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

I see, fair enough.

Probably not, though I could see the JFA going for her.

I agree with this wholeheartedly! But height in defence helps.

 

And with that the dream of Gold in your own country is over

Can't say I was surprised by the outcome. On the contrary, I was surprised by how well we held up up until the second Swedish goal. We actually played really nicely in the first half, at 1:1 half time the game was nicely poised. Unfortunately, the 1:2 happened when Japan were applying good pressure. After that, they barely managed to create anything meaningful. Of course, yeah, the Swedish were physically superior etc. but the problem to me was less being physically inferior but rather having issues doing Nadeshiko things: stray passes, useless long balls, lack of fluidity.

In a perverse way, I was a bit glad we went out of the tournament relatively early by losing clearly against a superior opponent. I did not need another heartbreak by seeing your team reaching the final against all odds and then losing it by the finest of margins. The England experience was quite a trauma for me. I was broken for about one week. Could not concentrate on anything but had thoughts such as "If only Rashford's penalty shot went a couple of inches inside the post" constantly tormenting me. Call me weak if you want, I did not want that again, hahaha XD

However, I was really sorry for the players, and watching them cry was heartbreaking. Especially Iwabuchi, she worked so hard and would have deserved to achieve more in these Olympics that must mean a lot to her.

Thanks a lot to all the posters here, I've read many great posts that help to deal with the situation and to contextualise it. Also big thanks to @Ponde_Ringu and others for translating the statements, it's very valuable read!

I'm always cautious when I see calls for increasing the physical aspect in the Japanese National team. I don't want to see Burnley or Stoke, I want to see Arsenal (peak Wenger era) and Barca (peak Guardiola era)! XD

 

Not to rub salt in the wound, but the teams I have enjoyed watching the most over more than 20 years are Manchester United (from any dominant period under Sir Alex Ferguson) and Bayern Munich (under Heynckes in 2012-13 and Flick in 2019-20) 'cause they went hard competing on many fronts. Internationally, my hat goes to 2 French teams - the World Cup winners in 1998 and 2018. Those teams usually find ways to combine both high-end skill and brute force to defeat anything and anyone coming their way.

Opponents are never homogenous, especially not in international football. Sometimes you can defeat them by outplaying the other through skill, sometimes you need brute force to power your way through the opposition for a win. This is what I'm watching with the men's U24 team at the Olympics so far. It's not completely perfect, but combining the best of both worlds is what makes them a dangerous unit.

Also a big shout to @Ponde_Ringu for all the great work at digging the articles and translating the main talking points so we can have a better understanding of the situation in the Japanese mediasphere. They are absolutely as livid if not more than we are.

 

You are right in your observations, that kind of fast-paced, energetic brute-force football has been very successful with various teams. It can be attractive too, but to me nothing is as attractive as possession-based football with a focus on technique and intricate passing. If Japan can improve their robustness without losing their trademark play, I'm all for it. The Nadeshiko philosophy must remain at the core of every restructuring process that might take place now.

 

And the US lost to Canada. Sorry. Off-Topic..

 

It's very much on topic. I hope Nadeshiko Japan have watched the match and understand that nothing has to be pretty in order to win for as long there is a structure, a plan and 11 players willing to sacrifice everything on the line. The run that created the penalty was a perfect example of never giving up in a run; good things happen when you push yourself further.

In any case, that VAR-decided penalty and the result are perfect karma for what I still believe to be the biggest robbery of all in women's football at Old Trafford back in 2012.

 

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/da72d824068b8bef61c7fceb17420fd2ad6eec1d

Kawasumi posted her thoughts on her blog saying she agrees with her 2011 teammates (Sawa, Ando, Utsugi, Nagasato, Kinga and Maruyama).

Adds "You can't win by just putting your heart into it but you also can't win without putting your heart into it. Having that mentality at the world stage is so important, and showing that you have that mentality is even more important."

