INTERVIEW
Kashima Antlers Youth
Manager Yoji Nakano

 

On July 31st, the final of the 49th Japan Club Youth Soccer Championship (U-18) was held, and Kashima Antlers Youth defeated Vegalta Sendai Youth 3-0 to claim their first-ever title. How has Antlers Youth progressed this season to arrive at this championship? Furthermore, what are the goals and challenges as they look toward securing more titles? We spoke with the man leading Antlers Youth, manager Yoji Nakano.

 

First Club Youth Title! "Strong Individualities United as a Team"

――Congratulations on your Club Youth Championship win!

Thank you!

――This was your first "summer national championship," a title that seemed within reach but had eluded you until now.

Even before the tournament, I made the players aware that "this is a title we haven't won yet." We had prepared well from before the matches began, and I could feel the motivation from the players to "change history."

――You were doused with water by the players after the awards ceremony (laughs).

I was genuinely happy (laughs).

――It was a knockout tournament format. This year, matches were 70 minutes long.

The three qualifying matches were 35-minute halves. The regulation took the heat into account, but because the match time is shorter, a single shift in momentum can instantly decide the game. Since the team that scores first tends to gain momentum, I told the players before the tournament not to concede first, and to ensure that even if we can't convert our own chances, we don't get caught on the counter. We spoke about that management aspect beforehand.

――Looking back on the tournament, how was it?

While we sought both quality and results throughout the tournament, we were able to showcase our strengths. I think the hard work we maintained throughout every match led to the championship. Also, though this includes the Premier League as well, I feel the contributions of our two defensive midfielders (second-year Rui Onuki and second-year Yuwa Fukuoka) were immense. In this tournament, too, they were recovering balls, winning individual duels, and working hard. In the final, Fukuoka even scored, which was a very happy goal for him personally and for the team.

――Fukuoka is a mood-maker and an indispensable character for the team. Was it a positive influence for the team that he produced results on such a big stage?

He is an essential presence for the team, a player who does the dirty work and fights for the sake of the team. The other players were happy for his success, and even though he was being teased again at the end (laughs), the fact that such a character could come up with a decisive performance is a factor in how the team became one. This year's team has many players with strong personalities, but I believe various individualities came together in this tournament, leading to unity as a team.

 

 

It is important to express the "accumulation" of the academy

――You have been an instructor at the Antlers Academy since 2016, serving as manager and coach for the Junior and Junior Youth teams. You took over as Youth manager for the first time this year. How did you approach this?

What I feel from having been here a long time is that "there is an accumulation." My priority was to express the things that the many staff members who coached before me have built up. It wasn't about trying to do anything special, but about bringing out the existing power and the things they have been doing until now. I entered the role with that in mind.

――With your coaching experience at the Junior and Junior Youth levels, did you have a smooth transition?

Yes, I think so. I watched the Youth matches last year, and there were players I had coached back when they were in the Junior or Junior Youth teams, so I already had their characteristics in mind.

――What was your impression of the team when you first started?

We participated in various tournaments in the pre-season, and I felt the players' abilities were extremely high. Many are selected for Japan national teams for their age groups, and knowing we had such capable players, we were able to build on our days with a good baseline in the pre-season. I thought if everyone could bring out their individual strengths, we could go quite far in the Premier League. However, because some players leave for national team activities, I felt it was very important to raise the level of the players who step in during those times. Of course, the premise is that "you get to play because you have the ability," but so far, we have been able to secure victories thanks to the performances of players who stepped in for the Premier League starters. I think that is moving in a good direction as team-wide motivation.

――The pre-season was quite long, from December to the end of March. How did you handle the adjustments?

We played an incredible number of matches. There were times when third-year Yugo Okawa, second-year Minato Yoshida, second-year Anjinho Motosuna, and first-year Eito Takagi and Kosei Oshita were away from the team for national team or selection activities, but as a team, we weren't focused on drilling in specific tactics, but rather on focusing on improving individual capabilities. Even in games, we press hard from the front, and in attack, if there’s a chance to go forward, we do it. The pre-season felt like a process of pushing, training, and building up, including the physical side.

