Urawa Reds held an open training session on May 12, marking the first such event since Tatsuya Tanaka took over as interim manager. Despite being a weekday morning, approximately 300 fans and supporters turned up to watch.
Urawa Reds’ first open training under interim manager Tatsuya Tanaka [Photo: Tetsuro Kutsuwada]
The club announced on April 28 that they had parted ways with head coach Maciej Skorża and appointed assistant coach Tatsuya Tanaka as interim manager. Due to a grueling schedule of five matches in 15 days over Golden Week, this was the team’s first open practice since the change.
Riding a four-match winning streak since the managerial switch, the public session drew around 300 supporters despite its 10 a.m. start time on a weekday. The squad had enjoyed two days off before the training, and Tanaka kicked things off by saying, “Let’s focus on our strengths – ball possession, the final third. Let’s enjoy ourselves.”
Defender Eiichi Katayama was absent due to injury, while midfielder Takeshi Wada was away representing Japan at the U-17 Asian Cup. However, with almost all other injured players returning during the busy stretch, Urawa have successfully regrouped as they enter the final phase of the J1 League season. On Saturday, May 16, they will host second-placed FC Tokyo at home, aiming for a fifth consecutive victory.