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.

Naka to Reunite with Celtic?

Gordon Strachan will try to bring Naka back to his services, not for Celtic, but for Celtic 2.0

The title here is purposely misleading. No, there are no rumors that Shunsuke Nakamura has expressed any interest in returning to Celtic or that Celtic has expressed any interest in reacquiring Shunsuke Nakamura. However, Gordon Strachan, the former coach of Celtic during Naka's glory years, and now the coach of Middlesbrough FC, a Division 2 Premier League team, has begun rebuilding his former Celtic team in England with Naka in his sights.

Following relegation from the Division 1 Premier League last season, Gordon Strachan was appointed manager after leaving Celtic, and has slowly been putting the pieces together to replicate his success at the Scottish club that won him 3 Scottish titles in 4 seasons. The replication process has been so similar in fact, that I would venture to refer to the Boro as Celtic 2. Already Strachan has pulled Willo Flood, Barry Robson, Chris Killen, and Stephen McManus (all former Celtic players) to his cause, and now it is reported that he is trying to draw Naka to him as well.

Shunsuke Nakamura has been an absolute pot hole since he joined Spanish side Espanyol last season, and coming in with "Galactico" size expectations, has disappointed to the scale that the Maginot line failed to keep the Germans out of France (obscure reference but wikipedia it for a good history lesson). For Espanyol, Naka has only started only a handful of games, did not impress in any, and now fights for spot on the bench every match. Shunsuke Nakamura: Galactico Fail.

If Strachan does suceed in attaining the services of Nakamura, it is expected that Naka will once again retain the playmaker role for Strachan's first team. In the time that the manager and player spent together at Celtic, Gordon Strachan considered Naka to be a "genius," and one could only expect Gordon to retain the same feelings that he felt only 2 seasons ago.

Nakamura leaving Spain to join the Coca-Cola league in England may be a downsize from his career goal of having success in La Liga. Still, if he can find a first-team spot for Strachan and regain his form and confidence, these can only be good things for the Japanese National team heading into the World Cup.

Away Jerseys and Some International News

You would look great in this jersey!

The white World Cup jerseys are in and they are sweeeeet. If you are in Japan, please rob an Adidas store and mail me about 50 of these jerseys. I will then mail them out to the first 49 readers who say they want one and keep one for myself, of course. Oh, and while you're at it, can you also mail me some takoyaki and umeboshi please. In return, I will ask everyone on this blog to direct 1 minute of positive energy your way with specific instruction to focus on having Kate Beckinsale come make babies with you. If you're caught by the Japanese police in the process, I will erase this blog post ASAP, and deny any involvement in the matter, but still ask my readers to direct 1 minute of positive energy asking for Kate Beckinsale to pay you a conjugal visit. Its a win-win really.

In international news, Japanese national and former Nagoya Grampus defender signed with Keisuke Honda's old team, VVV-Venlo in the Eredvisie, only to injure his thigh in one of his first practices with the new team. Expect him to be excluded from the World Cup team.

Honda, on the other hand, has transferred to CSKA Moscow, and looks to have made an early impact. In a friendly against Xamax, Honda scored one of two goals in a 2:2 draw. He will make his official debut in a Champions League match against Sevilla on 24 February.

Will it be Kawashima or Narazaki who dons the keeper shirt?

Takayuki Morimoto may have regained some of his goal scoring ability as he came on as a late substitute and put away a 3-0 win for Catania over Parma. The latest goal puts him at 5 goals in 21 appearances this season. Last season, which was considered to be his breakout, gave him 9 in 24, so we'd like and expect Taka to pick up the pace here.

Daisuke Matsui came out and put on a show for Grenoble in a 3-2 overtime win against Montpellier. He scored one and set up one.

Shinji Ono has returned to the J League and signed with Shimizu S-Pulse. He leaves behind one year at Bochum, his second European stint, with hope that his presence in the domestic league will catch the attention of coach, Takeshi Okada, and win him a role in the WC team. As I am always against Japanese players returning home from Europe, I still wish Ono the best of luck to receive a call up as I consider him a very quality player.

Junichi Inamoto has also returned to Japan and has signed with Kawasaki Frontale. Inamoto's European stint lasted for 10 years with 7 teams in 4 different leagues. Inamoto, like Ono, hopes to secure a position on the WC squad. He has earned call-ups in several recent matches and has performed well.

Finally, the Samurai Blue have a friendly coming up against Venezuela on 2 February. Okada has named a squad of entirely domestic players, and all familiar faces. One name that has drawn a lot of media attention is 30 year old midfielder Mitsuo Ogasawara. Ogasawara has recorded 53 caps for the national team and claimed 7 goals in the process. He has dominated the J League and earned the player of the year award in 2009. However, Okada has been reluctant to call him up the national squad, as he has expressed the belief that the midfield depth is too deep to call up another midfield general who may clout the leadership responsibilities that have already been assigned. His point is that, with players like Shunsuke Nakamura, Endo, Kengo Nakamura, and Hasebe, there is little room for another vocal midfield leader to try and stake his place. His recent call-up has drawn criticism from the media, who have suggested that calling up Ogasawara is a tell for a lack of confidence of the team that Okada has coached in the past year. Personally, I feel that if Ogasawara is as good or better of a player than the current midfield selection, he should at least be given a chance to make the team, especially at a time when perennial Japan icon, Shunsuke Nakamura has shown poor form for his Spanish club, Espanyol.

