It's a lot of time I don't rewatch the games from 2011, but back then I had watched them repeatedly to the point of almost knowing them by heart. There's absolutely no doubt that defense won that WWC to us. I said it back then and I say it again. There were multiple aspects to it. One was that we had a solid block of players that were reliable and didn't change around during the 6 matches of the tournament: no fiddling with different solutions. From right to left it was Kinga-Iwashimizu-Kumagai-Sameshima all the time: most of these players almost played every single minute of the World Cup (I remember Sameshima for sure literally did; Iwashimizu probably would have if she hadn't been sent-off in the last two minutes of the final match). We were able to try different line-ups in the midfield and in the forward line, where we could sometimes recur to super-subs as Maruyama or "baby" Iwabuchi, but we never had different starters in defense and not even subs for most of the time, not even in the last stages of the single games. I mean, our main alternate in defense back then, Kyoko Yano, was, if I remember well, the only player in the 21 players' roster who didn't play a single minute in that tournament along with the reserve GKs (incidentally: we had excellent alternate GKs in Fukumoto and Yamago, but Sasaki decided to trust Kaihori for all of the length of the tournament, that's unusual for a Nadeshiko NT, and was rewarded with the best overall performance posted by Ayumi in her whole career). We had Kinga and Sameshima in their primes, not only able to neatly defend but also to powerfully overlap on their respective sides in an era when the 4-4-2 was the go-to strategy. Iwashimizu was as solid and experienced as she's ever been (4 years later she would have been destroyed in the 2015 final, but in 2011 she was as reliable as you get) and a young Kumagai, at 20, flourished at the exact perfect moment to form a match-made-in-heaven-level CB duo with Azusa (it's not a case that Saki was consistently playing in defense, at the time, in Urawa and in Frankfurt, and not in the midfield as she currently does in OL). Given how much we were relying on a so special defense, quite magically peaking at its form, as single players and as a unit, in that precise moment in time, we sure were very lucky that no-one of our Defenders picked serious injuries during that WWC. To give you a rough idea of how important each of them was, Saki Kumagai was coming from a head-injury, but she played every minute of the first match vs New Zealand with a big headband (and she wasn't anyway shy of contact with other players: don't remember if she kept any kind of medication in the subsequent match vs Mexico, but probably just some big plaster at max)! I can tell you: had we lost any of these key-defensive players anywhere along the way, I am quite sure we wouldn't have lifted the cup. And there were some kind of heroics to that group of players: I remember Iwashimizu describing almost every match (especially the ones vs Germany and USA) as some kind of "storm" (don't remember if it was the exact word, but something similar), where the players had to toughen up and rely on each other as a unit for countless minutes without respite, encouraging each other along the way, and pining for any moment of breath ahead. It was a very stoic narrative and I guess it said a lot about that team. Bonus for anyone who read me so far: Saki Kumagai wearing her headband vs New Zealand :
Of course that's true, but just as or more importantly I think Sawa's influence on defense was the biggest difference from even the 2012 team, for example against Germany she pressured the German midfield and the players to get the ball back or make the Germans fell back, and each time she received the ball she could calm her side and maintain possession or put a dagger to the back of the German defensive line. I would even say that in defense Sawa was more active than Sakaguchi, who was nominally the most defensive player.
That is Kanna Oda 尾田緩奈. I think she played in Okayama. Alamein FC is in the Melbourne state league. The under 20's from 2012 unfortunately did not really go on with it for a variety of reasons. I still think they were caught between coaches and it has been a bit harder for some of them to get into the national team. I mean other than Naomoto and Yokoyama I cannot think of anybody else who has played that much for Nadeshiko. I am sure there are more, but I cannot think of any right now.
I think it is safe to say that Sawa was the difference for that team. She was/is as a tough as nails, but in a completely fair way. She did not know the meaning of quit. She was such a natural leader. I do not really see a natural leader in Nadeshiko right now, which is perhaps why Sakaguchi and Utsugi still went to last year's world cup. However, I think Blissett is right. There was a bit more continuity in defence, which helped immeasurably. I still do not mind experimentation, especially in the women's game where they do have - traditionally - three years from the end of the Olympics to the World Cup. But two or three months out before a major tournament playing people in positions they have never played in for their club at international level is unwise.
Akira Kaji vs. Mana Iwabuchi or Gamba Osaka vs. Liverpool in other topic some very sad incident: Kanae Fukumura - Real Oviedo goalkeeper met with rasism and discrimination when she was just walking down the street: Un hombre me mira,luego me grita “Vete! Fuera! Corona! Porqué esta aquí!”Yo solo quiero regresar a Japón.Una madre me mira y le dice a su hijos “venga,vamos a por ahí” Entonces su hijos miran a mi, luego se ríen.Yo solo caminando la calle.Solo estoy aquí.Solo estoy triste.— 福村 香奈絵/KANAE FUKUMURA (@fukumura1214) May 3, 2020 the club reaction to condemn such behavior and support their player was quick and proper 🔵 Comunicado | Tras los hechos relatados por @kyanta_p ayer en Madrid. El club y su presidente @JoseMoroFdez condenan lo sucedido. Tolerancia cero con cualquier forma de racismo o discriminación.Toda nuestra fuerza y cariño en el reencuentro con tu familia Kanae.#RealOviedoFem pic.twitter.com/kCfazJW9nr— Real Oviedo Femenino (@RealOviedoFem) May 4, 2020 but the number of simmilar incidents worldwide is on the rise lately which is really a sad thing.
