Just saw the game, I think most things have been said. Nagatomo has been worrying me a bit, he wasn't exactly exciting even in the few matches he played this year. But seriously what the hell was he thinking there? I know they were up 4-0 but surely it's easier to score a PK? also I spotted a couple of relatively big blunders by Yoshida today, hopefully he goes back to his last week form (great goal though)
he didn't think, he reacted. He made a mistake and the survival instinct kicked in. Indeed he hasn't been good for a while. Actually he's become anonymous. Yoshida is still better than Morishige.
Is it even possible for a player to be tested in "constant way" as you put it? Will some of you even give players time? Gotoku Sakai plays in midfield for first time w/ NT and some of you are already looking for the next player.
You can't really hope for it to happen again though, he has the touch of a serial killer ... Those two games weren't good for Yamaguchi, Haraguchi or Nagatomo and as Naopon said, we have to find a solution at CM.
For CM, I think maybe Hosogai or Kashiwagi can be tried. By the way, how do you guys think about maybe Morishige at DM? I think he has the passing range for it. Maybe Ueda or Shoji can be tried alongside Yoshida.
Fair enough but at least he has a good body of work under Vahid to say he is ahead of whomever you can name atm... not to mention, team won both WCQ.
This can't be the type of match to be excited for and not even the one against UAE. Wait for a SK/Aussie friendly or a European trip (nearly impossible for the calendar? ). I agree that Zac Japan for a reason or two had a charisma that this Japan never had but that time was exciting even for all those japanese footballers playing for the first time in Europe and with good results too. Kagawa in his prime at Klopp's BvB, Nagatomo rising in Serie A, even a Miyaichi in Feyenoord added interest in JNT. Plus that historical row of victories and the win against the like of Argentina and France. For me, we will wait so long before another Zac Japan period will happen again.
For Zac Japan it really looked like Japan were a rising football nation with an optimistic future. But I still enjoy the current team.
Yoshida's goal and Kawashima's late PK save could prove crucial since goal difference might become important in the next few matches. The middle 60 minutes were stale, Thailand were a clinical striker away from scoring a few goals and we lost nearly every 50/50 challenge and second ball in midfield. I've never watched watched Hamburg but Gotoku in midfield was horrendous in the first half, along with Yamaguchi. By all accounts Kobayashi is apparently doing fantastic at Heerenveen. Enough has been said about Nagatomo, Usami and Honda already. I hope Shoji partners Yoshida in the near future. Haraguchi looked exhausted and I can't blame him considering his lung busting style and blistering start last year, he still tracked back well. So happy to see Okazaki scoring again. I watched Iraq vs Australia last week and the pitch was atrocious (Rain played a part as well). If it's played at the same stadium again it's gonna be a real dogfight.
Hosogai has no chance unless he regains match fitness and form at Kashiwa and I personally don't rate Kashiwagi as JNT material. The Rio generation is very average so I wouldn't be surprised if we keep relying on older players though. The depth at CB is worrying, I agree Shoji is not a bad alternative to Morishige.
Hosogai is not a real candidate for the national team. Vahid bluntly stated a while back that he is basically not good enough. Yamaguchi stated after the game that he isn't yet at the level where he can fill Hasebe's shoes, but also that there really isn't anyone else aside from himself either.
I actually think Sakai is a great player and yes, he can be used in that role. But only because he's already playing as DMF with Hamburg. I mean, it's the less dramatic version of CB-role: what has been tested as DMF? We have Hasebe as certain, Yamaguchi almost certain, than you had to call back Konno (who was MVP as UAE, but still: no future)... who has been tested? Wataru Endo has 7 caps with Japan, three in EAFF Cup and two in friendlies. In official games, he played only 54 minutes. Yuki Kobayashi played 2 matches with 1 goal. He's doing well at Heerenveen and he could also playing in Kagawa's position, but nothing. Ideguchi was called up, but didn't play. He's raw, but I hope he'll be eventually in Russia. Nagaki played just for the sake of it, although I liked him. Aoyama was ditched. So where exactly are experiments? Takahagi has to be re-used, since I think he would fill Kagawa's shoes in a excellent way (or you have Kiyotake).
Yuki Kobayashi seems to be used as a DM in Netherlands, maybe he is worth a try. I think that Sakai as a DM did not really impress yesterday, but I agree it may have been too soon to judge him. Also, I think Higashiguchi and Kosuke Nakamura can be tried in friendlies too.
Didn't you watch Aguirre Japan ? No. Sakai only played because Konno got injured, no need to make a mountain out of it.
WC Qualifiers != WC. Konno won't be better so it will be easy to adjust tactics rather than play such a player on a big stage. I think it's too vulnerable to rely on a single player, and to add - he won't get better and he's nowhere WC class player. He won't save anything in case of a stronger opposition. In those two games JNT had to attack so he was used. That's all.
I feel some salt from an Hosogai fan there. Anyway I was mostly responding to the absurd Morishige ask.
What more do you want? New players are tested during friendlies... and if they are good enough or convince the manager, they play in games that matter. Considering NT meet perhaps 10-15 games yearly, it is extremely difficult to test new players in "constant way" as you put it. Btw, you left out Shibasaki (and be honest, not like he ever impressed with NT) & I personally don't rate Wataru Endo. Majority of the players you listed or could name aren't better or played better compared to Yamaguchi.