I've Been Away so Long...

I've never posted a picture of myself before and thought that anonymity had prudence over narcissistic self promotion. Still, I received my Japan jersey in the mail today and i was reminded of how much I enjoyed writing this blog. So I thought that the least I could do is share a photo...

Dear Readers,

I have disappeared from the Blogosphere.

Don't know when I'll be near.

I apologize for vanishing

Without a warning

The World Cup looms close now and Japan are in their final stages of tuning up. The main reason for my absence has been due to a lot of real life changes that have forced me to sacrifice my blogging time. However, i would be lying to myself if I didn't admit that the poor play of Japan and lowered expectations of the team significantly altered my desire to pursue writing. Criticisms can be fun to write and to read, but when you really love a team its often difficult to stomach your own criticism. I know its a weak sentiment, but honest.

The World Cup squad just faced off with arch nemesis South Korea and were blown out 2-0. The first goal came early from ManU man Park Ji-Sung, and the second came on a penalty late. Japan face England this weekend and have a chance to redeem themselves somewhat with a strong performance against a vastly superior side. The chances of this are slim, as the Japan national team has done nothing in 2010 to establish themselves as a legitimate World Cup caliber team, and Japan manager Takeshi Okada, who once stated that only a Semi-Final or better performance would be adequate, has now asked the Japan Football Association if he should step down in shame...

Still, I have hope. And my love for this team was reflected in my excitement at the site of the brilliant blue and Red Sun of the flag when I first saw my new jersey. I will wear it proudly and with great hope...

For now, I will try to write every now and then on the happenings of the team as the Wc approaches, but I unfortunately lack the time I once had to elaborate as much as I would like. If you are reading this, and especially if you are not a first timer here, I really REALLY appreciate your readership. Thanks all and Gambare Nihon!

Japan versus Hong Kong

If history is any indication, then Japan will rout Hong Kong tomorrow in both countries second of 3 matches in the East Asian Football Championship. In 2009, the nations played each twice and Japan outscored them in an aggregate of 10-0. All things the same, a 5-0 victory for Japan would seemingly be the expected outcome.

The Japanese media, the president of the JFA, and some players have been highly critical of Takeshi Okada and the national team after the two latest results against Venezuela and China yielding zero goals. the JFA president has encouraged fans to "boo the team" while perennial midfield icon Yasuhito Endo has called for "change" and noted a lack of confidence from the players.

While a 0-0 draw for Japan against China in the first match of the Championship disappointed many, the reigning champions, South Korea, were absolutely stunned by a 3-0 loss to China yesterday afternoon. Highlights from that match can be seen here. Watch out for the third goal China scores, its pure class.

By drawing the Japanese, and defeating the Koreans, China has taken an unexpected pole position in the tournament. The breakdown follows:

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
China PR	2	1	1	0	3	0	+3	4
Korea Republic	2	1	0	1	5	3	+2	3
Japan	1	0	1	0	0	0	0	1
Hong Kong	1	0	0	1	0	5	−5	0

The Samurai Blue are by no means out of contention, as a big win over Hong Kong could easily put them in a deadlock with China going into the final match.

As for the player lineup, conventional thinking would be that Okada would field a B team against the weakest opponent in order to keep his A team fresh for the last match against Korea, and Endo's comments would seem to indicate same. However, Okada stated earlier that in light of recent disappointments, the management would not take risks and underestimate Hong Kong. If there is any player that I expect to see suited up for the match, it would be Mitsuo Ogasawara, as his return to the team for Venezuela generated good attacking chances that were when he was absent against China. I expect a 3-0 win for Japan, but think that the media scrutiny would continue unless they score at least 4.

What do you think? What do you predict the score to be, and how many must Japan score in order to regain their mojo and get the media monkeys off their backs? Post your predictions below.

Daisuke Matsui Represents for the Japanese Representatives

Daisuke Matsui grabbed a brace + assist this weekend in a 5-0 rout for Grenoble over Auxerre. Watch the highlights of the match here. This was by far Matsui's best effort for Grenoble since his acquisition last year and we can only hope for more similar performances. While Matsui is surely guranteed a spot on the World Cup squad, with the plethora of talented midfield players, he will be fighting for a starting spot. A match like this will not go unnoticed by Takeshi Okada and will raise his stock. Matsui, as showcased by his second goal on the video, is more of a dribbler than his other Japanese compatriots, and I personally think that diversity in playing style benefits team Japan a great deal. Way to represent for Nihon, sir.

