Unfortunately it won't stay that way. There will be Okazaki coming back to mentor the strikers, Matsui mentoring the wingers, Yasuhito Endo mentoring the midfielders, Nakazawa mentoring the centre backs, Komano mentoring the full backs and Kawaguchi mentoring the goalkeepers. And if that wasn't enough there will be a small committee of older ex players including Masami Ihara, Kazuyoshi Miura and Yasuhiko Okudera mentoring the mentors and keeping an eye on everything. You can't have too many cooks spoiling the ramen broth. And then every evening they can all have a big bonfire and sing Kumbaya, My Lord as a team bonding exercise!
To be honest dont know if having no.mkre friendliest after iceland espevially it being a omage to yoshida is smart. Woukd be good these guys gwt some reps before world cup one would think. What do you think the line ups will look like in first three games and how much you expect moriyasu to switch it up between the three games?
It is a bit strange, most teams have had or will have at least 2 friendlies by the time they feature at the World Cup. Some like Panama will even have 3 friendlies.
I'll only guess for the Netherlands game Z Suzuki Watanabe, Taniguchi, H Ito Doan, Sano, Kamada, J Suzuki Kubo, J Ito Ueda But it may be Junnosuke Suzuki at left wing back, which would help with set pieces and defence
Today there where pictures where Endo on the bench of the trainings camp with a swollen foot, they surgered one. He was still only made some individual training. God, send him home, what the hell is so important to have Endo in the Squad. Looks like Hajime would even consider to go home in the group stage then reject Endo. This guy could never play in the WC so send him back now to get Sano in and let him join the team. My gosh.
After sources Moriaysu is thinking about to nominate Yoshida instead of Sano and Fujita for Endo. That would be also to stupid. How much he hates Morita, Sano and Fujita.
Yoshida has insisted that he is not a stand in for Endo. But I think Moriyasu wants to stick with Endo at all costs. In the end he is still team captain
Suzuki Taniguchi - Watanabe - Ito Doan - Kamada - Sano - Nakamura Kubo - J.Ito Ueda (Hope for Maeda instead) Hope Endo gets these days a less serious injury and the thing is not any in their hands and Moriyasu is forced to send him home. That's ridiculous. And I am scared this will affect the team to see a totaly damaged Endo is taken at all cost instead of crazy good players like Morita, Sano etc.
Moriyasu needs to call up a replacement, he cannot have an injured Endo who is useless and no other proper defensive midfielder.
Fine fine. The classic dramatic pre-World Cup is going as expected. Predictable nor the less. Keep going on with the drama Kochi-sama, we need the worst ever pre-WC of the last 28 years!
Today's Moriaysu said in an interview, that Endo will be able to play on the first game against the Netherlands and that he was today able to do the first steps with the ball. That sounds soooo weird to me. Hope he means that Endo could possibly play or get subbed in.
https://sport-plus.live/WebTV/?POO=mens-international-friendly/2026-06-08/ned-uzb If anyone wants to watch the Netherlands-Uzbekistan friendly.
The intention is to sub Endo in if Japan are winning against the Netherlands. Japan won 2-1 against Japan U19 in a closed doors friendly, Shiogai and Junnosuke Suzuki scored. And Jurriën Timber is out of the World cup because of a groin injury so he won't play against Japan
Verbruggen (the Dutch goalkeeper) was subbed off with an apparent injury. Guus Til was sent off, it's not yet clear if that will have an impact on the first group stage game.