In the evening of July 27th, Qingdao West Coast challenged Tianjin Jinmen Tigers on the road in the 20th round of the Chinese Super League and lost 1-2 in the end. After the match, Qingdao West Coast head coach Hisashi Kurosaki attended the press conference and gave a deep comment and reflection on the match.
Hisashi Kurosaki began by admitting that challenging the Tianjin Jinmen Tigers on the road is a tough task, which the team had been fully aware of before the match. "It is very difficult to come to Tianjin and play away, which we have considered before the match." He said. However, despite the mental preparation, the team's performance in the early part of the match failed to meet expectations.
"We played well at the beginning of the game, we had a chance right off the bat, it was just a shame we didn't capitalize on it." Hisashi Kurosaki regretted. He emphasized that this is one of the team's ongoing problems, namely that they still have to improve on their ability to take advantage of key moments. "It's still important to improve this through training so that our players are more decisive and confident in the game."
Qingdao West Coast then encountered a counter-attacking tactic from Tianjin Jinmen Tigers, which became the turning point of the game. "The team then stayed patient and patiently organized their attacks, but they were still hit by a counterattack at the beginning of the second half and conceded the second goal." Hisashi Kurosaki pointed out that the team had holes in their defensive counterattacks and needed to strengthen this aspect in subsequent training sessions.
Despite the team being on the back foot for a while in the game, Hisashi Kurosaki recognized the players' fighting spirit and teamwork. "The team finally came to their senses after conceding the second goal and Alan showed his excellent recent form." He mentioned that the team showed resilience in the face of adversity, but unfortunately failed to turn that momentum into goals.
Speaking about the fans, Hisashi Kurosaki expressed his deepest apologies. "It was a very unfortunate scoreline today, especially with so many of our fans coming to the game, very sorry indeed for them!" He said. He thanked the fans for their support and encouragement and said that the team will work harder to deliver a better performance for the fans.
Finally, Hisashi Kurosaki looked ahead to future matches. "We also showed enough through this game to compete with Tianjin." He said. He believes that the team is capable of achieving better results in subsequent matches, but also emphasized the need to keep reflecting and improving. "I also hope to continue to reflect on myself and get ready for the next game!" He stated firmly.
