Japanese Abroad 2010/11 [R] - Part II

He had a bad luck playing against Pato who's been definitely best in Milan that evening. Still, if he didn't score or assisted, it's still Nagatomos success. That's his job. His play wasn't exceptional, just his solid average performance.

 

Nagatomo was late often on pushing up. He was often the last man, and had the ref not make so many mistakes, Pato could have had few goals.

 

For a relative small football-nation like Japan is ( atleast in terms of players making their mark in top clubs in Europe) I think what the commentators are doing about Kagawa is not something only limited to Japan. Alot of Norwegian commentators goes on the exact same way when they are commentating matches from Serie A With John Arne Riise, or Ligue 1 when John Carew was making the headlines for Lyon a few years back. Not so much when they commentate PL, because thats where most Norwegian players are anyway, so they are not as "special" as perhaps someone who succeeds in another big league in Europe is. Im sure if Norwegian TV were to broadcast Shimizu S-Pulse they would gone on in the exact same way about Frode Johnsen.

But I can imagine that the Japanese commentators are perhaps another level above what I'm used to back home, as the idolizing usually is a bit stronger there, and for all the personal fans that Kagawa have in Japan i'm sure most of them appreciate that the commentators focuses so much on Kagawa. I guess their broadcasting is not directed to fans like yourself, or me, but are instead focusing towards the "mainstream Kagawa-supporters".

 

Thanks bro, stupid soccernet write the own goal are make by Matsui.

 

I think Nagatomo is a little bit tired, easy to forgive after his sensational last week.

 

You make it sound like Nagatomo was awesome.
He gave away a PK, and got saved by the linesman against Pato (although keeper might have saved it if he kept playing).

 

Do they have it in a second language?
I don't care so much about the commentating, but the main problem with Japanese players going to Europe is that you can be sure their game will be broadcast no matter what the team is, leaving one less spot for a higher profile match.

 

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p0rY87Xx-B8"]YouTube - Yuto Nagatomo vs AC Milan[/ame]

To me Pato was offside (shoulders ahead). Good performance for Nagatomo, no goals taken, that's really an achievement given the monsters who were facing him.

 

In such situations linesman can rise the flag or not and no one can be upset because of it. About PK: if it would be in some international competition and it wasn't Inzaghi I'm 99% sure that the referee wouldn't whistle. Pippo is hated in the whole Europe for such acts. And Nagatomo learned another lesson: don't lay a hand on the back Italian player because he will fall like someone stabbed him with knife.

 

Hmmm ... Foul. Ridiculous dive by Inzaghi but Nagatomo grabbed his shirt. That was fair.

 

We get it: you don't like Italian soccer.
The fact remains that in mastery of tactical defending, the Italian game has no equal.
To hold a line, to anticipate a run, there is no place better for Nagatomo to learn the finer arts of defending than Serie A.

 

Morimoto didn't play at all today.

He should leave during the winter if he isn't going to play. I don't want Japan's number 1 striker to not be playing at a club level.

 

I hope he's not already in place as the number 1 striker. He has to improve before that, Okazaki as well. I think finding a striker is the number one challenge for the next 4 years.

 

I agree saku but i think he will be starting every game he is available for us until at least the end of Asian Cup. Back to Honda as the lone striker anyone?

My biggeset concern with Morimoto is not that he is not very good right now but how he barely improved in the past 4 years.

 

Hiroshi Ibusuki has scored 2 goals in 2 games so far for Segunda B side CE Sabadell.

 

Any reason why he left Real Zaragoza B? Didn't he score 12 goals in a season?

He just seems to be getting further and further away from La Liga or Segunda Division. Anybody with any knowledge about the Spanish league pyramid who can say whether its a little concerning he's playing for a Segunda B team?

Scratch that I just found out CE Sabadell is in a higher league than Real Zaragoza B.

 

Wowow I didn't know he changed his club. Thx. I really believe in him.
I don't understand why Zaragoza didn't let him a chance to prove himself on the first team. He's 193 cm, that's unique and it could have been useful unless he's las lazy as Hirayama.

 

If he has a good season it's possible that he'll play in Segunda division for Girona, but it's a longshot for him right now.

He should probably come back to Japan and sign for a J2 club.

 

Matsui highlights

[ame="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2txXP4csR0&feature=sub"]YouTube - ???? ?????????????????[/ame]

This is probably his last season in Europe.

Wouldn't mind having him at Frontale. We need some wide players.

 

It was a definite PK though. There's a picture on Milan's official site from the game.

 

Russian Premier league is changing towards a Western European style calendar.

I don't envy their supporters.

 

Isn't it a bit early to return already? I fully understand if it was Sho Itoh who refused to be loaned out for several years, but Ibusuki... considering he turns 20 next year and has been in Spain for 1.5 years? He is probably not the fast-developer like Morimoto but the kind of player who needs to take the slower lane to fulfill his potential.

 

Soma had a bad day yesterday it seems. Cottbus - Karlsruher SC 5-5, Soma subbed out during half-time when the score was 2-4.

 

I really can't see him getting anywhere near the top division though. Girona is in the Segunda division so they could potentially achieve promotion to La Liga next season.

The problem is that even if he does have a good season what are the possibilities of him even getting a chance if Girona do get into La Liga? Very unlikely if they don't even give him a chance now.

The most likely path is that Girona will not be promoted which leaves Ibusuki with three options:

1. Try to impress at his current club and get picked up by some other club.
2. Try to impress and become a regular member for Girona next season.
3. Go to Japan and rebuild his career.

I can guarantee you that scoring 10+ goals in J2 will exponentially increase his chances of being taken by a J1 club and increasing his opportunities to make the national team.

From what I've seen, very few La Liga clubs actually scout the lower divisions.

If he wants to succeed in Europe the best option would be to try to impress as much as possible this season with the hopes of attracting outside European clubs who would be willing to gamble on him.

But I believe that the best option would be coming back to Japan, signing with a J2 club ,impress, and join a J1 side the next season. Obviously its not that easy, but its probably with most plausible option.

 

I like to think of No. 2 as the ideal option. 1. seems to assume that he will have it better at another club in Spain or elsewhere abroad, 3. says that his career in Spain is already reaching a dead-end.

I just think it is very early for a player who did not play in Japan as a pro to expect to make it at pro-level in Spain. He has now the chance to slowly gain the experience needed without frustration of not playing regularly. Of course, I can not be sure about the motivation of Girona, but I don't think they are just loaning him out for the sake of it.

It's just an opinion-thing: If Ibusuki was regarded as the next big thing before (like Morimoto or Sho Itoh) then I would probably be along your lines, but right now, I don't have the impression that his development is harmed.