Starting line-up according to Sponichi: Nishikawa. Gotuko Sakai - Yoshida - Makino - Nagatomo. Yamaguchi - Hasebe. Kagawa. Honda - Okazaki - Haraguchi. Interesting to see Haraguchi starting again, almost one year ago he wasn't considered as a fringe player, but his hard work and consistency with Hertha Berlin really paid off. Good Luck.
One could easily forget that Yamaguchi was named in the starting lineup...... Neither CM's making themselves available options. CB's don't have passing options partly cause of this. This has been pretty uninspiring, more of the same issues, with a few bad mistakes (which so far have gone unpunished) to top it off. Honda, Sakai, and Okazaki have done alright.
Its insane to start a important qualify game with almost half of the team is out of form or doesn`t playing at club at the moment. Honda,Nagatomo,Sakai forfirst instance. They barely never playing,maybe Honda is okay but good looks different. Yoshida and Hasebe are out of form. Especially Hasebe is not in good position at the moment. I don`t get it why a great player like Shibasaki is not playing ? Yoshida is maybe okay,cause of less alternatives. But overall, it is clear that this team has no rhythm. It is the same like the WC2014. Many many out of form/long term injured players. It is a bash in the face of good form players in Japan/Europe. Muto,Inui,Kiyotake (okay he was injured short before,so thats the reason maybe),Minamino,Kubo,Usami and so on. I don`t get it.
It was a so-so first half. There is no creativity from CM, Kagawa is being named as a CM, but he is playingenious in more advanced position, leaving a notable gap between the midfield and the offence. Vahid shall bring Shibasaki/Kiyotake/Kashiwagi in for either Yamaguchi or Kagawa. but hopefully he'll replace both of them, but I can't see it happening. Nagatomo is surging forward well but leaving gaps in defence behind him, and was slow in moving back to cover on the counter. Our players are still rushing their shots and have poor shooting/passing decision. Worst player was Kagawa as he was just thrown in the line-up with no clear role assigned to him, which made us as if we are playing with a man disadvantage.
Stop calling in JNT the ones who don't play in their clubs/don't show enough drive when they're in JNT.
Good news is Japan winning 1-0 due to a penalty. Bad news is they look atrocious and cause of the result neither players nor coach will change.
My first post and thoughts. Japan needs a regime change - I would honestly drop Hasebe, Okazaki and Kagawa. I know the last two combined for a goal, but overall they hurt the team. Okazaki scores goals yes, but he is too weak to physically match up with centerbacks at the international level. Kagawa is way too passive and weak as well. Often times he plays a back pass when Japan clearly has the momentum going forward and kills our attacking play. Hasebe is a jack of all trades and imo and just adds to the passivity of the team Needs - Japan needs a physical forward the way they play. They play many balls up the middle and I cringe every time the forward is outmuscled from the ball. I was really hoping Kenyu Sugimoto would be the one, but it seems like he is not delivering in the J-league idk I don't keep up often. Sugimoto adds height, strength and has a little bit of creativity last I saw of him. Muto will be good as well but I prefer him on the wings for reasons I will explain. - Speed on the wings. Our lack of speed on the flanks is killing us on counterattacks and our attacking play. Honda is too slow to play on the wings. We need players like Muto, Haraguchi and Minamino, players that run all day with speed so our attack can be more dynamic and holes are not being left in the back. - DMs. We need a destroyer and tbh Hasebe and Yamaguchi are not cutting it. - Creative Number 10. Honda was this when he was younger but injuries have taken its toll. I like Kiyotake or Usami in this position. Outside of the box maybe Shibasaki if he can handle the physicality. Formation I would put if I was the coach (Would never happen but I can dream) - Nishikawa - Uchida, Morishige, Yoshida, Nagatomo - Honda, W. Endo - Muto, Usami/Kiyotake, Haraguchi - Sugimoto I would take my lumps with this team and see if they can score a goal without Kagawa and Okazaki.
