Japan Versus Hong Kong Tomorrow

(above) Typhoon Melor and her buddy Parma threaten Japan's chances of playing... at least in Shizuoka. Can anyone say DOME

The Blue Samurai continue their AFC 2011 campaign tomorrow by facing off against an entirely domestic Hong Kong squad. While seemingly a "walk-over" team, Japan has struggled in recent matches against "weaker" opponents, most notably losing to Bahrain 1-0 in the last AFC Qualification match back in January. Japan should be coming into the game full of swagger, however, after their latest dramatic comeback win against Ghana.

Things to Look for:
Keisuke Honda and Shunsuke Nakamura "Getting Along"

Takeshi Okada has announced that he would like to experiment with using both the young Honda and veteran Nakamura simultaneously. Both are considered to be of the "playmaker" breed, but rarely share time on the pitch as they both play the same position on the right side of midfield. When they have both played, the Japanese media has been quick to point out a "difference of opinion" between the two players that began in a friendly match against the Netherlands last month. Apparently, Keisuke asked Nakamura if he could take a shooting range free-kick that was awarded to Japan right outside the box. Keisuke Honda is the specialist for Eredivisie club VVV-Venlo and has shown an impressive ability on the dead ball. Still, everyone who follows Japanese football knows that the dead ball taker on Japan is Shunsuke Nakamura, the man who "could open a can of beans with his left leg." (Note: Sometimes Endo gets a chance too) The play resulted with Naka taking the shot, and nearly scoring before the Dutch keeper cleverly punched the ball away. For the remainder of the match, Honda's body language suggested disinterest and he lacked the usual intensity that we have come to expect.

After the match, Nakamura told the media that Keisuke Honda has not "found his place" on the team yet, and hinted that Honda should put the interests of Japan over the interests of Keisuke Honda. What will be interesting about tomorrow's match will be seeing if the two playmakers have reconciled, and if Okada proves true on his hint that both Honda and Naka will start together. If a free-kick opportunity arises, look to see who hovers over the ball, and for those of you who can read lips in Japanese, what is being said between the players. Early on in the match, I suspect Naka will assume his normal role as the hit man, but if Japan take an early lead, and are awarded a late free-kick opportunity late in the match, I wouldn't be surprised if Honda is given a chance to prove his mettle.

Besides free-kick opportunities, watch for any link up play or lack thereof between the two players. Japan's 4-4-2 formation relies heavily on the front two midfielders providing scoring chances; stacking up goals against an easier opponent like Hong Kong may be the perfect fix to the Honda/Naka marriage.

Takayuki Morimoto's Debut

Finally, the nation of Japan will witness the unveiling of its new and not so secret weapon. Heralded as the next big thing in Serie A, Takayuki Morimoto, the 21 year old striker for Calcio Catania, will take to the pitch wearing the senior national jersey for the first time. We gush over this kid on this blog, and have nothing but great expectations for him. I am assuming that Okada wants to test out his new toy just as much as we want to see him, so a starting spot alongside Shinji Okazaki will be very likely.

While Taka "the Future" Morimoto has performed admirably for his Italian club, I am anxious to see how much better he will be for Japan. You read that correctly. He will perform better. The reason being is that communication is one of the most important aspects of team play. Nothing against Mori's Italian, but for a Japanese player to communicate with his European teammates with nothing being lost in translation seems almost impossible. Its like expecting the foreign exchange student to do just as well in school as the rest of us. Yeah some critics will suggest that he hasn't had time to "gel" with his teammates or learn Okada's system in depth. I say just look at the size of his enormous bald head and imagine the size of his gargantuan brain on the inside. I'm sure he has learned everyone's name by name and what does he need to known about Okada's game plan but to score goals? Look to see a very comfortable and effective Morimoto.

Typhoon Melor

A powerful typhoon is currently ripping through Japan and has left at least one person dead. How will the affect the match? Well, JFA officials are saying that a change of location or dare I say cancellation may be necessary. No word yet as to where or when the match will take place if not in Shizuoka tomorrow afternoon. If they do play in Shizuoka, the pitch conditions will surely have an impact on the game. No broken ankles please.
Team Hong Kong to Give Japan trouble

Okay this last one was a joke, Japan will steamroll them.

Okada's Squad:

GK: Eiji Kawashima (Kawasaki Frontale), Kaito Yamamoto (Shimizu S-Pulse), Shusaku Nishikawa (Oita Trinita)

DF: Yuji Nakazawa (Yokohama F. Marinos), Marcus Tulio Tanaka (Urawa Reds), Yuichi Komano (Jubilo Iwata), Yuki Abe (Urawa Reds), Daiki Iwamasa (Kashima Antlers), Yasuyuki Konno (FC Tokyo), Yuhei Tokunaga (FC Tokyo), Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Keisuke Iwashita (Shimizu S-Pulse), Atsuto Uchida (Kashima Antlers)

MF: Shunsuke Nakamura (ECD Espanyol), Hideo Hashimoto (Gamba Osaka), Junichi Inamoto (Rennes), Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), Daisuke Matsui (Grenoble), Naohiro Ishikawa (FC Tokyo), Makoto Hasebe (VfL Wolfsburg), Keisuke Honda (VVV Venlo)

FW: Keiji Tamada (Nagoya Grampus), Ryoichi Maeda (Jubilo Iwata), Hisato Sato (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Yoshito Okubo (Vissel Kobe), Shinji Okazaki (Shimizu S-Pulse), Takayuki Morimoto (Catania)

Kawashima


Uchida --- --- Nakazawa --- --- Tulio --- --- Nagatomo


Hasebe --- --- Endo

Honda --- --- Nakamura


Morimoto --- --- Okazaki

Expect Japan to play a starting eleven similar to the one above. Okada may decide to give some of his more unproven players a chance, or to experiment with proven starters like Matsui or Inamoto. However, Okada did name his best team, so I see no reason why he wouldn't play his best team. If Japan take an early lead, all substitutions are likely to be used with some coming as early as the half.

My Prediction:
Morimoto and Okazaki both net. One more goal comes from a set-piece that finds the head of Tulio. Hasebe grabs a garbage goal at the end when Hong Kong sends every man forward.

Japan 4 - Hong Kong 1