Japan 0 China 0; No blood, No Goals, So Boring

You know the phrase, "you can't score a goal unless you take a shot?" Well, its very true, and perhaps a lesson that team Japan never received. For the second straight match, the Samurai Blue dominated possession, and dictated the pace of game, but failed to capitalize. How many times have you heard that before? We had plenty of opportunities to cross the ball into the box, but nobody seemed to be able to connect or bring the ball down to create any real scoring

Advice for Hirayama: More football and less sneezing.

opportunities. If anything was clearly apparent to me today, it was that team Japan, without a Keisuke Honda, Makoto Hasebe, or even Shunsuke Nakamura are without any real playmakers that can threaten the goal from midfield. During the broadcast, of of the Japanese commentators made the point that there were chances where players had the option to shoot or pass, opted to pass, and nothing came from it. If they had shot, however, there were strikers in the box who could have gotten a deflection. Without any kind of real aerial threat, Japan should really focus their attacking strategy on the concept that shooting more will provide more opportunities to score rather than looking for that one golden pass.

Notice that #3'a foot is nowhere near the ball. Also notice that Uchida's ass is very near #3's head. What's going on here?

Still, as few as they were, Japan did have several chances to score a goal. Keiji Tamada missed a couple shots right in front of goal, Kengo Nakamura missed one from about 3 meters out, Atsuto Uchida had a brilliant crack that just missed off of the left post from 10 meters out, and Yoshito Okubo had a volley destined to find the net luckily blocked by a Chinese defender.

Give credit where its due, though, China played quite well, if not a tad defensive for my taste. Hao Rong sent a laser beam just wide of goal from outside the box in the first half. In the second, a mishandled cross from Narazaki sent Tulio scrambling to make a play on the ball just before it crawled into the net, and finally in the 80th minute, Yuto Nagatomo was called for a hand ball in the box, awarding China a PK. Yango Hao took the kick, shot low and to the left, and found the diving hands of Seigo Narazaki in what ended up saving the day for Japan and retaining the 0-0 scoreline.

No clear man-of-the-match today but kudos to Narazaki for a great save on the PK to save the day, and also some love for Uchida who I think is our best option at side back.

On a plus note, the Chinese and Japanese players did a great job of keeping things civil. I expected more "rough" play between the two, but was pleasantly "disappointed" by their behavior.

Japan Versus China

Look for blood.

Japan will face China tomorrow in what is expected to be a fierce fight. Personally, I don't think that the East Asian Championship has any weight whatsoever, but a decisive win over China and a good result against South Korea next week could be exactly what Japan needs to boost it's confidence after a disappointing 0-0 draw against Venezuela. Japan / China clashes have been downright dirty in the past, as evidence by the following youtube video from an East Asian Championship match 2 years ago.

Japan - China Kung Fu Soccer

Now I could get into all the intricacies of why history has shaped the bad blood between the Japanese and Chinese people to which sporting events are only a scratch in a very bloody violent history between the two sides. However, this is a football blog and I can leave that for you to research and discuss on your own.

I wish I had more time today to get into what this match means for both teams, what we should be looking for, and what to expect, but I just can't be bothered today. I'm taking the LSAT (Law School Admission Test - for those out of the USA) tomorrow morning and am a bit busy at the moment.

Leave comments below if you have predictions of your own. Good luck Japan.

Japan 0 - Venezuela 0, Entertainment Fail

Cool Bicycle Kick picture of the day. Get it Tulio.

0 - 0 draws... (sigh) I would rather pick my nose with Peter Crouch's size 17 cleat and and yell "take some green" as I fling my boogers at angry Irish fans after their qualifying loss than have to sit through a 0 - 0 draw. Watching a friendly end in a 0 - 0 draw is as bad as watching two kids play Chess for an hour and a half and then have it end in a stalemate. Watching people play Chess is bad enough, but at least when somebody ends up winning, the loser leaves with a sense of weak-mindedness, and as they walk off into the distance you can hear their brain crying and pondering whether or not to give up on life... you know what I mean?