3-0 away to our group's direct rivals. You really can't expect anything less. I'll watch the game later.
It took too long for the team to turn up. This team doesn't have the fluency of Aguiire or Zac Japan. It's still early days, and I remember Algeria playing some great football at the WC. But different kind of team, players. As soon as Usami came on you saw some of the old Japan, quick passing, patience, creative. Too often it's slow misplaced passes, long balls, or hopeful crosses that lead nowhere. I'd like to see Kiyotake and Muto get more chances too. But they got the result, will be interesting to see what the coach says.
Didn't watch the game yet, gonna do it in a few mins but dropping Hasebe and Okazaki? Wow, good luck... Looks like a good result to me, let's see what happened
Yamaguchi was awful. I don't know why Japan have players who play in the second division of the J-League almost every year! Kagawa (2008-09), Konno (2011, 2013), Endo (2013) and now Yamaguchi....#OnlyInJapan
They really need to drop Nagatomo and G.Sakai, its very important. You can`t play with a 4 line defense when 3 players of them ( Yoshida,Nagatomo and G.Sakai) lose their starting spot. Yoshida is still playing so it`s okay that he is inn the team but the other 2 ? They are good playlers with great skills but a player who doesn`t play at club can`t play for NT , that`s the magic. You can`t drop Okazaki, he is monster, some games not some games he is. But he scores and scores and scores even in a game like today where he is invisible most of the time. A player who can resist the phisicaly of Bundesliga and still can hold the Ball in England is strong enough. Kiyotake need a BIG BIG start. Since years he has absolutely no standing in JNT but Japan NEEDS his freekick/Corner abilitys. He is a super assister and a great player, he and Kagawa would be a incredible pair like in the old days. Muto,Haraguchi,Usami,Minamino,Kubo,Shibasaki should be the new faces compared with players like Okazaki,Yoshida,Uchida,Makino etc....they need a new face, when the new players are not good enough to win the qualify games then it is okay, cause Japan can`t be there with 80% of the 2014 Squad it`s not possible so chance now.It can`t be that players like Kiyotake,Muto,Minamino,Usami,Kubo play great in the JNT but the coach still prefer ones like Honda etc. who are in trouble now. Sure Honda scored and is still a important player but whe need our fast game back. I still think that the coach is not the right guy, Japan need a fresh young guy like Klopp or Tuchel who is available to go risks and brings in new players. Maybe some japanese guy.
なぜかシリア戦のメンバーに23番宇賀神の名が… pic.twitter.com/RwQ39iS6Ft— ゲキサカ (@gekisaka) October 8, 2015 Apparently the AFC match commissioner goofed and listed Tomoya Ugajin on the bench instead of Yuji Rokutan. (Ugajin hasn't even been called up for this match, but is seemingly in the pool of players registered with the AFC)
Sugimoto in the NT made my day! He is simply put: awful. Other than that I think you have some valid points. Hasebe and Yamaguchi are not really cutting it atm ( I still think Yamaguchi can be the player Japan needs, but not atm where he is even struggling to shine in J2 at times..), and pulling Honda back in that position might actually work. Whether W. Endo is ready to step it up yet Im not sure, but he will most likely playing for a bigger club already next season and we'll see then how he performs. Still think there should be room for Kagawa in this team, and I would have put Kagawa in the middle and Kiyotake/Usami on the flank, with Muto as the lone striker. Also replacing Haraguchi with Okazaki, as I still think the latter brings a lot more to the game than Haraguchi. Alternatively switching Muto and Okazaki around.
2nd half was quite solid showing compared to first. Result was as good as we hoped. But there's still some big issues.
Hasebe, Yamaguchi needs to be replaced. There need to be alternatives for Okazaki,Kagawa and Yoshida too. The JNT need to be more willing to try out other players in place of them. Shibasaki for Yamaguchi, as for Hasebe the only alternative I can think of is Hosogai, there are no other DMs I can think of that has particular good defensive instincts atm.