Kawasaki Coach: Team Decides to Take a Day Off on Thursday, I Advise Players to Cut Off Unnecessary Public Opinion Information While Resting

On the 23rd of this month, Oleg Mogilevski, the head coach of Urawa Red Diamonds, held a routine online press conference after leading the team’s training session, stating that he had arranged intensive high-intensity training for the players on Tuesday and Wednesday, and suggested that the players should cut off any external public opinion information two days before the match.

Mogilevski said, “The next match against Kawasaki will be the last match of the children’s summer vacation, so I hope they can come to the stadium and enjoy it thoroughly. I hope we can play an exciting game at home and get three points. The training on the 22nd (this Thursday) was canceled because we conducted high-intensity training under quite hot conditions on Tuesday and Wednesday, with our load increasing by about 20%. The day off is intended to maintain physical fitness for the match.”

“Before this week, the weather has been very hot, and under these circumstances, we have been conducting high-intensity training. We have communicated with the players and staff, discussing various aspects of physical fitness, psychology, and the game. In short, rest is a very important thing. I believe not only athletes but also the whole society faces the same problem: when we want to rest, we receive too much unnecessary information. We must learn how to rest while blocking out this information.”

Mogilevski’s meaningful remarks are indeed profound. Due to the relatively poor performance of Urawa Red Diamonds in the J.League this season, the club and players have faced a lot of abuse and threats from radical fans on social media. Since late July, Urawa Red Diamonds has experienced two incidents of fan violence within a short period, which undoubtedly dealt a significant blow to the club’s public image. This Saturday evening (the 24th), Urawa Red Diamonds will face their old rivals, Kawasaki Frontale. Currently, there are multiple sources indicating that if Mogilevski fails to win, he may be immediately dismissed, showing the immense pressure facing the entire Urawa organization.