Q. From this season, the J.League will switch to an autumn-spring system.
A. The period in which we play will change significantly, but considering that it will align with the schedule of overseas leagues, I believe the J.League is entering a major turning point. Personally, I am very excited to welcome the new season.
Q. I think attending this event as a representative of FC Tokyo also means being recognized as the face of the team. How do you feel about that?
A. It was the same when I chose the number 10 jersey—I feel a great deal of expectation from the fans, supporters, and everyone around me. I want to fully meet those expectations, and rather than seeing them as pressure, I believe it’s important to continue playing in my own way as I always have. There is weight and responsibility in playing this season as number 10 and vice-captain, but I want to fight aiming for 10 goals and 10 assists in my own style.
Q. The opening match will be against FC Machida Zelvia.
A. Matches against Machida are always tough games. They are not an opponent you can easily beat, and they showed excellent performances against Asian clubs in the ACL as well. However, if we can win the opening match against such an opponent, I believe the team will gain momentum. Winning the first match in the league is more important than anything else. We want to secure a solid victory and energize the team.
Q. Following the Meiji Yasuda J1 Century Vision League, the team has set “winning the championship” as its goal. What kind of strong start does the team want to make?
A. Winning the first match is crucial. In the Meiji Yasuda J1 Century Vision League, we were able to achieve good results as a team, including the quality of our play, but not a single person is satisfied. We are returning from a half-year tournament to a full season lasting one year. Throughout the season, there will naturally be good times and bad times, but as a team, we want to align our focus in the same direction and fight together. Without getting carried away by emotions, we want to approach every match with the mindset to win.
Q. The position requires hard work, and I imagine there is also the difficulty of the season starting in the summer.
A. Everyone on the pitch is under the same conditions. I think it comes down to who can fight through to the end of the full 90 minutes, and the team that can play good football no matter who is on the field will be the one to achieve victory.
Q. How do you think FC Tokyo will change this season?
A. Although the expected goals were high in the Meiji Yasuda J1 Century Vision League, the actual number of goals scored was insufficient. Compared to other clubs, we scored more goals, but I believe we could have scored even more. The team has also been building up the quality and patterns of our attack during the camp in Shiraoi, Hokkaido. For example, our new signing Nikolai Varis is a player skilled at heading the ball. Considering that the team scored few goals from crosses in the Meiji Yasuda J1 Century Vision League, I expect the number of goals from that area to increase. We hope you look forward to more variations in our attack and scoring patterns.
photo by J.LEAGUE