The real problem is not that they are everywhere (They're everywhere, they're everywhere. [Gratuitous Chicken man reference] ) but rather that they are quite often running things. (See the current US situation.) “This is a mournful discovery. 1)Those who agree with you are insane 2)Those who do not agree with you are in power.” Phillip K. Dick, VALIS
Courtesy of @sbahnhof, from the Spanish League and WNT thread, news about the teams having our Nadeshiko players in their rosters: So our Maya Yamamoto got a 4th place in the league with her Deportivo, and both Yoko Tanaka with Huelva and Ayaka Noguchi with Espanyol are safe from relegation. It needed a cataclysm of historical proportions hitting the whole world to save Noguchi's club from relegation: if, pre-Covid-19, anyone would have predicted that Espanyol was going to play the next season in Primera División Femenina, everyone else would have said it was an impossible proposition.
They will have 18 teams in the top division next season. They might even split the league into two groups, which would be interesting. I think most people would prefer just one group with everybody playing 34 games, but it might not be feasible if the season starts later than normal. They were throwing around a mid September start, but if things get back to half-normal surely they can start earlier? Whatever happens I get the impression Yoko will stay in Spain, again I do not know for certain. But if she stays with Huelva she better hope that they get some better players on the ball, otherwise she may have another long season. I would prefer her to move to a team that actually tries to play possession football. On a slightly different note it looks like the Under 17 and Under 20 Women's World Cups will be held early next year. They both have official dates so FIFA are confident the pandemic will have died down. I cannot imagine Young Nadeshiko and Little Nadeshiko doing particularly well at their respective tournaments, because they will both be playing out of season. But it will give us something to watch in the off-season.
Iwashimizu, Kawasumi and Kumagai invited as members for the new JFA athletee committee. https://web.gekisaka.jp/news/detail/?301866-301866-fl
明日、5/15日(金)🇯🇵19:30〜🇪🇸12:30〜YouTubeライブでスペインでのサッカーや生活について選手5人でトークします😊質問にも答えられると思うのでぜひ見に来てください!お待ちしてます🙋♀️URLこちらhttps://t.co/lei71nspcO#スペイン #サッカー #海外サッカー #海外生活 https://t.co/YuDDFPTuFs— 田中陽子 Tanaka Yoko (@TANAKAYoko20) May 14, 2020 Tanayo will be talking about her Spain experience...
Tune in Wednesday 20th USWNT vs. Nadeshiko Japan from Algarve Cup 2012 on JFA TV youtube channel JFATV Classics 追加配信決定!! SAMURAI BLUE(日本代表)、U-23代表、なでしこジャパン 各カテゴリーの名勝負 #jfa #daihyo #nadeshiko #U23日本代表 #SportsAssistYou https://t.co/94V9bWpCyv— JFAなでしこサッカー (@jfa_nadeshiko) May 15, 2020
I was there!!! What's the time of the match here in Europe? I would gladly rewatch the match that I actually never watched on TV (just highlights) since I was there in Faro. It could have happen that I manage to watch myself on the standings!
In other news: another European League, after Spanish one, has officially closed its season: So, for what concerns Nadeshiko players, Saki Kumagai is once again French champion with OL (although I am sure she would have preferred to play until the end what had revealed to be one of the most closely contested French leagues in the latest years, with PSG just 3 points behind).
Should be 12:00 here in Italy, shouldn't it? I am afraid I am going to miss First Half, because I'll be teaching on-line at one of my classes until 12:30, but after that I should be able to enjoy the match. Don't won't to "spoiler" the final result , but I remember that the most import half was the second one.
@sbahnhof correctly re-posted on the Division 1 thread the highlights of what's has effectively been the deciding match of the season: OL-PSG with goal from our Saki Kumagai :
I still think they should've got every club to write and perform a song, and then we vote for the best one and they become champions but it's probably just Eurovision withdrawal symptoms
I finished my video-lessons for my school. Is the game still on or it's finished by now? Has anyone a link? I can't seem to find it on JFA channel.
Ok, I guess I officially missed the game, mainly because I am not smart enough to actually understand how to find the match on JFA-TV. Can I hope the game will remain available so I can watch it later?
Yuka Momiki transfer from NTV Beleza to OL Reign 【Be】この度、籾木結花選手が、OLレイン(アメリカ)に完全移籍することが決定しましたので、お知らせします。籾木選手のプロフィールおよびコメントはこちらからご覧ください▶https://t.co/HvpGXafqMp#beleza #日テレ・ベレーザ #籾木結花 pic.twitter.com/2EMbzjI3i0— 東京ヴェルディ(TOKYO VERDY)公式⚽ (@TokyoVerdySTAFF) May 22, 2020
Yes, but Ueki - Endo duo will now have more minutes to work on their chemistry on the pitch. (with Tanaka gone as well)