More to come about the Venezuela friendly later.

Hatoyama Hat Trick Seals Asian Cup Birth

Sota Hirayama. Ever heard of him? He made a big impact at a young age by playing for the 04 Olympic team as a high schooler, and representing the youth Japanese team on several occasions. His professional debut was made in the Eredivisie with Heracles Almelo.

On Wednesday, the 24 year old striker made his senior squad debut and played a dream match. Being down 2-0, the young and unaccomplished Japanese squad looked sunk. Then the huge 1.93m Hirayama, Japanese Colossus, to bring back Japan in Disney Sports Movie fashion.

While his impressive performance has certainly put him on the World Cup team map, at best his prospects would be a spot on our bench. Still, his huge target frame could be an intriguing addition up front to the quicker strikers and attacking midfielders that we usually employ.

One casualty that Japan suffered was the loss of Naoki Yamada, the 19 year old midfielder from Urawa Red Diamonds and a sure future Japanese star. During the match, he suffered a fractured calf bone and will surely be out for the extent of the 2010 World Cup.

The win over Yemen qualified Japan for the 2011 Asian Cup finals.

Akemashite Omedetou!

Akemashite Omedetou (Happy New Year), readers! Well, I haven't blogged in waaay too long, but I want to let you know that the blog, and its author, are still alive. My life outside the blogosphere has been scrambled eggs lately and I've been neglecting my writing duties. Fear not, the blog will be back in full force soon.

As most of you probably know by now, the World Cup draw took place in December. Japan was drawn into a group with the Netherlands, Denmark, and Cameroon. A tough group, but not an impossible one. Most football pundits are calling Japan the wooden spoon of the group, and are "sure" that the Oranje will advance to the Round of 16 with either Denmark or Cameroon in tow. Let us hope to prove them wrong.

The first match for Japan will be against Cameroon, and will also be the most important. 3 points won't come easy, as Samuel Eto'o will be difficult for our backline to contain. The Cameroon match takes place on the 14th of June. The Netherlands are up next five days later and will be the biggest uphill climb of Japan's World Cup. When we played them in the friendly last year, we gave up 3 goals in the final 1/3 of the match and lost 3-0. In order to win, we must almost certainly score first, and will most likely need more than one goal to secure the W. The last match of the group stage, and hopefully not the last match of the WC for us, will be played against Denmark. Denmark only lost one game in their qualifying run, against the Hungarians in their last match. By then, they had already secured a spot in the World Cup and the result should not be looked at as a weakness on their part. The emergence of Nicklas Bendtner, the Arsenal striker, as a World Class goal scoring threat sharpens the attacking edge that the Danish bring, and Denmark will not fall easily.

In terms of what has been happening with transfers of Japanese nationals, there has been a lot of speculation, but not much happening. Tulio was rumored to be heading to Europe with Dutch top club FC Twente, coached by former England manager Steve McClaren, but ultimately stayed in the J. League and only transferred from the Reds over to Nagoya. In my opinion, a weak and "too safe" move by Tulio.

There was also speculation that Keisuke Honda would be transferred out of lowly Dutch club VVV-Venlo and join a top flight Premier League team like Liverpool or Everton. In the end, Honda did move out of the Eredivisie but ended up in Russia, not England, for CSKA Moscow. While I am not particularly fond of the decision, as I have been dying for a Japanese player to make it in England for years, there are some benefits to his move. First, one would question whether the Russian league is actually a step back from the Eredivisie. While this I will leave for the Dutch and Russians to debate, at best, I think the Russian league is at par with the Dutch but not miles ahead like the Premier League or La Liga. CSKA Moscow, however, is a much better team than Venlo, and Honda will gain experience playing against the best European clubs in the Champions League. Also, while Honda probably would have warmed the bench at Liverpool, he should be able to secure a first team spot with Moscow quite easily, keeping him fit for the World Cup. On a final note, it is believed that CSKA Moscow dished out a whopping 9 million euro to acquire him. Which, as far as I know, makes Honda the most expensive Japanese player in the world.

VVV-Venlo hinted that they had contacted and were luring in a Japanese replacement for Honda's anticipated departure. The name was Shinji Kagawa, a 20-year very gifted midfielder for J League 2 side Cerezo Osaka. Kagawa has already played 10 matches for the senior side, and is touted as one of Japan's brightest players for the future. Ultimately, Kagawa decided to stay with Cerezo, at least for now, but its good to hear that another one of Japan's young guns are already thinking about making the Euro trip.

