The match against Nagoya was Gamba's first win in five league games, and not only did it break a bad streak, it was a match in which all of the players embodied the direction Gamba should be heading in this season.
"It wasn't just that we won, but how we won was also very good," said Head Coach Poyatos, commenting on the team's effective offensive and defensive performance. The team's strategy of having more possession of the ball and having multiple players work together to approach the opponent's goal was evident in the two goals.

Although the match against Nagoya marked the first step in their comeback, Gamba is now focused on their next match in the J.LEAGUE YBC Levain CUP. "We are in good mental shape, but we need to stay alert and stay focused,"Head Coach Poyatos.
The 1st Round of the J.LEAGUE YBC Levain CUP 2nd Leg will be against J2 team Mito. As they have a league match against Yokohama FC on the weekend, Gamba will use all their strength to win on the road, just like they did in the 1st Leg against Kochi.
Head Coach Poyatos also said, "It will be like the match against Kochi. Every tournament is important for Gamba and it is important to win."

The players are well aware of the difficulty of a one-off tournament. The veteran Higashiguchi, who tightened up the backline in the Kochi match, said, "Even if we play well, if we lose, it's meaningless. Just like in the Kochi match, we want to get results," while Mitsuda is also full of energy, saying, "In a tournament, results are more important than content. We want to prepare well together."
This will be Mito's first official match since the 2013 season when they were in J2, but this season they met in a practice match during the Okinawa camp. Mito is currently 9th in J2, but in the last league match they won 3-1 against Sapporo, who they played against in J1 until last season. Higashiguchi expressed his caution, saying, "We played against them at the camp, but they are more aggressive and a hard-working team, so it won't be an easy match."

Mito will be looking to upset Gamba at home, and the key to the match is clear: "We need to press quickly and not let the opposition play comfortably. If Gamba has the ball at Mito's home ground, they will struggle," said Head Coach.
The first priority will be to ensure that they do not fall behind in the hard-working battle with Mito, but Gamba's strength remains their ball-moving style, which was the key to their victory against Nagoya.
"Mito's entire team works together to quickly switch transitions and they press together, so the key is knowing how to break through that," said Mitsuta.
Since Mito also uses high pressure, it is essential that they do not just focus on ball possession, but also play flexibly. It goes without saying that a common understanding among all players on the pitch is important.

Mito, on the other hand, won the 1st Leg against Kumamoto 1-0, but they advanced to the finals with a complete turnover, not even including players who played in the most recent league match on the bench. The lineup is unclear, but no matter who is on the pitch, they will likely be pressing aggressively. They will need to be careful of Watanabe, who scored two goals in the Sapporo match, and Ando, ​​who scored the winning goal in the 1st Leg of the J.LEAGUE YBC Levain CUP , but since GK has been playing steadily, they will want to make sure they score when they have the chance.
We will not allow Mito to rise up against us. Gamba will do their best to win away from home.