The thread is a year late but let's play that game once more. One year before the Olympics and three before the World Cup, I want you to predict what both lists will look like. In a few years, we'll look back on it just for fun. I'll edit this post to publish mines.
goalkeeper: keisuke osako tomoya wakahara kosei tani defence: takehiro tomiyasu naomichi ueda (oa) ayumu seko daiki hashioka daiki sugioka yukinari sugarawa tomoki iwata midfield: takefusa kubo koji miyoshi ritsu doan keito nakamura keita endo ko itakura yuta nakayama ao tanaka forward: koki ogawa kazunari ichimi daizen maeda ryotaro meshino koki saito more ideal (than predicted) 23 for tokyo 2020.
Tokyo 2020 GK: Keisuke Osako Tomoya Wakahara Ryosuke Kojima DF: Takehiro Tomiyasu Ayumu Seko Daiki Sugioka Yukinari Sugawara Gen Shoji (OA) Tomoki Iwata MF: Takefusa Kubo Gaku Shibasaki (OA) Ritsu Doan Ko Itakura Ao Tanaka Hiroki Abe FW: Yuya Osako (OA) Daizen Maeda Ayase Ueda Not sure if Shoji or Nakajima are going to be taken. Schmidt may be taken also if Moriyasu doesn't trust K. Osako in goal. I think that Yuya is a must take due to the lack of quality upfront. I can also see Nagatomo possibly being taken as a OA. Japan is so unlucky that Kamada, Yuma Suzuki, and Koya Kitagawa are born in 1996 otherwise we would be fine upfront.
2020 Olympic team: GKs: Eiji Kawashima Go Hatano Defenders: Takehiro Tomiyasu Yuta Nakayama Yukinari Sugawara Daiki Hashioka Ayumu Seko Daiki Sugioka Midfielders: Gaku Shibasaki Takefusa Kubo Ko Itakura Mitsuki Saito Kanya Fujimoto Fowards: Ayase Ueda Ritsu Doan Shoya Nakajima Keito Nakamura Tatsuya Ito 2022 World Cup team: GKs: Daniel Schmidt Yohei Takaoka Takashi Kasahara Defenders: Takehiro Tomiyasu Yuta Nakayama Yukinari Sugawara Hiroki Sakai Ayumu Seko Yuto Nagatomo Riku Handa Gen Shoji Midfielders: Gaku Shibasaki Takefusa Kubo Ko Itakura Mitsuki Saito Kanya Fujimoto Daichi Kamada Fowards: Ayase Ueda Koki Saito Junya Ito Taichi Hara Tatsuya Tanaka Ritsu Doan Shoya Nakajima
Nice game, I remember doing it previously. I will do two editions of both 2020 Olympics and 2022 WC (as one will be my selection and the other will be the selection I think Moriyasu will make).
Tokyo 2020 Osako Wakahara Tomiyasu Shoji Iwata Sugawara Itakura Sugioka Nakayama Shibasaki Tanaka Doan Kubo Ueda Osako Hatate Saito Maeda The rest, later.
My prediction for Tokyo Olympics 2020: Here is the squad I think Moriyasu will call-up, with my own different selections between brackets and in bold: GK Keisuke Osako. Kojima (Kawashima or Kosuke Nakamura). DF Tomiyasu. Shoji (Seko). Itakura. Iwata. Sugioka. Sugawara. MF Shibasaki. Nakayama. Mitsuki Saito. FW Yuya Osako. Ayase Ueda. Kubo. Daizen Maeda. Doan. Miyoshi. Keita Endo (Keito Nakamura). I think Moriyasu will go for experience at CB instead of GK, while I will go the other way around, that’s why I selected either Kawashima/Kosuke Nakamura as the third overage player instead of Shoji. While both Yuya Osako and Gaku Shibasaki seem to be fixed options for 2 of the 3 overage spots. As for Hatate and Koki Saito, they have great potential, but I think lack of top level playing time and experience will rule them out in favour of Miyoshi and Endo in the eyes of Moriyasu, in addition to Miyoshi and Endo’s versatility. Speaking about versatility Moriyasu might include Sanfrecce Hiroshima’s Tsukasa Morishima instead, especially with his understanding of Moriyasu’s game-plan and tactics. As for my selection, I will go with Keito Nakamura over the likes of Endo, Koki Saito, Hatate, and Morishima based on the fact that I think his transfer to the Netherlands will help him to grow and unleash his potentials, which will make him surpass the mentioned players.
The future goalkeeper pool is so poor. There's Kosuke Nakamura and Keisuke Osako. That's it. No other young keepers are getting playing time in the league besides Takaoka who plays for relegation candidates Tosu.
FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022: Here is the squad I think Moriyasu will call-up, with my own different selections between brackets and in bold: GK Kosuke Nakamura. Keisuke Osako. Gonda (Kawashima). DF Tomiyasu. Shoji. Yoshida (Seko). Naomichi Ueda. Nagtomo (Koki Anzai). Hiroki Sakai. Iwata. Sugawara. MF Shibasaki. Wataru Endo Kento Hashimoto (Itakura). Kento Misao (Mitsuki Saito). FW Yuya Osako. Ayase Ueda (Yuma Suzuki). Nakajima. Minamino. Kubo. Kamada. Daizen Maeda (Keito Nakamura). Doan (Kagawa). Comments: GK position: Kosuke Nakamura is gradually back to his post-injury form, and if he continues improving, I think he will surely be Japan’s number one GK. I think Moriyasu will choose one young GK, and I think Osako will be his choice and my choice as well. One experienced (an over 30) GK is needed, and I think Moriyasu will choose Gonda, but with his previous physical and mental problem with overtraining -during which he almost retired- I’m not sure how he will develop in the next 3 years. This said, Kawashima -if still fit- can be called-up as the third GK, and used as a role-model within the squad and an off-field captain, as it was the case with Kawaguchi in the 2010 WC. DF position: As I said in my comments on the Olympic squad that Moriyasu will most probably choose experienced players in defence rather than goalkeeping, this is said I think he will select Yoshida and make him the captain, and both Nagatomo and Hiroki Sakai. My approach is the other way around, going for experience at GK position rather than defence, as I believe the new generation of young Japanese defenders are more composed and confident than their GK counterparts. Hence, I will go to drop Yoshida in favour of a young CB (Seko is my choice), Nagatomo in favour of Anzai, while I will keep Sakai as the only over 30 player in the defence. MF position: I think Moriyasu will go with players more older and experienced in the central midfield rather than younger options. Even though the likes of Misao, Hashimoto, and Oshima will be still in their 20s, but I will go with younger players with more potentials, as I said Mitsuki Saito and Itakura will be my choices. While Gaku Shibasaki and Wataru Endo will probably be enough to bring the required experience in this position. FW position: An experienced player is much needed in this place, to give the attacking unit calmness in crucial matches, in the last minutes of matches that Japan will need to secure, and off-field. In my opinion Kagawa will be suitable for this role, he surely won’t be a starter, but his presence on the bench, and the confidence he can inject within the team if he enters as a second half substitution, when Japan is either chasing a result or needing to protect a lead will be crucial. With his smart passes and the way he can hold possession, he can even drop back to midfield to form a 3-men central midfield with him being an advanced central-midfielder linking the midfield with the attack and help closing the gaps between these two lines. I will drop a player like Kamada or Doan in favour of having Kagawa in the team for the reasons I explained. As for Keito Nakamura I think he will develop into a better player than the likes of Doan and Kamada. This is why I will include him ahead of these players, but I’m sure Moriyasu will not drop Doan. Kamada can play as a side attacking midfielder, behind the striker, and as a false 9 striker just like Honda in 2010 WC. He definitely set to bring something different to the team other than what a predictable player like Doan can bring. Given that we already will have Nakajima, Kubo, and Minamino, Kamada will bring something different than these 3 players, unlike Doan. I will choose him ahead of Doan. Finally, I rate Yuma Suzuki highly, as he can both play as a striker and help the team with his hold-up play in the box, and he can also drop back to help the team in the build-up, just like Osako. For this reason I will pick him over other alternatives.
Osako Schmidt Gonda Yoshida Tomiyasu Shoji Muroya Itakura Sugawara Anzai Iwata Endo Shibasaki Kubo Doan Tanaka Nakajima Minamino Osako Saito Kamada Suzuki Mitoma
GK 1. Daniel SCHMIDT 2. Kosuke NAKAMURA 3. Eiji KAWASHIMA DF Hiroki SAKAI Yukinari SUGAWARA Takehiro TOMIYASU (c) Maya YOSHIDA Gen SHOJI Naomichi UEDA Koki ANZAI Yuta NAKAYAMA MF Ko ITAKURA Hidemasa MORITA Gaku SHIBASAKI Takuhiro NAKAI FW Shoya NAKAJIMA Takefusa KUBO Takumi MINAMINO Ritsu DOAN Daichi KAMADA Masaya OKUGAWA (Kagawa) Yuya OSAKO Ayase UEDA
Nakajima Osako Tomiyasu Ueda Iwata Sugawara Sugioka Nakayama Itakura Shibasaki Tanaka Mitsuki Saito Doan Kubo Keito Nakamura Ueda Ogawa Maeda
Ah, yes, my mistake I can not edit my above post :| My prediction for GK position is Kawashima, not Nakajima, of course.
Tokyo 2020 Osako Wakahara Sugawara Tomiyasu Shoji Sugioka Seko Soma Shibasaki Tanaka Itakura Kubo Nakajima Nakamura Nishikawa Ueda Saito Miyashiro
Does any one think that nakai has a long shot at the 2022 wc? Or is that too soon? I mean he will be coming up to 19 by then but probably is too soon for him I guess
I'm gonna try for Tokyo 2020, WC maybe later. Obviously these are my expectations, not the choices I would make. GK: Osako Obi DF: Some OA (sorry, I really don't know) Tomiyasu Iwata Sugioka Sugawara Itakura Sounds weird to say but given that there are also Tatsuta and Seko, there are quite several young CBs to pick from. One of them probably will be among the 4 "alternative members". MF Tanaka Ao Saito M. Nakayama (shouldn't... but I sense he will) Abe (0 sense, but I sense it happening :/ ) Some OA Miyoshi Kubo Mitoma Ito, Meshino or Nakamura will likely be another of the four reserve members. FW Ueda Osako (OA). Or maybe Okazaki again... (Hatate) Doan's a mystery. I didn't put him just because... it kinda doesn't seem they want to use him. I don't know. One player which I liked but don't see happening is Shunta Tanaka.
Shunta Tanaka is a solid CB, he will play for Consadole Sapporo next season, but unless he will have exceptional performances next season I can’t see him making it to the Olympic squad.