to make them fresh and attack, but we wanted to see Ryotaro's hard work and his ability to cut in and finish at the end, so we played it as it was. The defensive midfielders, Kohei OKUNO and DAWHAN, fought in the midfield, including for second balls, and we were really worried about which of the two, Yuki YAMAMOTO and Shu KURATA, should play as the defender and which should play as the shadow, but we made that try. Unfortunately, we didn't manage to score, but that is still something we need to work on, and we have learned that in this league, one error or one mistake can lead to a goal being conceded, but we suffered a painful experience today, and with players like that, including foreign players with Shimizu's quality, I feel like they really didn't forgive us.

Q: "Following the last match against Kyoto, this result has come to an end, and I imagine there is a heavy mood hanging over the team. Did the Head Coach say anything to them?"
Head Coach Katanozaka: "Before the game, I told the players my thoughts about today's match against Shimizu and what we should do for the game, and I got them switched on. The players started off really well, and although we didn't get the results we wanted, I think they played a good game overall. I'm really disappointed that we lost, and I think we shouldn't have lost, but after the game, it wasn't a game that we should have lost 0-2, and I wondered why we lost. I think this was a six-point match, a game that we shouldn't have lost in the fight to stay in the league, and above all, it was a game that we shouldn't have lost at home, so I felt the players were really depressed, but we can't get started by sitting back down. We have to prepare for the next game, and although it's a day shorter, the match against Hiroshima on Saturday is away, so I think the only thing we can do is switch gears and play a game that we can win this time, so I said those words to the players. However, each player really does feel some responsibility and is hurt in some areas, so I think we need to communicate that and encourage the players to move forward, and fight with our backs against the wall in the remaining 10 games, determined to win every single one.

Q: "In terms of positive factors, I think that in the first half, we used long balls and made effective use of big side changes to create attacking formations. I wonder if that went as planned, and midfielder Okuno showed great intensity in both offense and defense. How do you feel about the change in Head Coach over the past few games?"
Head Coach: "The way we played in the first half really did what we wanted to do against Shimizu, and our attacks worked well in the areas where we wanted to push forward, and in terms of the number of times we entered the penalty area, or rather, creating chances, it would have been great if we could have finished, but I think we created chances. I really wanted to score the opening goal in the first half. And the movement, not just on the outside but also the relationship in the middle, and the relationship between Sakamoto, Ishige, and MESHINO, the three of them, had a great relationship and they made a good job of moving the ball in the middle with good tempo, moving it to the outside and from the outside to the inside. With Shimizu's 4-4-2 block and that level of pressure, we expected that we could push back to some extent, so they challenged us and created some good opportunities. As for Kohei OKUNO, he is a defensive midfielder, and I thought that the second ball in the defense was very important in this game, so when Thiago Santana came in and picked up the second ball and advanced, he fought with DAWHAN and did that. In terms of attack, he also stirred up the opponent's defense at the front line, and I think he took about two shots as a finisher. If his shots, especially the one-touch shots in the first half, can go into the goal, I think he will become an even more fearsome player. I think that is still one of the issues he will have to grow in the future. As he becomes a box-to-box player, I would like him to try such things, and I have high expectations that he will contribute to the play that helps the team, and Kohei is doing a lot of such challenges now, so although it is not a matter of striking while the iron is hot, I would like to whip him hard now to become a really good player, and I hope that he will become a presence that can lead this team again in Gamba's academy.