Yoshida is fine but Konno and Morishige needs replacement. I think more options like Iwanami, Ueda,etc. should be tried. Same for CF and DM too. Usami should be called up ASAP. I can't think of other better options than Hosogai for DM since Hasebe has become quite slow as of late.
Of course viewing his game is why I said that I didn't see him as first option in the first place. He was very limited technically. Next year though should be consolidation year for him. He's also approaching the maturity age for a striker. Well I didn't say that I use JLeague statistics, I wasn't one of those calling Kawamata just because of his useless shot conversion rate. And the names I made weren't of people who scored more than Nagai probably either. So far there are 3 coaches that ignored him. But, 2015 could be his year if he keeps consistency =). About Usami, of course, which is why I agree with those who say that Usami wasn't ready to play in the NT at all. He was also subpar at those Olympics. Last season, he regained what he lost. This season should also be key for him. Never said anything like that, I just said there were better options back then
“We just finished the first phase of the four phases we have all the way to the FIFA World Cup in Russia. We discussed we would play well-conditioned players regardless of their age and build the foundation of the team up until now. From now on, I think we will select players with our eyes for the future” he added. - Shimoda (JFA Technical Committee chairman - strengthening) http://www.jfa.jp/eng/news/00004716/ Seems like it was part of the plan to play as if it were a FWC, just whoever is best at the time.
Nagai limited technically is one those assumptions one makes because he's fast. When he's as capable as any other japanese striker. It's not like Okazaki can do many things... Nagai can shoot bullets from each foot, he even has that for himself. But I guess when he's around 32 and his speed is gone, he'll finally be mature enough. And he's been ignored by a man who led the team to last place finishes in both Fifa competitions and one who thought Yusuke Minagawa was better and who couldn't go past the UAE. And there were no better options, none of the guys you're talking about at that time stuck around. Those who didn't ignore him, instead, are pretty happy with their choice. As for Usami he should gotten started at 18 when he was scoring and playing in the J.League. This ready talk is bullshit. It's not like he was going to call up a 15 years old guy out of middle school. Far less talented ready players led us to our excellent recent results. Being talented highlights the flaws you have. But the upside of talent is far more interesting than its downside. It's what makes football interesting.
LOL Okazaki is easily the most technical striker Japan has and maybe you should take a better look at his goals, which include bycicle kicks, volleys, getting past defenders, zidanesque turns, difficult traps, "diving headers"... he can do literally everything, it's incredible and 5 years ago I didn't think he could be that. He's not a sniper with his finishing in general, so that's what makes it up. As for Nagai there is no correlation about him being fast and his technical ability, he's just not a player which can do things that require technique consistently. He uses his speed to beat defenders, and has improved his finishing. Can he get better? Last season was a good start. Don't make me sound like the guy who doesn't want to see him... now There are tons of players in Japan who can shoot with both feet. LOL yes, those incompetents... they should read more bigsoccer for tips where people watch players on TV... jesus This whole "in retrospect" reasoning (like the Spain thing) is toxic and in denial, because it's so easy to have the "i knew better attitude" when you never have to dirty your hands and then just call BS to people, like Majster did to you in that other thread. Also I have no idea what you mean with stuck around, since all the guys I was talking about were the players I wanted to see back then, not now. There were players who deserved it way more than him, especially when he was 18, it's as simple as that really. The NT isn't a place to breed players (besides it only plays a dozen of matches per year), and the downside of burning them is concrete. As for the talent thing, there are plenty of "talented players" at young age - just open up an old copy of football manager, search for the wonderkids and see how many of them made it. Yes, Usami is baloon d'or material, bla bla, but not really. I'm glad that Usami's short spell in Europe somewhat still helped him anyway, even though it could've been damaging, mostly the time at Bayern. Then he was in Hoffenheim and wasn't bought, "maybe another season, maybe yet another coach", or maybe he wasn't ready, his performances were more... flashes of brilliance. He said this season he's aiming to be the league top scorer. And this comes from someone who thinks that a player like Saito has certain qualities that nobody else has in Japan (he has talent), but the fact that he can score a goal like the one against Australia and then show a lack concentration in the next 5 matches, makes me understand why someone would choose someone else. He's also not exactly blessed with the strongest of the bodies but that's another problem. He will go on to a normal career despite his talent. I did not agree with Miyaichi's caps even when he was doing well in Ere\at Bolton. That said, I expect, and would be very disappointed if this wasn't the case, in the next months a lot of fresh callups just like in the first months of Aguirre's stints, hopefully with less benching and more play time for the new players. Two nice matches against Tunisia and Uzbekistan are ahead
Okazaki the virtuoso. Oh man, the feels. No wonder we see the same litany every competition. there's no retrospect crap, if you had watched Spain, and I did as they were in France's WC qualification group you would have noticed their players were getting old and that they were eventually going to fall. I'm not playing Nostradamus there and it was more likely to happen against formidable opponents such as the Netherlands or Chile. And the point of the NT is to create a great team, not distribute rewards to those who deserved it the most. Getting a feel of who could be great or who couldn't is part of the job. That Inui or Toyoda got a call up over Usami is ludicrous, your logic is as rationale and predictable as our way of playing. It's missing something.