I say this over and over but the JFA is under huge pressure from the woso community. Many people (including Nagasato and Ando) saying the whole system needs to be looked at and that the manager, coaches and association have to take responsibility for the result. Who knows whether the JFA will take any action beyond finding a replacement for Takakura. The current JFA president has a reputation for only caring about his position. If the men's team win a medal that's gonna be enough for him to keep his position while ignoring what's going on in woso. Though he is the same man who took action straight after 2019 to plan for the WE league so maybe he's not as bad as people say he is.



https://gendai.ismedia.jp/articles/-/85758?media=frau

Not an article from anyone really famous but still an interesting read. The writer questions the current system of woso which almost completely relies on Nadeshiko's success in big tournaments.

"It is wrong that these players have to bear the responsibilities for popularising and strengthening the sport in Japan. It is up to the association and the leagues to ensure that woso survives. If the national team wins that would be a huge boost but that should be the result of investment not the beginning."

Points out the small woso population in the country. Especially the decreasing number of middle school girls playing football.

"In 2011 there were 668 middle schools with women's football clubs and 3946 registered girls but in 2019 there were only 56 schools and 5894 girls. The number of girls playing football has increased because but they are forced to play in mens clubs. Compare that with volleyball which has 7839 schools with 13,9017 girls and we see how small a piece of the pie we are having to raise our players from."

Reminds me of one of Takakura's post match comments: “They have 1.6 million women’s soccer players in the United States, in Germany about a million, and in Japan we’re looking at about 50,000.”

It's gonna be tough for the JFA to attract kids in Japan. A country where there are less kids every year and is said that those kids are losing interest in sports. Every major sport in Japan, basketball, baseball, volleyball, football etc. have been competing to attract as many kids so their sport has a future in the country. A monumental effort is needed by the JFA for woso to compete with sports like volleyball, basketball and badminton which already attract a lot of young girls.

 

At last, something to be joyful about in the remaining tournament Seeing all that circle jerking about their exceptionalism on their threads makes it even more sweeter.

I watched the game. Boy was it dreadful. Bad first touches, no flow, just a boring snorefest. You'd wish Nadeshiko will bounce back soon to save us from this misery!

I had no idea about the relations, but holy shit, that's orders of magnitude smaller than those other nations' player bases! I am surprised I must say. I assumed 2011 brought sustained popularity and participation in the sport, and I keep hearing how football is the "trendy" sport among youngsters and gaining ground at the expense of baseball. Maybe that only applied to the men's game.

So of course it would be great if that number goes up. On the other hand, small nations such as the Netherlands have consistently produced great players despite their limited player bases (in the Dutch case, it is because of top-class structures and coaching). Maybe Japan could go the same way, if attracting new players stays difficult for now?

 

Yes they are absolutely correct everybody needs to take responsibility for the result. Obviously the result should be looked at, and ways to improve going forward should be assessed. But I would say the Japanese system is actually working pretty well, particularly at the junior development level given Japan's success over the last ten years at junior level.

Of course transferring that success to senior level is maybe a little bit more complicated.

But the number of high school teams has increased along with players. But girls playing with the boys' teams is very common at junior high school and I am not sure what they can do about it, given decreasing numbers and often lack of space at schools. My only suggestion is to have more club teams outside of schools in local areas, especially in rural areas.

Based on these statistics I would say that Japan has been doing incredibly well over the last ten to fifteen years and has a pretty good system in place. Seriously it is phenomenal when you think about it given the numbers.

But increasing numbers is seriously going to be difficult. Football is competing against volleyball and basketball which need fewer players to field teams and have the facilities built into every school in Japan.

 

LOL i simply quoted on the tweet of the infamous ESPN writer who said this Olympics would be too easy for the USWNT and she blocked me for it! funny too cos i was trying to explain why she thought the bronze medal game was not worth it but eh i guess she is just a bad sport really hahaha. she tried to explain later (i saw from a different account) that it was the social media people who twister her story for a clickbaity headline but her actions of blocking people make that claim reaching hah.

has Sawa released a statement post-Sweden game? or are you/Kawasumi referring to the one she made after the GB game?

 

I saw it only in a flash (and can't find it again) but looks like Hasegawa will not extend her contract with Milian (sorry @blissett ). The source said she still pursued by Real Madrid, Barca and PSG but also a host of other clubs....

 

https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/4cd1d8cc91e9f94e9fbaf7f41ea6a6d11d5d4dce

I honestly thought I had shared Sawa's statement after the Sweden game.