Finally, we'll touch upon the future of Takayuki "the Shining" Morimoto. Taka has been linked to Manchester United for the past couple years now, and it seems that they have not given up on swallowing him up. There is speculation that Taka is not ready to make the "big jump" yet, and understandably as I can't really see Taka supplanting Rooney, Michael Owen, or even Berbatov any time soon, and would probably play mostly for the ManU reserves. Still, what a thrill it would be to see Taka in the red jersey. Fiorentina has openly suggested their interest and as the season progresses I am sure many more teams will announce their intentions as well.

Again, apologies for not posting sooner, I had a good blogging vacation but am back with rested typing fingers. Leave a comment or send me an e-mail and let me know how you felt about the World Cup draw, Honda's move to Russia, or if you want to share some ridiculous New Years party story.

Cheers.

Japan Will Crush Hong Kong

Hong Kong, didn't your mother ever tell you to turn off the laser lights when you're not using them?

If history is any indicator, Japan should walk all over Hong Kong like Chuck Taylors on a New York City sidewalk. Just over a month ago, Japan handed Hong Kong a spanking befit for a drunk father catching his son's hand in the cookie jar. The 6-0 win for Japan, where Shinji Okazaki recorded a hat trick, could have actually been worse as Japan squandered a few more golden scoring opportunities. What does this all mean leading up to tomorrow's AFC Cup 2011 Qualifier? Well, it means that I'm not going too much time with formation or squad predictions on this one. I will, however, predict the scoreline: 5-0 with a standard deviation of 3 goals. Yep, 3-0 if Japan plays its worst, 8-0 if Japan comes out hot and heavy.

In other news, the JFA has apparently joined the ranks of irate football nations and asked for a World Cup ban on the trumpet "fly noise" instrument, known as the vuvuzela, common in South African football matches. If you watched any of the Confederations Cup or Japan and South Africa's match a few days ago, then you know the instrument I speak of. The loud buzzing noise drowns out so much sound that players on the pitch are unable to hear each other communicate.

They say that one vuvuzela makes the noise of 1 million flies simultaneously reaching orgasm; okay I made that up.

Broadcasters hate the noise because it makes annoying television, and some football fans argue that the instrument detracts from fans' contributions to momentum as the buzzing takes a constant non-partisan stance that drowns out any chants, songs, or sounds of encouragement from the live audience's impact on the game.

Japan coach, Takeshi Okada, even went as far to make this comment, "Perhaps if (South Africa) play good football (the fans) will be quiet and watch." That's quite a dig from a team who only succeeded in attaining a goalless draw. While I understand the sentiment of the players, broadcasters, fans, and insulting coaches, its my opinion that the point of varying host nations is for the sporting community to embrace the host's sporting culture as guests. In South Africa, the vuvuzela is just how the fans roll. They shouldn't be asked to change in order to accommodate their guests.

Also, making news: Japan and Urawa Reds Center Back Marcus Tulio Tanaka has announced his intention to leave the J-League for a Middle East or European club and will "make up his mind by November 25." Good move? Bad move? More on this to follow when details become evident.

What can I say, the guy has weird hair.

Let me know, as always, what you think of Hong Kong's chances, Japan's outrage over the obnoxious fly kazoo, and/or Tulio's indecision to leave or stay in Japan. Post a comment or send me an e-mail.

Okada-san: "Perhaps if they play good football (the flies) will be quiet and watch."
Giant Fly: "Look me in the eyes and say it, douchebag!"

Japan 0 – South Africa 0; Japan's Reality Check

Well this one was a wake up call for the Nihon Daihyo. Coming off of a 3 match stretch where they outscored their opponents 13-0, the team from Japan failed to find the back of the net yesterday. In what appeared to be a throwback to the offensive-inept team of old, Japan controlled the majority of possession, but the Blue Samurai could not pull the trigger and capitalize on all of their hard work.

Give credit where its due, the South Africans were no push overs and disrupted the passing attack of Japan time and time again. To be perfectly honest, this was a fairly boring match, as there wasn't much offense from either team, and anytime a match ends in a draw I think you wind up wishing that you had just rest about the outcome in the paper the next game instead of having wasted 90 minutes of your time. Japan had a few chances that if not for some fine keeper play from South Africa could have easily altered the score line. Bafana Bafana's best chance for goal came in the 68^th when a clever cherry picking play left Yuji Nakazawa to head the ball back to Kawashima, Japan's goal keeper, a split second before the Bafana striker could put a toe to it.

I don't really have much to say in terms of analysis. Takayuki Morimoto was sorely missed and its hard to imagine Japan getting anywhere without him alongside Shinji Okazaki up front. Okubo and Koroki played opposite Okazaki and looked just as invisible as they have in the past. Its becoming more clear with every match that Japan has absolutely no depth at forward. If either Okazaki or Morimoto have fitness issues come next June, don't count on Japan scoring many goals.

Another realization was the importance of Shunsuke Nakamura's presence on the pitch. Not making his appearance until the middle of the second half, Shunsuke came in and inspired a very flat team. Keisuke Honda, whom Shunsuke replaced, was responsible for a countless amount of stolen passes and was guilty of holding the ball in many situations when passing opportunities presented themselves. Honda still has more to learn in terms of team-play.