――You had about three months of pre-season. How many matches did you play?

When I counted, it was 42 matches. We started by playing repeated matches against university students, then had the Hiroshima tour. We came back and went on an Australian tour, which doubled as a graduation trip. We were allowed to play against professional teams, and after that, the J-Village Cup. After returning, we had the Okinawa tour. Following that, we participated in the Kashima Mayor's Cup and the Funabashi Invitational before the season opener. We were quite well-prepared before the start.

 

Total of 42 pre-season matches

Practice matches: 8

Hiroshima tour: 4

Australian tour: 5

J-Village Cup: 8

Okinawa Invitational: 6

Kashima Mayor's Cup: 5

Funabashi Invitational: 6

 

――I see, so you were able to prepare well.

Yes. By going through so many matches, we were able to assess the combination of individual strengths and various players, while raising the overall level in time for the official matches.

 

Daily coaching that guides to a higher level. "If you can do this, the next step is this"

――This is your first time managing at the Youth level. You had experience coaching as an assistant, but do you consciously coach differently compared to other age groups?

I feel that it is difficult if you don't focus more precisely and meticulously on what happens on the pitch. In Junior or Junior Youth, I thought that sensory aspects or showing things visually were important, but at the Youth age level, they have already acquired various knowledge. I think it is necessary to make them understand more with their heads, and that intellectual aspect is also important.

――Is it about how you convey information?

Yes, I am conscious of how I convey things and the types of information I provide. For example, I think the way we show footage is important, and I show various videos to provide stimulation. It's not just showing the good or bad points of our team, but also picking out scenes of Japan national team players working hard and saying, "If the national team players are doing it, naturally, we have to do it too."

――It seems easier to grasp when you move from sensory explanations to concrete ones.

I think broadening their perspective on football is important at the Youth level. After all, each player has their own strengths, and at the Youth level, they also start asserting their own ideas. It is necessary for an instructor to utilize their respective weapons and claims. However, if you only do that, it is difficult for the team to come together. If everyone goes to the front of the goal wanting to score, it obviously won't work. Therefore, I also make it a point to have them understand the necessity of hard work for the team, or the importance of free running to push back the opponent's line even if it doesn't lead to a goal, and the importance of fighting as 11 people.

――You mentioned that you focused on improving individual skills off the pitch before the season. What kind of training are you actually accumulating on the pitch?

This is something we value as the Antlers Academy: the goal is "nurturing players who can become stars in the top team." While doing a lot of 1v1 style training, the goal is obviously to not lose in 1v1 situations. In defense, even in 1v2, we aim to be able to defend fully. In attack, if it's 1v1, we want to be able to beat the defender. While maintaining the ability to hold the ball even under pressure, we look to attack and finish when the chance arises. Regarding the quality of play, we pursue this thoroughly through our training. We often practice shooting, final passes, crosses, long passes, and short passes individually. Naturally, since every player has a different personality, the approach changes, but I don't change the required standards of play from person to person.

――I feel the presence of people like yourself, who have experienced professional technical standards, as well as Club Advisor Mitsuo Ogasawara and Coach Takuya Honda, is huge.

Regarding technical aspects, if we are talking about defensive midfielders, it’s about the kicking of Club Advisor Ogasawara and Coach Honda. Since we have many staff members who know the top level, I think that is tremendously beneficial for the players. We are a group of coaches with the experience to guide them to higher levels, so every day we are presenting, "You can do more, if you can do this, then there is this next step." A daily environment where there are many conversations like, "You can now kick this kind of ball, next let's learn how to kick it with curl, and then there's also vertical rotation, and other spins" is very good. I hope to see that increase more and more in the future.

――It seems the level is rising from those daily conversations.

Yes. Things that the players could do somewhat subconsciously are becoming more concrete, and I think their "football sense" is being built up little by little. Of course, it would be bad if they became overconfident, but I think they now have a real sense of confidence—a realization that they can actually do it.

 

The ideal is to keep playing football in the opponent's half

――Now that the first half of the season is over, what is your assessment of the team's current status?