That's more a problem about Japan not producing an even better player (and Asia more in general). Still no Ibra up to this moment. Still did his job by scoring goals in CC&WC. This badly and out of group stage? Come on :/. And the original argument was about the state of their football, and I don't think it's any bad state nailed it, with team being the key word. But the argument here was prior to the asian cup. I would've been happy to see Usami at the AC, but I was also fine with Inui being there, he's been better than Kiyotake for example. I would've brought Usami for Kobayashi, even if I like him. Toyoda, well... yeah. But I guess Usami and Toyoda are not competing for the same type of spot, if you get what I mean
The trained eye, and I'm sure you have one, knows that Toyoda can neither run, play physical, be a decoy, play with the ball at his feet or anything. So serving no real purpose in football, he would have been better off being replaced by a dog to lift the team's spirit. Seriously. Kobayashi has played the ACL, had really good games against the types of opponents we were meeting and he can play all three positions. I don't understand. And I don't think Spain failed that badly, they still beat who they were supposed to beat by a large margin. Their football is not in a bad state and they have the depth to regain the step they've lost.
Even though Toyoda only played a few minutes at the Asian Cup, it was pretty obvious that he shouldn't play for the National team. He and Kagawa were the worst players in the last game. Toyoda could easily become the next Suzuki, Maki or Yanagisawa.
I meant that, in the coach's choices, if you wanted Toyoda out then he would've surely get another "big, aerial threat" player and not Usami merely due to tactical reasons. So, if I had to follow this logic and drop another player to make space for Usami, I think it would've been Kobayashi even if it wasn't really because I don't like him. Just stacked competition.
But Toyoda is neither big nor an aerial threat. He threw himself in the goal and headed the ball the wrong way. It's fairly obvious his game doesn't translate to "international" level. Kobayashi scored with his head in the ACL and he's fairly capable physically, playing on the wing he has to know how to play off his back and handles challenges well. Poor Toyoda didn't even touch the ball in open play. We're here to play some football . Might as well call Osako back.
Javier leaves Japan FootballChannel Asia @fcdotasia 8m8 minutes ago AGUIRRE OUT | JFA statement: "The cancellation of Mr. Aguirre's contract does not mean we recognize he was involved in match fixing."
What a shit-figure. Really guys. He was involved in this match-fixing affair from the beginning. Now waiting for his successor.
Can you believe it now, Dax ?  haha. I'm extremely disappointed by that outcome. I liked the direction we were going and I hoped Aguirre would have a chance to fix his few shortcomings.
So they fired him for his performance at the AC after all? I know JFA likes to stay diplomatic, but that statement is ridiculous.
It will be extremely hard hard to find a good replacement for Aguirre right now. Especially knowing that he made some progress in the game of NT already.
Well seeing as they've probably had to pay him out for the remainder of his contract, looks like we're on for a Japanese/J.League coach at least for 18 months.
I always said I knew he was getting fired so... yes I can Anyway personally I'm mostly indifferent. I didn't see anything special in positive or in negative, would've liked to see more though. Don't know where that tweet comes from but JFA actually said that it doesn't have anything to do with results “We learned last night that the case involving Aguirre has been accepted,” Daini told reporters at the JFA’s headquarters in Tokyo. “We were praying that this would not be the case, so we are very disappointed. But the most important thing for us to think about is the impact it would have on the national team. “Our qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup in Russia begin in June, and the investigation involving Aguirre will start now and could then lead to prosecution. We don’t want to risk it having an impact on the qualifiers, and with this in mind, Aguirre’s contract has been terminated. Daini stressed that results played no part in Aguirre’s dismissal, and expressed regret that his tenure was over after only 10 games. Aguirre’s replacement will be chosen by the JFA’s technical committee, although it remains to be seen whether current technical director Masahiro Shimoda will lead the search. The JFA said in a statement that it would be “discussing disciplinary measures” at its next executive meeting, and Shimoda may pay the price for his role in Aguirre’s appointment.