All in all, a decent but not extraordinary effort from team Japan. If this match served any purpose, it brought the Nihon Daihyo back to Earth from a marvelous string of previous performances and highlighted the places where we still have room for improvement. We will take on Hong Kong on Wednesday in a rematch from the last 6-0 win for Japan.

Also, the site of the match, Nelson Mandela Stadium in Port Elizabeth was built just for the World Cup. Hats off to the South Africa for building a beautiful stadium and doing it on time.

Oh, and the Blue Samurai decided to sport their new jerseys today. They would probably have looked better if they had played better.

Watch the match highlights here.

Japan versus South Africa

The Blue Samurai are getting acquainted with South Africa early and will play a friendly against the South African "Bafana Bafana" squad tomorrow. Hopefully, the Japanese players are scoping out the local food joints so that they'll know where the best deals on shrimp scampi are when they're back in town next year. I also think that they are tuning their ears to the incredibly hilarious English spoken by the South Africans. Please, if you are South African, do not take offense. I mean "incredibly hilarious English" in the best way possible.

Actually, there have been reports coming from the Japanese media that the players are on lock down with a "be in bed by sundown" curfew as South Africa has been known to have a high murder rate, vampire to human ratio, and District Nine. The South Africans were, of course, offended by these reports, claiming that the country is reasonably safe as long as you walk around carrying a loaded gun with silver bullets to deter the werewolves.

Its reasonable that the South Africans would show disdain for a Japanese contingency too afraid to dance in the moonlight. As they are hosting the biggest sporting event in four years (maybe the Olympics are bigger?), the country does not want to highlight its dangerous side in the wake of a massive immigration of the World's best football teams, their fans, and most importantly -the money and tourism boost they bring along with them.

Apparently, the Japanese players are suggesting the rumors of a curfew were fabricated. I'm not sure, and think it could just be a ploy to save face; but what does any of this matter? Let us move on to why you are really here. Football Talk.

Japan Squad:

Keepers:
Eiji Kawashima (Frontale)
Shusaku Nishikawa (Trinita)

Defenders:
Yuji Nakazawa (Marinos)
Yuichi Komano (Jubilo)
Daiki Iwamasa (Antlers)
Atsuto Uchida (Antlers)
Yasuyuki Konno (Tokyo)
Yuhei Tokunaga (Tokyo)
Marcus Tulio Tanaka (Urawa)

Midfielders:
Shunsuke Nakamura (Espanyol)
Yasuhito Endo (Gamba)
Daisuke Matsui (Grenoble)
Yuki Abe (Reds)
Makoto Hasebe (Wolfsburg)
Keisuke Honda (Venlo)
Junichi Inamoto (Rennes)

Forwards:
Keiji Tamada (Grampus)
Hisato Sato (Sanfrecce)
Yoshito Okubo (Vissel)
Shinji Okazaki (S-Pulse)
Takayuki Morimoto (Catania)*

*Doubtful due to injury

What we are looking at here is essentially the same squad that we have seen in recent matches, but with a few major differences. On defense, we will be without sideback Yuto Nagatomo. Most likely, we will see Yuichi Komano filling in as he has played very nicely in the opportunities that he has been awarded when either Nagatomo or Uchida have been missing. In midfield we lose Kengo Nakamura to injury. While Kengo Naka has played very consistently well, it would be a far stretch to claim that he is in-expendable, as midfield is very deep for Japan. Expect Keisuke Honda to get the call up in his place. Takayuki Morimoto is nursing an ankle injury and is doubtful to play this match. Probably the most disappointing news of all, Mori looked so promising in the last couple matches that I'm sure all of Japan's fans have been salivating to see more.

Probable Formation:

Barring Okada going mental and reverting back to his ineffective 4-5-1 formation, I think he has learned his lesson and will stick with the 4-4-2.

Kawashima

Uchida ------ Nakazawa ------ Tulio ------ Komano

Hasebe ------ Endo

Honda ------ Nakamura

Okazaki ------ Tamada or Okubo

A decent line up for Japan. Obviously if you could substitute Morimoto's name for Tamada/Okubo the team would seem much more threatening in attack. Still I would say that this is very close to the starting eleven for next year's World Cup with question marks at keeper which could go back to Narazaki, side back: Komano or Nagatomo ftw, and striker opposite Okazaki as we discussed previously.

Bafana Bafana:

The South Africans will hopefully put up a better fight then their African compatriots Togo did in our last 5-0 thrashing. You can never count out the importance of home field advantage, and the 12th man will surely play a factor in this match.

Still, the Bafana Bafana have reason to worry as they have won only one of their last 8 matches, and face a Japan team that has been steam rolling opponents as of late. They have much to prove in front of their home fans.

Playmakers and Everton midfiedler, Steven Pienaar has been scratched from the squad due to injury. Probably the most signifiant blow to South Africa, they will have to look for other players to step up to fill the void. One such player could be Benni McCarthy, striker for the Blackburn Rovers. McCarthy, at only 27 years of age is South Africa's all-time top goalscorer and second most capped player. His caps lag only behind captain and defender Aaron Mokoena of Portsmouth. These two have had plenty of experience playing in the English Premier League and will not be intimidated by a team of mainly J. League status.

