There was once a time when Japan qualifying for the World Cup wasn’t exactly a given. Twenty years ago to be exact The Samurai Blue made their first appearance on football’s grandest stage. Since then they have become a consistent player on international football making each of the last five World Cups and winning three AFC Asian Cups. Although Japan still very much is a baseball country soccer has found its niche.
But the question is now: When will Japan make the big jump? 2018 might just be that year. Despite some coaching difficulties Japan bring to Russia a very experienced, highly motivated side.
So with that aside here are the three hopes and one fear for Japan.
Hope #1: That their German midfield can maintain possession.
Makoto Hasebe (Eintracht Frankfurt), Genki Haraguchi (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Shinji Kagawa (Borussia Dortmund), and Takashi Usami (Fortuna Dusseldorf) are all coming off quality campaigns for their respective German sides and have really taken to their club countries methodical passing methods. Japan very rarely gives up possession and although they aren’t exactly a prolific scoring side they always do enough to get the result. Keisuke Honda of Pachuca may get all of the headlines but it is this foursome that will dictate whether Japan has any bit of success in Russia.
Hope #2: That their stifling defensive work in qualification translates to the next stage.
Japan were one of the best defensive sides during qualification in Asia, giving up just seven goals across two rounds and 18 matches. Only Iran, considered to be one of the best defensive sides in the world, fared better among the sides that qualified from allowing just five goals. Defenders Maya Yoshida (Southampton) and Yuto Nagomoto (Marseille) have not shown one bit of age and now have the veteran wherewith all to understand how to time their runs and tackles.
Against the likes of Robert Lewandowski (Poland), Sadio Mane (Senegal), and James Rodriguez they are going to have a tall task ahead of them. But if there is a side that can stop attackers of their caliber it is Japan.
Hope #3: That they can get out of the Round of 16.
In their five appearances at the World Cup Japan have yet to get beyond the Round of 16. While they have certainly impressed in those years it always felt like they left a little bit early. Perhaps it is their style of play or the passion of their supporters but they have added a real interesting style over the past few years and they have endeared themselves to the footballing world.
This kind of ties into Hope #2 but it really boils down to two things. First, they are going to have to take chances against Colombia, Poland, and Senegal. If they just sit back and take shot after shot from those three sides they will lose. Those teams will not let up and so it is important that forward Shinji Okazaki (Leicester City) gets chances on goal. As evidenced by his run with Leicester he can score in big matches.
As for the second reason…
The big fear: That Akira Nishino was brought in too late.
It is always a red flag when a team brings in a manager the same year as they are playing a World Cup. There has been far too much preparation done in the lead up to the tournament that bringing in a new manager might destabilize what has already been built. The risk is that it could create a divided locker between players who favored the old manager versus those that favor the new one.
This is the risk that Japan took when they fired Vahid Halilhodžić and brought in Akira Nishino. Halilhodžić doesn’t sound like it was due to results (kind of hard to improve upon a World Cup appearance and seven goals allowed). Rather it sounds like the always fun ‘breakdown in communication with players’ (he has denied it). Even if that is the case one would expect the Japanese FA to hire a coach of some domestic or international pedigree. Instead they went with Nishino who hasn’t coached in three years and whose last job at Nagoya Grampus ended up in him getting sacked.
If Halilhodžić was having issues with players that is obviously a concern. But Japanese supporters have to hope that their FA exercised caution in making this decision. Otherwise their worst fears may come true: a destabilized side that has an early exit.
Japan
2018 World Cup
