AC Milan are so lucky they are getting him so cheap. He's market value is worth over $20 million easy.
GTFO, Gotoku Sakai I'm happy for Osako and Kakitani. Osako scored and gave an assist against Netherlands. Kakitani scored and gave an assist against Belgium. Very good. Do you remember that these two 23 years old players were not even in the Olympic games 2012 team ? Next year, they probably will go to Brazil with senior team instead of Kenyu Sugimoto or Kensuke Nagai. Football is magic ^^
Don't get your hopes up on Osako and Kakitani. They are Japanese strikers. By definition, they will horribly disappoint us.
Cant believe i lost this epic game due to work!! (f...k the system!!) Would be appreciated if someone finds the link for the full game!!
Kakitani-Osako just got called up since EAC in Korea July 2013 and they already seem as better more exciting options then Maeda-Havenaar. fyi, Both combined to score total of 7 goals (Kakitani 4, Osako 3) for JNT this year, M-H has scored total of 6 goals in 2011 (4-2), 5 in 2012 (4-1) and 1 goals this year (0-1). that just the FWs Honda 8, Okazaki 7 and Kagawa 4 goals this year. point is, Let's keep the Kakitani-Osako pair as 1st Choice FWs for Brazil 2014.
I foresee Yanagisawa-style QBK-like performances for Kakitani... all the technical and tactical quality there in theory, but the mental strength and focus of a skittish fawn. Osako seems to have the right goal-plundering mindset, but then so have guys like Okubo... like them he probably fundamentally doesn't have the quality to trouble World Cup defenses. Still, I agree that at least they would be INTERESTING, very unlike recent crops of strikers Japan has trotted out. It is too bad there will never be another Kubo out of Japan. Kubo in his prime would have been a hattrick threat every match playing in this team.
It seems my 'wish' was granted ... Japan earned this fine win and I feel congratulations are in order ... your team has done very well and in future I'd like to say the same about my own team. Best of luck to you and your team ... maybe we'll meet again in Brazil ... sayanora.
We still don't have a FW capable of starting and scoring in a top Euro league so this will always be a problem. Kakitan's refusal to play in Europe unless it is for Barca is really frustrating, since he is obviously not Barca material. Obviously it is too late now, either way.
I seriously doubt he actually holds this position. Someone will offer good money to Cerezo, which needs it.
Unless I'm mistaken ... there's no rule that prevents Japan from being drawn into 'our group' ... 1 team from your pot will join us and the odds are the same for all teams in your pot ... KO stage is a possibility too.
Yep, it's a 1/8 possibility that Japan and Belgium draw into the same group. Belgium being seeded is irrelevant.
I think this victory somewhat proves my point in the other thread that Belgium are not the world-beaters they were made out to be (As Honda also kind of said before the match). At home, gifted a goal, and still lost without being very dangerous until the fresh subs came on. They definitely have a much deeper squad than us, but you only get 3 subs in an official match. That being said, its a friendly so we can only wait and see how they perform in Brazil. No doubt they know they need practice against non-Euro teams which is why they are playing these matches to begin with.
Attack wise yes, defensive wise, please please make it a normal solid defense, I aint expecting rambos, I am expecting a defense worthy of a World Cup .
All this negative mood about the Kakitani-Osako pairs is incomprehensible. I think they are the best thing happen to JNT since the victory over France. They are far better than the "Poles" and they have two totally different FW playstyle perfect to complete each other so that Zac will choose before every WC match which one use, selecting the fitter and eventually sending in the other if something goes wrong. They are not Euro-tier scorers? Well, this means we will not win the WC, but they are actually everything except a lack for this team.