so who'll miss out on the second round from this group?? New Zealand & ???? Would love a Mexico surprise!!
I'm curious why everyone (columnists, commentators, coaches, etc) keeps saying this is the best England squad ever assembled. I'm not so sure I agree with that. It's basically the same core of players they've had for the last 5-7 years, only older. And some of their key performers are not at full strength. Faye White and Fara Williams are coming off injury (both only barely made the final squad), as is Karen Carney. Kelly Smith is aging and her game is changing accordingly; she had a good match today, but isn't as explosive as she used to be. She plays more of a patient, distributive role now. Aluko is in worse form than four years ago, as was obvious today. They are missing Katie Chapman's grit in midfield. And Hope Powell left two valuable attacking options off the roster entirely in Sanderson and Davison. England are still a good side who can keep possession well for spells, as they did for the first 30 minutes today, but I don't know if they have what it takes to edge out Japan for first place. Also, it's clear that Ellen White should be starting.
Japan's most impressive result, their 5-1 victory over Norway in the 2008 Olympics, actually came against a team which tended to be direct in its approach. If you want to disrupt a good possession team, running from by line to by line the way New Zealand did is a terrible way to go about it. That's just creating the space and time for players in the middle of the pitch. That's why Japan had 70% of possession. The right way to go about it is how Nigeria played against France: compress space with pressure two-thirds up the pitch, a high back line, and a packed midfield. Mexico and England both play more like Nigeria (although they won't keep their back line quite as high). That's going to be much tougher for Japan.
Several of the core players on the England squad were insanely young five years ago. Karen Carney, Eni Aluko, and Jill Scott were 19; Anita Asante was 21; Alex Scott and Fara Williams were 22. So it is only to be expected that older has meant better, and some have years to go yet before their peak. Moreover, a strong cohort of even younger talent has been added since then: there are five players aged 23 or younger on the squad. Chapman is missed, but her grit was a mixed blessing. She had a tendency to make reckless challenges and give up free kicks in dangerous areas, which cost England dearly in the last World Cup. Being out of the England team was Sanderson's choice rather than Powell's. Davison isn't nearly at the level of the England squad, and there are many other forwards, particularly Natasha Dowie, who would have to be considered before her. Perhaps so, but her lack of composure in the last 15 minutes made me uneasy. There is a better case for starting Jess Clarke, with Karen Carney pushed into Kelly Smith's role where she excelled against Sweden and Kelly Smith pushed up top.
Norway are not as direct as you would imagine. Back in 08 they started the shift towards decent football, but got torn apart by a Japan side playing great stuff. New Zealand and the USA hurt the Japanese the most back in 08, playing with limited use of the ball. All because of the quick, athletic, direct nature, to the way they could adapt their football. Mexico and England wish they had the Nigerian's mobility and speed in their backlines. Nigeria contained France with qualities few nations at this WC have in their defenders. Just think how few chances an athletic Nigeria created against France, then half that, and you are looking at the best Mexico or England could do playing like in that fashion. Both of them would be exhausted before the hour mark.
The shift in emphasis by Norway was much heralded, but they were still more direct than most teams at the Olympics. Their opening goal against the US was the kind of thing that was still a normal part of their attacking arsenal. Compressing the space in the midfield is an approach that has never strictly depended on having a speedy defense. It is also the way Germany played against Brazil in the 2007 grand final, and Germany had a pretty slow back line. The lack of chances created by Nigeria has nothing to do with their defense. They had plenty of the ball. And as far as conditioning is concerned, I am sure that England and Mexico have Nigeria beat. In any case, it is not an especially taxing way to defend. Because everything is kept so compact, most of the running is quick five to ten meter bursts rather than the constant running of New Zealand.
Yeah, the fact Solo ended up punching her own player in the dome and not the ball, I wouldn't exactly put that goal down to Norwegian aggressive direct play . Slow? Have you seen 3 of England's back 4 run? And Mexico hardly convince in the speed department either. Germany are quick all around the field, they just don't rely on it to bail them out all the time though. England always puff out of steam, and for all Mexico's progress they never look physically dominating. Nigeria have half their team in decent Euro leagues, so I doubt they lag behind England or Mexico in conditioning. The only reason Nigeria created any half chances was down to running hard, because it certainly wasn't organisation. They had awful transition between the backline, midfield, and attack.