My Prediction (for what its worth):

Japan have been playing far too well lately to expect any less. I say Okazaki continues his hot streak by netting once. Also, I say that Nakamura inspires us with a great set piece either from a free-kick or he finds the head of Tulio or Nakazawa. Benni McCarthy does his thing and finds paydirt but its not enough for Japan's possession midfield.

Blue Samurai 2 - Bafana Bafana 1

New World Cup Home Jerseys

The JFA has released the new jersey that we will wear for our "home" matches in South Africa. At first I didn't really know what to think of the design, but its been growing on me little by little. The biggest difference with this new jersey relative to the old, is the addition of the Japanese flag above the JFA emblem, and the red bit on the neckline. The flag is a welcome addition, but I can imagine that the red may be a point of contention for the fashionistas out there. I'm going to go ahead and say that I like it, it breaks up the monotony of the blue and seems to give the jersey an edge that it didn't have before. Leave comments or send e-mail feedback and let me know what you think. Also, if any of you have an idea of where one can purchase reasonably priced Blue Samurai apparel, please send me a link. I've had a number of readers asking about where they could make wise purchases.

We're still waiting on the release of the "Away" jerseys.

Also, the Blue Samurai take on the South Africans in South Africa this Saturday the 14th. More on that to follow.

Japan 5 - Togo No Go-al

Best Friends Forever?

This show was over before the popcorn was done. Shinji Okazaki put the game away in the 8th minute by scoring... his second goal of the match, and he wasn't even done for the night. Goal 1 came in the 5th minute when Yasuhito Endo crossed into the box from the left side to find the inside of Okazaki's left boot. Okazaki expertly timed his run, Endo's cross was pinpoint, and then Okazaki made the one touch finish look easy to get the scoring started. Afterward, I witnessed one of the most bizarre goal celebrations I've seen, where Shinji began skipping sideways doing what I can only describe as... a chicken dance. I'm not kidding, it was revolting, surprising, and goofy as hell. The best thing that happened to him was when his fellow comrades swarmed around him to pin his wings... er arms to his body.

3 minutes later, Kengo Nakamura found a wide open space on the left flank and unchallenged, crossed in to find Okazaki "The Chicken Man" who very deftly back heeled the ball behind him with his right foot to find the back of the net. This one was an absolute beauty and probably the best of the match.

In the 11th minute, Takayuki "The Shining" Morimoto received the ball at the center of the top of the box. Being covered tightly by a Togo defender, Mori used his strength to turn on both defender and ball and slotted home for his first goal for the national squad to put Japan 3 ahead. Morimoto's body use looked very similar to how the 2nd goal of the Scotland match came to fruition when his shot deflected into the waiting Keisuke Honda.

Honda would bag a late deflection goal mimicking his last one against Scotland and finish off the scoring, but not before "Chicken Man" would get his hat trick in the 66th minute off a well placed header from a Makoto Hasebe cross. To my mixed emotion of disgust/delight he proceeds to grace us with an encore of the Chicken Dance! You can watch the match highlights here, but watch from 4:22 - 4:30 to get a really good look at Chicken Madness.

My Match Thoughts:

The Chicken Man - needs to develop much better dance moves if he's going to be scoring goals in bunches. Two hat tricks within a week... that can only be described as a striker's wet dream. Looking at his numbers that gives Okazaki 14 goals in 18 matches for a strike rate of .778 goals per match. Unreal figures that none of us can expect for him to keep up, and against better competition (as in real WC matches), I'd say 3 goals from the entire team let alone one man would be plentiful.

Hm, maybe Okazaki could drop the Chicken Dance and take up ballet

To get an idea of how impressive his current strike rate is, let us take a look at some other world class perennial strikers to see what their numbers are for their respective nations.

• Shinji Okazaki - Japan 14/18 .778

• David Villa - Spain 33/52 .635

• Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Sweden 22/59 .373

• Luis Fabiano - Brazil 25/33 .758

• Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal 22/68 .324

• Wayne Rooney - England 25/55 .455

• Lionel Messi - Argentina 14/40 .350

• Samuel Eto'o - Cameroon 41/86 .477
  

So there you go, I know that this is just a make shift list with current players that I feel are always going to score for their nations. The statistics buffs out there are going to tell me that 18 matches isn't a fair sample size to judge against people who have played more matches. They'll tell me that if a player scores 3 goals in his debut than he would have a strike rate of 3.00 at the time. Trust me, I understand. I am just pointing out that at the moment, Okazaki is looking damn good, with only Luis Fabiano behind him with 25/33 for a very impressive .758 goals per match.