Anyway, lets get to talking about this match. As with my pre-game, I'm really not going to focus on the Venezuelan team, and the reason for that, is that there is absolutely nothing to talk about. Team Japan dominated this match in terms of possession, if I had to guess, I'd say 70/30, and aside from some good defending on Venezuela's part, they never once looked like they had any chance of scoring or controlling this match.

Japan came out, rather surprisingly for me, with their domestic A squad. All the usual suspects were there: Narazaki, Tulio, Nakazawa, Nagatomo, Endo, K Naka, Inamoto, Okazaki, Okubo. Thrown into the mix were Tokunaga at right side back and Ogasawara in the midfield. I'll break down this match by analyzing the play of each player.

Narazaki: Aside from saving a header hit right to him early on in this match, he didn't have to do much. Venezuela never threatended, and Narazaki was probably daydreaming about what Tulio's face would look like on Sailor Moon's body.

Tulio: Had no idea that Narazaki was thinking of him that way. Tulio actually played quite well, and a lot of the reason why Venezuela had no attack is because of Tulio and Nakazawa'a ability to shut them down.

Nakazawa: See above (Tulio). Looked good, but I was surprised to see both CBs out there. If there are any players on the team that are now indispensable, its our twin Towers. Okada has never given anybody else a chance to play with the first team, which may be good for developing chemistry, but is all putting a lot of eggs in one basket. If either Tulio or Nakazawa gets injured between now and the World Cup, we won't have any capable replacements for them.

Nagatomo: Didn't do very much. His pace helped to slow down the opponent's counter-attack, especially when Tulio and Nakazawa pressed up for our set-pieces. He wasn't his best, but did not look as bad as Tokunaga.

Tokunaga: Ugh. Tokunaga did not do himself any favors to try and breach a place into Okada's starting eleven. He handled the ball plenty in the first half, but could not find his way beyond the defenders and it seemed as if every cross he attempted got blocked out of bounds. If he hopes to compete against Uchida, Komano, and Nagatomo, he'll have to player better than he did yesterday.

Endo: Saw what you would expect out of Endo. Solid but nothing too flashy. He needs the over seas players to connect with to really shine.

Kengo Nakamura: In most of the first half, he seemed to be the most infuential player on the pitch. Still, like Endo, he seems to lack chemistry with Ogasawara and Inamoto.

Ogasawara: He had the best shot at scoring for either team with a low curling effort that the Venezuelan keeper narrowly managed to push out with a diving effort. Besides that, he looked rather lost and did not touch the ball enough to really have an impact on the game. He could still win a starting role, but his long awaited return to the national team did not decide him his place either way.

Inamoto: He did not play well enough to impress Okada or me. But he was never fighting for a starting role to begin with so I am not concerned about his role on the World Cup team.

Okazaki: Well anytime that Okazaki does not score a goal, its a mediocre performance for him. Honestly, I thought that Okazaki played quite well, regardless, he makes such clever and instinctive aggressive runs that will lead to goals on a luckier day. The midfielders serviced him okay for the most part, but again, no goals = not as good as we're are accustomed to seeing out of him.

Okubo: He certainly had the most energy in the match, and was running all over the pitch in Wayne Rooney fashion. To bad he isn't Wayne Rooney. He had several chances to score, and be it they were not easy, he still botched them. The first half, it seemed anytime he was near an opponent who had the ball he would cause a foul. In the second, he was moved down to left midfield when Hirayama came on, and really shined. With Hirayama's height, tactics for team Japan change slightly, and a more English style of chipping the ball into the box entails. Okubo fluorished at the side position and made many deadly crosses that unfortunately did not end at the back of the net. I don't consider him man-of-the-match, but he did surprisingly impress me after he moved back to midfield. I have criticized Okada in the past for using Okubo in this position, but I'm beginning to see why the decision was made.

Okubo could be some kind of jumping monkey.

Hirayama: This guy towers over the rest of the players. He may need to work in his movement, but I like the presence of a hulking battering ram in the box. He may have not done too much in the last match, but when Japan's usual attacking strategy proves to be ineffective, his addition to the team can immediately have an impact on change of tactics. Let's see some more of battering ram.

Notice that Hirayama is a whole head higher than anyone else.

