Fabian Hurzeler on the 4-2 win over Tokyo Verdy

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The head coach has his say on our 4-2 win.

2024-07-28T13:50+01:00

Albion celebrate Simon Adingra scoring our third goal.

Fabian, how do you reflect on today's game?

"Today we suffered more than the last game [against Kashima Antlers]. The humidity was worse than the last game and we saw that in our performance. I think we weren't that aggressive, we weren't fresh like the last game. But still, we tried to stay compact, tried to control the game.

"Tokyo Verdy had good transition moments with the ball. They have great players, we saw it when we watched their last two games. They have a really good structure with the ball and also against the ball, so they are a very disciplined team.

"It wasn't easy today, but we still scored four goals. We are happy about the result. We know that everything can’t be perfect at this moment of pre-season."

Apart from the substitutions, what did you change after the first half?

"We adapted a little bit at half-time, we changed the formation. The structure in the second half was better than in the first half. But also in the first half, we created some chances.

"I think that we didn't work quite good enough in the rest defence, we conceded the first goal after our attack, we made bad decisions.

"The rest defence is where we have to improve. We have to make a clear decision if we don't have pressure, we have to drop."

How has Kaoru Mitoma got on during this tour?

Kaoru Mitoma gets down the wing against Tokyo Verdy.

"Kaoru Mitoma is not 100 per cent, but he has now played two very good games and he was training every session.

"He is trying to improve his physical condition. On the pitch we saw today that he has unbelievable skills. We still have three weeks to go, so I think it will be improved day-by-day. I'm convinced and I'm sure that Kaoru will be 100 per cent when the season starts.

"He's a very good fighter, and I think he's proven his potential. Not just in terms of his attacks, but also on the reaction when the ball is around his feet, or when he has lost the ball, I think he has all of those qualities.

"He is also very good at listening to other people's advice."

How would you like your team to improve?

"We can learn that if we defend together, if we stay compact, then we will win a lot of balls and have a lot of transition moments. In the cases where we try to defend on our own, if we try to attack on our own, then we are not good. This we have to learn really quick.

"With the ball, I think it's most important that we play together, that we stay connected, that we play easy, that we don't try to do the special things.

"These are the two learnings on the pitch. Off the pitch, I think that the group have built a good relationship between each other. They build a good relationship to the staff members too."

How do you reflect on your time in Japan?

Gully waves to the Albion fans at the National Stadium in Tokyo.

"For me as a coach, I get to learn from day-to-day how to be better, so I'm really happy about the experience in Japan. I just want to say thank you to all the people who were really friendly to us, very, very polite, very open, and they tried to make every wish from us possible, so thanks a lot."