And just for kicks, here is one more player of interest, that's right the sushi bomber:

• Naohiro Takahara - Japan 23/57 .404

Makoto Hasebe, the Unsung Hero - Hasebe plays the unglamorous defensive midfield position, and thus will only score goals on occasion. He may be overlooked often and under-appreciated but take notice folks, Hasebe is integral player to Japan's success. For years, fans have glorified Shunsuke Nakamura and Yasuhito Endo as Japan's midfield backbone. However, there is a reason why Hasebe's name has shown consistently on the squad list in recent international competition, and why he is a first team regular for Champions League team Vfl Wolfsburg. He tackles hard, plays with heart, and always seems hungry to improve. If you watch the highlight video, and can understand Japanese, there is an on pitch interview with Hasebe.

Interviewer: "You really ran a lot today didn't you?"
Hasebe: "No, that is not the case. I need to run more."

I love that attitude, and you cant tell that he means it. There was an interesting aspect of the broadcast that measured how much each player had run. By the account of the measuring device, Hasebe had clearly run more than any other player. He was then asked:

Interviewer: "You say that you need to run more, but you ran the most today didn't you?"
Hasebe: "No, I don't believe so."

You have to love that in an athlete regardless of position or even sport for that matter.

Again, Why the 4-5-1? - After securing a large lead, Okada made several substitutions and instated his well liked 4-5-1 formation. I have stated my disdain for this formation, when Japan looks much more fluid in the 4-4-2, but I can understand that Okada would want to play slightly more defensive after gaining a lead. It seems like good coaching and I don't have a problem with dropping a striker for a midfielder when we are up by 3 goals. However, in Okada's 4-5-1 formation, he still plays 4 midfielders and two strikers with one striker playing midfield. Today, that role was given to Yoshito Okubo who looked out of sorts and was largely invisible in the match. If Okada wants to play a 4-5-1, bring in another midfielder like Inamoto, Matsui, Hashimoto... midfield is our deepest position, utilize it.

When Okada made his changes, one of the announcers suggested that the new formation could look like:

Okubo - Okazaki

Honda

K. Nakamura - S. Nakamura

Hasebe

Awesome, right? Hasebe playing lone DMF; Honda playing AMF/SS. Looks really good to me, but no, Okada ignores the announcer as much as he ignores me.

South Africa - We play them next in one months time. South Africa have clinched a place in the World Cup by default, and will be the first WC team we have played since last months 3-0 loss to the Netherlands. While the South Africans don't have the world class punch that the Netherlands pack, they will prove to be a much better test than our recent competition. We have beaten our last 3 opponents by a 13-0 margin. That statistic blew away my expectations and I hope and believe that we can carry on our success to next month's match and beyond.

For once, our striker position seems solid with the emergence of Okazaki and Morimoto. If we have any question marks that linger, it would still be our 2 center backs that may need improvement if we are to reach our Semi-Final goal next June. But for now, no complaints here. All is well in the football realm of the Nihon Daihyo.

Oh, except one thing. Cluck Cluck.

Damn.

Japan versus Togo Preview

Japan faces FIFA ranked 71 Togo tomorrow in a friendly match that will help prepare at least one side for the upcoming World Cup. Togo was eliminated from World Cup qualifying last Saturday with a demoralizing 3-0 loss to Cameroon. Togo will also be without Manchester City striker Emmanuel Adebayor and Aston Villa midfielder Mustapha Salifou. Without their main attacking threat and midfield general, Togo will be sending out a much weakened side with low morale and little international experience. Expect Japan to jump all over them.

The Togo match will conclude the 3 match series that Japan began with a 6-0 AFC Qualification win against Hong Kong, followed by a 2-0 victory over a second rate Scotland side. They will hope to add to the already 8-0 score deficit and will very likely break the double digit margin.

While Japan have continued to hone their skills, none of the 3 teams they have faced this past week have been of World Cup caliber and may be providing false positives to the success of Japan. The next match against South Africa, the host WC nation, will be a much better indicator of how much Japan has improved or declined since the last WC in Germany.
What to Look for:

Depending on Takeshi Okada's agenda, we may see the full first team take the pitch or he may give way to the fringe players to give them more playing time.

Expect Eiji Kawashima to fill the keeper role left vacant by an injured Seigo Narazaki. Depending on Kawashima's play, he may supplant Narazaki as the first team keeper.

On defense, I would like to see more of Daiki Iwamasa who made his international debut in teh last match against Scotland. Playing the whole 90 minutes, Okada may choose to give way to the more rested Tulio Tanaka or Yuji Nakazawa, the two most familiar faces in the back line.

In midfield, Okada has a whole array of options, but I wouldn't expect to see any new surprises or combination. Most likely, he will start the players from the Hong Kong match: Shunsuke Nakamura, Yasuhito Endo, Makoto Hasebe, and Daisuke Matsui.

Up top, I would be surprised if Takayuki "The Shining" Morimoto doesn't start alongside the proven Shinji Okazaki. Okada stated after the Scotland game that he "was surprised" by Mori's attacking play, which suggests to me that he hasn't seen as much of Morimoto playing for Catania as I have. I'm sure Okada will want to give him more time to work on his chemistry with the first team midfield and fellow striker. He's the real deal, and will be in Japan's starting eleven in South Africa 2010.
My Prediction:

A demoralized team missing its two best players = No Problem for a fit, confident Japan side. I'm going to go a little wild with my guess this time, but I'm going to say we grab a header goal off a corner, our strikers each get a goal apiece, and maybe Naka or Endo gives us a free-kick beauty as well.