Sato, Kanazaki, Kagawa, Komano - These guys are hardly worth mentioning. They came on as subs and didn't do anything. I like Komano at the side position and think that he should start. I want to see some more of Kagawa as I think he will be a starter on the team by next year.

Man of the Match: The Venezuelan keeper. Made a great save on Ogasawara's rocket in the first. Ended up being the play of the day, and better than anything else we saw.

Final thought: Why do Japanese players look so young? Inamoto, Hirayama, Endo, these gys look like babies.

Japan versus Venezuela Preview

Hugo Chavez is looking for Venezuela to show those capitalist Japanese pigs how democratic socialism produces superior football players...

Tomorrow at 10:10 GMT, the Nihon Daihyo will face Venezuela in a friendly on Japanese home turf. Japan will field an entirely domestic squad, as tomorrow is not a FIFA sanctioned international match day, and the Europe based players have club commitments. Venezuela, a non World Cup contender is ranked 50th in FIFA rankings, but is expected to play a B team as well, although I was unable to obtain an official squad list.

The main story for tomorrow's match centers around the return of wayward Mitsuo Ogasawara to the national stage. Ogasawara, who was elected the J. League Player of the Year in 2009, has made 53 total appearances for the Blue Samurai including spots on both the 2002 and 2006 World Cup teams. The media has speculated that Ogasawara's selection may be a sign that manager, Takeshi Okada, has begun to waiver in his confidence of playmaker and team leader, Shunsuke Nakamura, due to Nakamura's poor form for Spanish club Espanyol.

I find Ogasawara to be a fine player, and one of Japan's best. I shook my head in confusion during the 2009 qualifying campaign wondering why Okada refused to call him up. Even if Ogasawara could not win a starting spot, I figured he would be a solid bench player. Because Japan are scheduled to face China on Saturday, and more importantly face their biggest rivals, South Korea the following week as part of the 2010 East Asian Championships, I would not be surprised if Okada decides to rest his usual starters for tomorrow's match.

Look for fringe players, and newly promoted youngsters to try and make an impression on Okada when given the chance. With only a handful of matches left before South Africa, Okada will be putting heavy weight on individual performances to finalize his World Cup roster.

If I had to guess, I would expect to see Okada play Ogasawara, Naohiro Ishikawa, Shinji Kagawa, and maybe a couple usual starters (Endo, K Nakamura, Inamoto) to add balance in the midfield. With the exception of Ogasawara, the 20 year old Kagawa may be the player to watch closest in the development to the World Cup. He has played the key role for his club, and has been watched closely by many European clubs, including a speculative deal with VVV-Venlo, that almost saw him replacing the departure of Keisuke Honda.

On defense, if Okada elects to rest Tulio and Nakazawa, look for Daiki Iwamasa, and maybe Yuki Abe to play center. The starting side backs are up in the air as Uchida, Nagatoma, Tokunaga, and Komano have all proven effective and reliable.

Up front, I would like to see Sota Hirayama get the start as he is coming off of a superb national team debut when he scored a hatrick against Yemen in a 3-2 win. Shinji Okazaki has certainly won one of the two starting forward positions for the WC team, and without the presence of Catania striker Takayuki Morimoto, look for Okubo, Tamada, Tamada, and Koroki to fight for consideration.

My prediction:

I know I did not touch at all on the Venezuelan team, but as I do not expect them to play their A team, there were not any individual players to focus on. Japan's domestic players will be better than Venezuela's B team and on home soil I do not see Venezuela standing a chance. Japan wins 3-0.

Final Thoughts:

Now, I'm not Takeshi Okada, and I don't pretend to be. But if I were him, I would be scouting the fringe players and giving the usual suspects heavy doses of flinstone vitamins, tempur-pedic futons, and some quality Asian women massages so they're fresh for next week against South Korea. I say 3-0 Japan, but honestly who cares if they win 10-0 or lose in a 25-24 epic Kung Fu Soccer shootout? Venezuela is not a World Cup caliber team and beating them is like beating teams like Qatar, we don't get a realistic measure of what the WC will be like. Furthermore, a huge win or close loss against Venezuela means nothing compared to the implications of South Korea's match. If Okada does not win, or draw the Koreans in a high intensity match, the Japanese media will have his balls packaged and pickled as umeboshi.