The Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2022 is scheduled to kick-off on 2 April. Here we interviewed coach KURODA Go of Aomori Yamada High School (Aomori), last year's EAST champions, and coach NAGAHASHI Yasuhiro of Kawasaki Frontale U-18 (Kanagawa), who were promoted to the Premier League for the first time, to hear their reflections on last year and their ambitions for this year's league competition.

○This interview was conducted online on 16 March 2022.

――What are your impressions of each other's teams?

KURODA　We have been hearing from teams in the Kanto Prince League that Frontale is head and shoulders above the rest for the past few years. I feel that they are a team that has the ability to contend for the top spots in the Premier League, and I think at the moment we are not even close to being able to match them. They are probably one of the best teams in Japan in both offence and defence.

NAGAHASHI　Everyone knows that Aomori Yamada is a very strong team, and watching them win the triple crown (Inter-High School Championships, All Japan High School Soccer Tournament, Prince Takamado Trophy Premier League EAST) last season made us wonder how much we could do under the same kind of intensity level. They are a complete team with very few flaws, and we are all paying attention to them, including the players and staff. They are a solid team that can initiate counters from defence, attack both inside and outside the field, and create chances from set-pieces including throw-ins.

――This will be the first season in the Premier League for Kawasaki F.

NAGAHASHI　Our focus has always been on player development, so we have worked towards building a team that is capable of achieving individual growth and promotion to the Premier League. However, it was difficult to achieve both at the same time, but thanks to the hard work of last year's players, we have finally earned our spot in the Premier League.

――What are your impressions of the Premier League?

NAGAHASHI　I have the impression that many matches show the teams' colours, and that the teams are approaching the matches with a thorough analysis of their opponents. We have always focused on the concept of how we play football as a team, so we haven't spent much time analysing our opponents in the past. However, I am afraid that we will not be able to win with that approach. Needless to say, our top team analyses and takes countermeasures against their opponents, so we think this is a good opportunity for the players to get in touch with such approach. We would like to prepare each match with the focus on how we can eliminate our opponents' strengths while maximising our own strengths.

――Aomori Yamada, on the other hand, has been competing in the Premier League since the league was founded in 2011. How do you look back on last year, when you won the EAST?

KURODA　I think it was a year in which the team was fuelled by the disappointment of finishing second in the All Japan High School Soccer Tournament for two consecutive years. It was also a year in which the team’s player development came to fruition, with six players from Aomori Yamada Junior High School featuring the starting line-up. Led by MATSUKI Kuryu (currently plays for FC Tokyo) and UNO Zento (currently plays for FC Machida Zelvia), we had a powerful team that could apply aggressive pressure against any opponent.

――What type of football are you looking to play?

NAGAHASHI　As a club, we are committed to playing an attack-minded style of football based on the fundamental skills of stopping and kicking the ball. Defence is an aspect that the players tend to lose sight of when pursuing an attacking style. Although some players may think that this is not in line with the direction we are aiming for, we constantly tell them that defence is an essential part of football, because we know that we cannot win at the Premier League without solid defence.

KURODA　We are still struggling to cope with a complete turnover of players. In Aomori Prefecture, club activities were suspended for two months due to the effects of Covid-19, and we were not available to train as a team until 21 March. Considering that we couldn't train during what we call the “training period” in the snow country, I think there are some areas that we are missing out on. However, I am still hoping that we will function as a team for our first match of the Premier League. We can't play football where we outplay our opponents with techniques, so we'd like to start by working hard to win the ball, finding spaces behind our opponents, and scoring from restarts.

――Finally, what are your teams’ goals?

NAGAHASHI　Some of the players in this team have been with the club since the junior category. We are aiming to bring these players as close as possible to the level of football played by the club's top team. I hope to take on the season-long challenge of seeing how well our football can compete in Japan's highest league competition. It may sound cocky coming from a newly promoted team, but we decided with the players that we are going to compete for the championship.

KURODA　First of all, we will do our best to avoid relegation. I honestly don't know how much our team will improve as the season goes on. We hope to shape up the team to some extent by the summer. So, it could be a season where we rally to make up ground in the second half of the season. We must first see how well we can play in the match in front of us, and whether we can earn a point or not. We will fight without thinking too far ahead.

Prince Takamado Trophy JFA U-18 Football Premier League 2022

League Duration: Sat. 2 April - Sun. 4 December 2022

League Information