Whiskey. Tango. Foxtrot. So now goals didn't happen if a mistake was involved? They are just flushed down the memory hole 1984-style? Well, guess what? In that case the result of every match is 0-0. Germany has speedsters in the back? Wow. Just wow. You should actually watch them sometime. New Zealand were far more fatigued in the last half hour than either Mexico or England. The organization of Nigeria's attack has nothing to do with how they defended. Those are two different things. This is drifting from the original point, which is disagreement about whether Japan have better prospects against England and Mexico than against New Zealand. At this point, we have made our cases for and against. Events will begin to render their own judgment in three days, and I am just going to leave it at that.
It's funny. I saw the first two predictions and I thought "Well, the first one was too much. I don't think England will get 4 and then I said I don't think the Kiwis will get 2 either." So I thought 2-0. Good choice!
Japan (Norio Sasaki): Same starters as in JPN 2-1 NZL. #7 Ando is on the left, #11 Ohno on the right. [LINEUP-4-4-2] 7 Kozue Ando:M, 17 Yuki Nagasato , 8 Aya Miyama, 10c Homare Sawa, 6 M.Sakaguchi, 11 Shinobu Ohno:F , 15 Aya Sameshima, 4 Saki Kumagai, 3 Azusa Iwashimizu, 2 Yukari Kinga , 21 Ayumi Kaihori [/LINEUP-4-4-2] Mexico (Leonardo Cuellar): #6 Natalie Garcia for #3 Rubi Sandoval; #18 Veronica Perez for #8 Guadalupe Worbis. [LINEUP-4-4-2] 9(c) Maribel Dominguez, 18 Veronica Perez ,19 M.Ocampo, 11 Nayeli Rangel, 10 Dinora Garza, 21 Stephany Mayor , 15 L.Saucedo, 4 A.Garciamendez, 6 Natalie Garcia, 5 N.Vinti , 20 Cecilia Santiago [/LINEUP-4-4-2] Graphic shows 4-4-1-1, with #18 Perez behind #9(c) Marigol.
01' 0-0 Japan cross high from box top arc right past left post -- too high. 05' 0-0 Mexico rolls a ball through box right, #9(c) Dominguez chases it down at 6-top right, cuts the ball back between two defenders, but she's alone, and they close the blast doors. 10' 0-0 Japan build and probe through midfield, Mexico defends resolutely. Average heights are 5'3" and 5'4", so both teams will look for more aerial play
12' 0-0 #7 Kozue Ando is clipped down at 22m box left. 13' 1-0 #8 Aya Miyama curls the free kick to 6m right post, #10(c) Homare Sawa does a bit of back-riding to get her defender bent over in a duckwalk, rises and heads a down-bouncer to the lower right 90.
Wow -- what a fantastic brace of goals there! Japan has some quality players, that's for sure. And they're playing very well. Good stuff! Let's see how Mexico responds.
And while I was typing that -- 15' 2-0 Japan chips a long service (when they're pinpoint, they're not "long balls") from center circle right to box top center. #17 Yuki Nagasato settles it, slides down through arc right foot, pokes ball across box top to #11 Shinobu Ohno, who Z-steps between #4 Alina Garciamendez and #15 Luz del Rosario Saucedo, busts alone into box to 14m, shoots upper right 90.
After being slightly critical of the finishing in the first several games, the finishing in this game and the French-Canada game has really been superb. Excellent advertisements for the game!
How do the Nadeshiko look right now? All I can watch right now is match cast even though I am in Tokyo...:/
You're kidding. Is this game not being televised in Japan? That is criminal! Japan are really dominant -- they're playing superbly. They have 65% possession or so, they're playing intelligent build-up play and getting into good positions. Miyama has been excellent, and the strikers are looking dangerous. Just now, they almost scored a third when a fast break forward called the Mexican keeper way out to the edge of the box, but Japan couldn't capitalize. Mexico are on the ropes, for sure.