(2011.01.21) AFC Asian Cup QF: Japan x Qatar [R]

That's really not the correct use of 'lucky'. It was unlucky we had 3 paid refs, it was unlucky they didn't give a blatant penalty 3 times in the space of 2 seconds.

It was a goal against all the bad luck you could ask for.

I loved how Zac celebrates the 2-2, 3-2 and FT.

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu6WWSqgDlI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yu6WWSqgDlI[/ame]

When the players came over to our section to bow and wave etc, they were so ecstatic. Jumping on each other and hugs and high fives all around, even Honda got into it.

Japan has now scored 11 goals in 4 games here. What I like about it is that they've come from a variety of avenues of attack: crosses, offside breaks, passing. Just several ways of fundamentally breaking down defences. Despite our defence being a little shaky, Soria's goal was a mistake started by Inoha who let him onside, Jordan's goal was going straight into Kawashima until it was deflected. We're surprisingly strong defensively considering who was in the starting backline this tournament.

I'm sort of pleased that we're going to be forced to start Daiki Iwamasa against Iran or South Korea semi.

 

Honda is the next Endo. I've say it since ages, he's great at holding midfield and his coach understood it well. Honda has a very abrupt and powerful acceleration but overall he's slow.

 

Because goal.com praised them so much in the play by play, a rating would have been redundant.

 

Even if you give advantage I think the ref can still give 1 red (foul on Kagawa, clearly a scoring chance for him) and 1 to 3 yellows (foul on either Honda, Okazaki, Endo) after the goal.
Probably any other NT would have stopped playing and trying to get FKs or PKs... so all the more a great goal & win.

 

So you wanted the ref to give us a penalty instead of Inoha tapping it into an open net?

 

It was a fantastic pass really.

 

No I'm just saying the sequence of play wasn't a lucky one. But rather a goal in the face of a LOT of bad 'luck'

 

I'm thinking this will be the case come Brazil. But he's not bad for breaking down these stubborn anti-football gulf sides in the meantime.

 

On the contrary, all of his best work for the NT has been done as false nine, playing very forward and holding up the play.

In any case, let us set aside jubilation and consider the level of Japan's performance. Although tremendously gutsy, which is a wonderful new quality of the past two years not seen since about 1998, there are many quality problems.

The Barcelona comparison is ridiculous for a team that gives up the ball so cheaply so often and gets countered as a result. This is particularly dangerous when playing with two ultra-attacking fullbacks and inexperienced centerbacks. Fortunately, we have Nagatomo the midget Colossus, who can rifle shots on goal from one 18 and be muscling a striker off the ball at the other 18 within the blink of an eye. Astonishing player. Maybe not since Lizarazu in his prime have I seen such imperious two-way play from an international sideback. The most at fault for the giveaways has been Maeda's absolute inability to bring the ball under control with his first touch when under physical pressure. Considering he's great at that in J-League, we have to attribute it to him just not having the strength, mental and physical, to operate at international level. At some point he just gives up completely, as epitomized when he did manage to receive the ball with only one man to turn at the corner of the 18, and just passed it back to Nagatomo, who of course did something awesome.

Zac has really given Maeda a chance, but his passivity is going to be too much of a liability against Iran or Korea. Yoshida is the other big problem, thankfully the ref solved that one for us. Inoha had some great moments but it was evident that his lack of pace is way too much of a weakness that will be exploited consistently. Kawashima did make important early saves but his string of gaffes and Nishikawa's evident composure means it's time to make the switch.

Kagawa has awoken, Endo has been up and down so after a poor showing today hopefully he'll be on the up for the semi. Okazaki is still in predatory mode.

So the big problem to solve is Honda. He just gets in Kagawa's way and dawdles on the ball as things stand, he's played like one really good half in the whole tournament and many very bad ones, the first half against Qatar being among the worst. Time to go back to the stroke of genius with which Okada stunned us all: Honda the false nine.

------------------Honda
------------Okazaki--Kagawa
-----------------Kashiwagi
--------------Hasebe--Endo
IMMORTAL-Iwamasa-Konno-Uchida
----------------Nishikawa

Honda can hold the ball up against almost anybody and being on the shoulder of the last defender should encourage him to take more risks and waste less time.
Okazaki and Kagawa have shown they will track back relentlessly from wide attacking positions to defend, so we can afford the loss of Honda's toughness deeper in midfield, as long as Endo is up for it and Hasebe continues his steadiness. It's a narrow midfield but with Nagatomo and Uchida, we can totally afford that.

This is a lineup that, if Japan came out with the kind of intensity they show when under the gun, from the opening whistle, could really put Korea or Iran on the back foot.

 

Fair enough. I thought we were rather lucky the ref never called any of the fouls outside the box.

 

You must refer to Kagawa as God in this.

 

But I pretty much liked the part of play when they were trying to score the forst one. It looked like Kagawa took the place just behind the Okazaki who was at the top, Maeda was rather going to the left wing and Honda was playing behind the whole formation, many times getting back for the ball (even playing with defenders, just like a normal defensive midfielder), and tried to get the ball more forward. That was the best few minutes of this team during this tournament I've seen so far. And what they would be without their captain who always saves their asses?

 

Because of this. Busquets can hold the ball as well. But Honda will never be a striker. We were playing him upfront because we were in urgency, having no confidence and no results. But we're entering a new 4 years cycle and Honda has no future as a striker.

 

Haha whenever I played as Barca on fifa (i don't play it much now), I always had Keita as the CF in the Barca 4-3-3 instead of Villa just for that reason you said.

 

Neither does Maeda.

 

True. Damn I like the man but today we could see that he is not good enough. Time for some new strikers. To bad Okazaki is the only one that has stayed on the NT for the last 2 years.

 

It's about wanting to take the best from our supposed best player. Maeda is struggling but he's still a striker.

 

Congrats guys on a truly classy win where the best stuff was played 10 v 12!

 

Why is it that Japan can't produce a striker of an international level? In my opinion Takahara in his best days is the only one we had in the past 10yrs (or even longer). Hopefully Morimoto but I kinda have my doubts bout him. Looks like every youngster wants to be a midfielder or a sideback Anyone have an explanation for that?

 

Things like going to school in single file and lack of idols on that position I think.

 

I blame captain Tsubasa for that. Hyuga Kojiro needs his own manga and anime.

 

Post-match comment by Hasebe:

About the ref:
レフェリングとか言ったらしょうがないのかなと思いますけど、ホントにアジアのサッカーのレベルを上げたいんだったら、ああいうレフェリングをしていたら、上がっていかないと思います。

It makes no sense talking about refereeing, but if the objective is to raise the level of Asian football, then I think with this kind of refereeing it will not be possible.

About Inoha's goal:
伊野波がなんであそこにいたのか、僕は分からないですけど（笑）。それまでも行くなってベンチからも指示が出ていて、僕も伊野波には行くなって言っていたんですけど、それであそこにいたんでびっくりしました。

Why Inoha was there, I don't know (laughs). He was told by the bench not to move up like that, and I myself told him not to, so I was shocked to see him there.

 

http://www.the-afc.com/en/afc-asian-cup-news/inside-afc-asian-cup/32862-referees-get-the-thumbs-up

LMAO.

 

I really hate these guys.

 

I feel much better with Yoshida out and Iwamasa in.

I always feel sick to my stomach when I watch him play. It seems like everytime he is involved there's always a chance of him ********ing something up.

Iwamasa seems much more reliable.