Japan 4 - Togo 1

Japan 2 - Scotland 0, Morimoto Shines

The Blue Samurai really handed it to a depleted Scotland side in an unsurprising fashion. Scotland came out with mainly untested players with several finding their first footing on the pitch for the senior national side. Japan also played the debut of a couple members: center back Daiki Iwamasa of J. League side Kashima Antlers, and of course the much anticipated first showing of Catania Calcio striker Takayuki Morimoto (below). Both played well, but Morimoto, who entered the match in the 56th minute proved to be the game changer.

Morimoto did not score either of the two goals, but one could argue that both goals could be attributed to him. The first came from an own goal from Christophe Berra who deflected a Komano cross straight into goal. Mori was in perfect position to be on the receiving end of the pass, and of the two (Berra or Mori) was going to score.

The second goal came with 2 minutes left in regulation when again Komano crossed from the left side into Morimoto. This time, the big baldy made a very quick and classy (very unusual for a Japanese striker might I add) turn on the ball and took a shot. The shot was deflected, but the positioning of the defenders and the floundering keeper made it very easy for Keisuke Honda to receive the deflection and rifle home to secure the match at 2-0.

Dude, Takeshi Okada really has that "Intimidating Samurai" look well- practiced. He needs to smile. Somebody get the guy a candy bar.

Okay Scotland was playing a B side, but that wasn't the fault of the JFA, Okada, or any of the players. So while one can remark that a win against a B side means nothing, here are a few thoughts that I had about the win, and what it means for Japan.

1. Eiji Kawashima - He made the best play of the night by stopping a one on one with a truly brilliant save by doing a "split" and using the studs of his left boot to knock the ball out of the feet of striker Steven Fletcher. Kawashima played well against Scotland, and though losing 3-0 to the Netherlands, most of the goals were of the "unsaveable"caliber, and I think he did the best he could. Until Narazaki returns from his injury, Kawashima has certainly established himself as the clear backup, and could challenge the starter if Narazaki has rust.

2. Side back depth - Yuichi Komano has looked good at every opportunity given to him. Yuto Nagatomo and Atsuto Uchida are the two usual suspects on the starting eleven, but Komano has worked himself into that discussion. Nagatomo and Uchida are both good attacking players, and net regularly, but have lagged on defense at times. Komano will find chances to cross from the flank but will be reluctant to make his way into the box and crack a shot. Still, he looks more comfortable defending than the other two players. Stamina-wise, I would probably give the edge to Nagatomo, as he is probably the most fit of any on Japan's side and is running all over the pitch. Take your pick, depending on what Okada's strategy is for each match, we should see some for of combination between the three.

Yasuyuki Konno should never start.

3. Daiki Iwamasa - He makes his debut and in arguably the toughest position in international football, plays admirably. Sure, he made a few mistakes here and there, but Tulio and Nakazawa are prone to making errors. I don't think Iwamasa played well enough to unseat the twin towers, but its good to know that we have somebody capable on the bench.

4. The Shining - I have a number of nicknames for my favorite Japan player (yes, after only one national match), that include: "The Future", "The Big Bald Wolf", "Mr. Conehead", "Cueball", "The Good the Bald and the Ugly," the list goes on and you get the picture. But I think my new favorite nickname for Takayuki Morimoto is "The Shining," based on how well the light shines off his ginormous bald head and sparkling braces, but also on his supernatural ability to score goals and see dead people.

Honestly though, after only less than a 1/2 of match time, its clear that Morimoto adds a completely new element to Japan's game and should be a no-brainer starter. Coupled with the cool finishing of Shinji Okazaki, we could be in for a very exciting WC showing and beyond.

5. Please the 4-4-2 - Okada likes to play around with the 4-5-1 formation. I'm fine with that really, if you have a Luca Toni on your team that can scare the Jesus out of opposing players with his presence and mob connections. Sadly, Japan does not have a striker of that stature that can play alone up top. Also, why does Okada play a 5 midfield formation then throw in a striker as the 5th midfielder? It makes no sense. If you are going to start the match with two strikers on the pitch, let them both play in the striker position. Clearly, Japan has looked much better with a 4-4-2, and once the Shinji Morimoto - Takayuki Okazaki tag team gets going we should stop experimenting and start polishing.

6. Who should take the set pieces? - Obviously S. Naka right? I'm not so sure. With Shunsuke out, Honda took the left-footed free-kicks and didn't look so bad. Endo should definitely have teh right-footed role over Kengo Nakamura, but what if the free-kick chance falls in the center of the pitch? I'd like to see S. Naka, Honda, and Endo keep the opposing teams off balance by mixing it up a bit, and maybe throwing in a few feints here and there.

Naohiro Ishikawa gets a rare start and makes the best of it by winning the "jumping in the air and looking cool" picture of the day

Watch the match highlights here. And as always, e-mail me your opinions or write comments below. Cheers and Go Nippon.