In terms of continuing to bring out the strengths of the Antlers Youth teams of the past, I think we have reached a certain level of defensive hard work and intensity. I feel that as the season has progressed from the beginning to the middle, they have gradually started to gain confidence. We have become able to keep the ball longer and push forward. Our time in attack is gradually increasing. I feel they are now playing with confidence when they are in possession. Just like in the Premier League matches against Ryutsu Keizai University Kashiwa High School and FC Tokyo U-18, even though there are times when we get countered while holding possession, everyone is playing with a certain level of confidence regarding keeping the ball and pushing forward. The rest is about ensuring we crush attacks when we are countered or defending firmly. We are developing a football that is one step further, such as stopping the opponent in their own half before they can even counter.

――Is the goal to press from the front and play football in the opponent's half?

Yes, the ideal is to apply pressure and keep playing football in the opponent's half from there. We have the drawer of how to quickly get in behind the opponent, while also finding ways to get in between lines, from where we can expand to a secondary attack or spread to the side for crosses. The next step is how we break teams down in the center with combinations. I think that is necessary, but since we are currently scoring well from side attacks, I am thinking about increasing that accuracy. In addition, when we push forward, for example, by spreading the ball from the center to the sides where the opponent is packed, we can shake them up to spread their defense, and then attack the space created in the center. I believe that is also necessary to raise our level.

――Are the challenges still winning the ball back in the final third and managing the risk of counters?

In the Premier League match against FC Tokyo, we actually had a very high number of instances where two or three players would win the ball back the moment we lost it. Even if they manage to break through, there is pressure, so we are able to cut it off when they are forced into a desperate move. I hope to increase the accuracy, intensity, and predictive ability even further. Also, I think there will always be times in a match where we get broken through, so it is about improving individual ability and tactical awareness to defend it alone. After all, there is no point if you can't defend to the end even after taking your time. Getting hit on the counter could lead directly to a loss. I think other teams will improve from the summer onwards, so we need to work on that precision.

 

Increasing the accuracy of a single play naturally leads to victory

――Summer is a huge timing for the academy age group where the degree and speed of growth accelerate. What kind of reinforcement are you planning for the second half of the season?

I haven't decided on anything specific, but it is ultimately about raising everyone's level. Improving the accuracy of crosses, shooting, and final passes—I want us to focus on those things. This year, in addition to the Premier League, our B team is participating in the Prince League Kanto, and I really feel that it is contributing to the overall bottom-up growth. They are playing mainly with first and second-year students, and since it is the Kanto league, the level is naturally high. The first-year students who have become accustomed to that intensity have grown significantly over the last month or two. I truly feel the meaning and value of playing in the Prince League, and I am looking forward to the emergence of players other than those currently playing as we head into the second half of the season.

――Isn't the team's growth due to the good coaching structure, including the assistants? What kind of structure do you have for coaching?

Basically, we divide the coaching between the A and B teams for training. There is a division where I mainly oversee the A team in the Premier League, while Coach Honda and Club Advisor Ogasawara look after the team in the Prince League, but recently we have also been doing things together. We distribute the load depending on the team's situation. Since we have nothing but experienced staff, I am able to entrust each session to everyone with peace of mind. We have a structure where different staff members oversee the whole, divided by session, such as set pieces, attack, or defense. Mr. Satouchi and Coach Oiwa look after physical training every day, and I really have the feeling that we are doing this as a whole staff.

――I am looking forward to the second half of the Premier League, where you are currently in first place.

Half of the season is over, and I think everyone has grown as a player. While seeking results is necessary for growth, I believe the most important thing is to do what is necessary to become a professional. Expand your own weapons and things you can do, and fill in your weaknesses. If we can continue that work, I believe the probability of winning will naturally increase. It is most important for each individual to be fully aware of and work on raising their own level. If we do that, team results will naturally follow. I also think it's meaningless to win the title if the players haven't grown. The most important thing for the club is that the players grow, increase their capabilities, and as a result, win the championship. There is no choice but to keep going match by match, day by day. The players are growing every day and playing good football, so I would be very happy if Antlers supporters would come to see the matches.