Short translation.

"A frustrating result but this is reality"

"With the quality they have now they will struggle. It's not that easy to become number one. My carrier was an emotional roller coaster too. Many changes have to happen, in terms of their play but also their mentality. This teams needs more experience."

Also goes on to say that this team does have great potential.

 

Very Old news ))

 

Those big clubs are nothing but smoke to raise the bids. Hasegawa doesn't have the kind of profile to join those clubs with very strong aspirations yet.

Manchester United are still looking for players after the 2 Americans, Press and Heath went home at the end of their contracts. Yui should go to England, hit the gym and learn how to survive in a rougher environment while United aspire to make the top 3 in the WSL, which leads to the Women's Champions League.

 

Man United (Women) is a dead club walking. Total mess. Nobody cares about it (owners wise). Players are leaving, the coach has left, they only found a new one just now, no signings at all...

It Will be interesting to see which sinking ship will arrive at that 3rd spot first, Man U or Arsenal. Personally, I would not be surprised to see Everton or Tottenham competing with them as well.

For Hasegawa, it will be better to play Champions League football with AC MIlan. But she can always settle for PSG or Real Madrid instead. Will be starting at both, especially at Madrid.

 

I’m actually seeing quite a few fans calling for a foreign coach. Someone from outside who can shake up the system. Ikeda doesn’t seem like a bad choice but him as well as Takakura were basically raised by JFA in their coaching carrier so they have a hard time demanding more from or saying no to the the higher ups.

Sure a Japanese coach can be hired from “outside the system” but it is stereotypically Japanese to not be able to stand their ground against someone in a higher position so the concerns remain.

I’ve seen a couple of people mention Pia Sundhage and most of those calling for a foreign coach seem to want a Scandinavian hired. I don’t have much knowledge on Scandinavian football but according to a friend they’re good at “producing the best results with the limited player pool they get”.

I am personally fine with Ikeda or someone from the Jleague being hired. Bringing in a foreign coach seems like a risk they shouldn’t take 5 months before the Asian qualifiers.

 

Are they calling for a Scandinavian coach because of Sweden's current success? How are the other Scandinavian countries doing? Finnland being the overwhelming force - kidding.
Will the flavor of coach then change every two years depending on whose dominant in the major tournaments? Why not a Dutch coach...?

Sorry, Something like this makes me a little sarcastic.

 

Norway is not doing that bad.

I think it might have something to do with the current Matildas coach being Tony Gustavsson who has seemingly turned their football around very quickly. He also talks a very good game and has all the sports management "phrasing" down pat!

But the Matildas have played a lot better under him after a difficult start.

I still think Nadeshiko should stick with a Japanese coach. I suppose it does not matter where they come from as long as they can use all the players Japan has effectively.

 

USWNT wins bronze. Hate to say it but I think this match was more entertaining, had more quality and was more moving than any of the Nadeshiko games I've watched the last couple of years.

Honestly thought the Matildas were a likely candidate for a group stage defeat but they really improved throughout the tournament. To think they treated this tournament as a "preparation" for 2023 is scary.

It's going to be a really tough Asian cup to win for Japan. Hopefully the newly appointed manager has the same effect Gustavsson had for Australia or Priestman had for Canada and just brings back the team identity they used to have. Really impressed by them ngl.

 

Back on Sundhage, we have to remember that she built a new identity to the USWNT and then Sweden by teaching them what it takes to compete at the very top. Sometimes adding new components from the outside is what a national team needs in order to learn somethig the proper way. That being said Gustavsson and Priestman deserve praises for getting their respective teams to places they have never been before.

I managed to catch up the second half highlights after I went to sleep prematurely with the USWNT ahead 3-1 at halftime, and I agree. While Australia made leaps forward in the last few years, Nadeshiko Japan should have seen the writing on the wall.

Whoever that new head coach will be for Nadeshiko Japan, that person will have a huge task at hand to rebuild morale and to teach what makes teams successful. But first and foremost, a warrior mentality is what we need to have again.

BTW, anyone please tag my name on the day when Takakura will get the sack. I will have plenty to write to express my thoughts on the waste and scorched Earth she left after 5 years at the helm.

 

I'm sure you'd have make it better