Japan Versus Scotland Preview

Don't you just hate it when you order your favorite pizza (mine is: italian sausage, onion, green peppers, spinach, roma tomatoes, and basil) and the pizza delivery guy shows up at your door with an extra anchovy abomination? Well, that's how Japan coach, Takeshi Okada, feels about tomorrow's friendly versus Scotland.

Scotland will play tomorrow with a fraction of the first team originally announced before their Japan arrival. Okada and the JFA were expecting Scotland to bring their very best, including Darren Fletcher of Manchester United, Alan Hutton of Tottenham Hotspur, and many Celtic and Rangers standouts. As of now, I believe 10 out of the original squad have dropped out due to varying excuses.

I understand Okada's frustration as he had prepped his taste buds and practiced his digestive system in anticipation for Scottish pizza. He issued angry remarks to which Scottish coach was forced to embarrassingly issue a formal apology.

Still, this upcoming match against a Scottish B side could afford a good opportunity for Japan's fringe players to get a start and display their promise. Okada has already declared that the players who played 90 minutes against Hong Kong will sit. Which rules out another Scottish sensation in Shunsuke Nakamura.

I decided to leave out my "What to Look for" section as I don't have a clue who will play for Scotland, and can really only tell fans of Japan to watch for Morimoto who will surely make his debut (how many times have I said that) and also to see who Okada plays at Center Back, as Tulio and Nakazawa have been holding down the fort for quite awhile. If i had to make a guess, I would say that the starting eleven for Japan may look like...

Kawashima

Uchida ------ Iwamasa ------ Abe ------ Konno

Hashimoto ------ Inamoto
Honda ------ K. Nakamura

Morimoto ------ Sato

Obviously, I've been wrong before, so don't send me death threats if Okada plays a completely different side.

My Prediction:

It seems like many of Scotland's side will be first timers. That doesn't bode well against an irate Okada playing at home, the giant bald conehead of Morimoto, and classy Japan regluars in Inamoto, K. Naka, and Honda. Expect Japan to play very agressive. Honda, Morimoto, and Kengo all score.

Angry Japan 3 - Scotland B team 0

Okazaki hat trick, Japan Rout Hong Kong 6-0

If you google search Okazaki, one of the first search results will be on Okazaki fragments. As a former Biology student, I know a little bit about Okazaki fragments and can tell you that an Okazaki fragment is the "slower replicating" or "lagging" half of a DNA strand during DNA replication.

Well, there was nothing lagging about a different Okazaki earlier today. Shinji Okazaki, striker for team Japan, came through with a hat trick against outgunned opponent Hong Kong. Okazaki's hat trick was his first for the national squad, and the 23 year old now has 11 goals in 17 caps, the best strike rate on the current team with 65% goal efficiency. Okazaki has been a breath of fresh air for a team that has notoriously struggled with finishing, and he put on a clinic today.

Shinji started off the scoring with a cooly taken shot from just inside the box into the bottom left corner of the net at the 17th minute. He would later score the last two goals in the 75th and 78th on a header and one touch deflection to complete the other half of the book end. The other 3 goals for Japan came from 3 different defenders: side-back Yuto Nagatomo with a whizzing bullet in the 28th, a header by CB Yuji Nakazawa in 51, and a goal off a corner kick by CB Tulio Tanaka in 67. The 3 goals by defenders attests to Japan's attacking style of football, and shows how effective the game plan can be when executed well against weaker opponents. In the past, the style of play has back fired when the defenders push up too much and expose gaps in defense.

If you didn't see this match, and just saw the score sheet, you could go ahead and assume that it was a class ass whooping; it was, but it also could have been much worse for Hong Kong. I don't know if Japan has ever beaten another national squad by a 6 goal margin, I'll have to check on that, but there were so many missed opportunities for easy goals, including a missed shot by Okubo from a meter away, that suggest Japan could still use some work. If everyone on the team could finish like Shinji Okazaki did today, we could have beaten HK by the mercy rule and gone home at half time. Yes, it was that bad.

The biggest disappointment in the match was not seeing a giant bald head running around the pitch. Today's match was supposed to be the unveiling of Takayuki Morimoto, but he was not even to be found on the bench. Also, Honda never entered the match and thus never took a pass from Shunsuke Nakamura and vice versa. What I'm trying to say here, is that everything that I told you to look for in my earlier post was a flat out lie. I'll admit my mistake there, but will continue to make predictions because its fun to write and hopefully fun to read.

Its tough getting into Takeshi Okada's head, but if I had to guess why there was an absence of a few of his key players, I would say that he planned on playing 1/2 of his regulars today, and the other half against the Scotland friendly in two days. This strategy allows for Okada to experiment with fringe players, while still being able to play strong sides on both days without sending out an entirely depleted starting eleven against Scotland.

All in all, great game for Japan today; it was really good to see Japan's game plan in full effect, but again I don't think we can use this game as a measure for success in the World Cup as every team will clearly be