Official 2021 Nadeshiko Japan Thread [R] - なでしこジャパン（英語スレッド）

Yes. I wonder if so far we unconsciously refrained from discussing this subject here out of superstition, since it's still uncertain if Olympic Games will actually take place. Or maybe it's that basically National Team has been on hiatus for a whole year because of the Covid and we didn't have many occasions to actually reflect about the team and to talk about choices.

It is a fact, though, that, with just 18 players (+ 4 alternates), Olympic roster will force ruthless cuts, as usual. On the US board, the discussion about the roster is already quite heated, with the eternal clashes between the supporter of "veterans" and those of "youngsters". What about starting such a discussion here too?

It's a year we don't see the NT play (it's a shame that we had to withdraw from SheBelieves Cup), but we had plenty of club-football sightings, both in Japan and overseas. Of course, there is a core of the team that's no head-scratcher to anyone: there are players, as Kumagai, or Hasegawa or Iwabuchi who are obvious lock-ins. But on the other hand there a lot of fringe players that will fight for a place, especially in the offensive department, and some of them won't have many chances to be seen by Takakura, apart (hopefully) from some training camps.

Does anyone care to throw a mock-up roster to start the discussion?

 

Were Miedema, Evans and Iwabuchi together in Bayern München?

 

Of course this is a big "if". Unluckily some major injury uses to happen before big tournaments and I dare to say that the long stop due to the Covid-19 pandemy makes it even more likely.
Let's hope that any possible injury spares our key-players, especially those who have to face very physical leagues overseas.

I won't discuss every choice one by one (at least for now: later I could try a full mock-up roster too), but I'll just throw some random observation.

For GK, Ikeda would be the safer choice to go with Yamashita, but actually I wouldn't mind Stambaugh instead: she's young, but she now has a full league as a starter in INAC under her belt and I repeatedly said how much I like her. I guess that, anyway, the one who doesn't make the roster between Ikeda and Stambaugh will most probably make the 4 alternate reserve, since it will almost certainly include a GK. I can't really see Hirao being chosen and Matsumoto or Momoko Tanaka, although in the same age range as Stambaugh, aren't enough reliable by now compared to Hannah.

Given our traditional bad record at scoring, I wonder if it couldn't be the case of bringing one less defender to shore up the offensive positions instead: we need many different options at forward/advanced midfielder, in my opinion, while we could do with one less DF if we bring anough versatile players. Shimizu and Sameshima should be the starting choices as fullbacks, but we need replacements available, especially for Sameshima, who will be 34 and could need to be rested in a group game or such.

I wonder if bringing Kumagai as a MF (since she's so good at OL in that position) could be a viable option (pairing her with Hina Sugita in central midfield could be very effective, in my opinion), although we know that we actually don't have another CB of the same level, let alone two!

It's interesting that you tentatively have Sakaguchi in the roster (I suppose you mean Mizuho and not Moeno), despite the fact that she had so limited playing time in the last seasons. Takakura had brought her to WWC 2019 in France despite the fact that she couldn't play, though, so it somehow makes sense that she feels like her presence is needed outside the pitch.

Naomoto had a wonderful season with Urawa and could be at the peak of her career. She always seemed to miss something to really shine, in the past, but I guess a tournament in Japan could energize her the way U-20 WWC did back in 2012 (the one in that U-20 NT was the best performance I remember from Hikaru). The quality of Urawa's season is also a reason why I wouldn't easily dismiss Hana Takahashi (who had also really impressed me at U-20 WWC 2018 in France), although I agree with you that she could be not enough experienced.

The real enigma is the offense-line and I guess we can't afford bringing just 4 players there. Yuka Momiki is back from an injury: if healthy she could be an important resource, but of course Takakura has to assess if she's ok, despite the fact that she so seldom saw her on the pitch. Kumi Yokoyama didn't seem to shine very much as long as she was in Japan last season, but she was actually quite brilliant with Washington Spirit in USA: it's true that we mainly need her as a goal-scorer, not as a supporting role, and that's where she's lacking, lately. What are Riko Ueki's current health conditions? I remember an injury for her in the second part of 2020, but I am not sure if she recovered or not: does anyone have news? If healthy, she's a player who showed the ability to dribble through opponents and Japan would need such a player.

Not sure exactly which role she should play, but I'd definitely insert Jun Endo in the roster despite her young age: she's a very direct player, who knows how to play it very simple and effective when needed and who uses to make the players around her play better.

@Twistal, have I to assume that the other names that you're floating would probable make the "4 alternate" reserve? Or would you see different names there?

Anyway, off-topic from the roster, but are you following Yui Hasegawa, now that she left Beleza, or you don't care so much about her Italian experience? I feel privileged because I knew exactly what kind of player Milan had signed, while most supporters here didn't have a real idea and where enchanted when they saw her score a brace at her debut and playing with a very Japanese technical perfection with both feet.

I found a video of the whole Pink Bari-Milan AC game. It's not necessarily worth to watch it all (although I did) but it shows some interesting thing that didn't appear from short highlights (and that probably are included in the video just posted by @unepommekun, that's geoblocked for me though ): for instance, it shows that the action of 1st goal was started by Hasegawa (and she was generally involved in all offensive actions); or that Milan had 6 Corner-Kicks with Yui on the pitch and they were all taken by her (the tradition that Japanese players overseas use to be given most of the set pieces is thus confirmed). Enjoy :

 

I hope this doesn't mean that she's going to retire from played football.

 

Not strictly related, by I am going crazy trying to figure out a detail in Ando's picture from that Tweet; there's a light area next to her leg that doesn't seem to make sense to me.

 

Thank you: it is anyway so sharp and well-defined to look unreal to me.

 

Support for Milan AC is growing in Japan :

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1046949935806656

 

Champions' League's Round of 16 match between Olympique Lyonnais and Brøndby just finished. OL won by 2-0 only and, after scoring with Parris in 1st Half, they had to wait until 90'+3' to score the second goal with Malard. I wonder if this could be the first season after an eternity when OL will lose one of their two major trophies (French League, Champions' League) or even both...

Anyway, our Saki Kumagai started the match and was subbed-out at 75'.