On Monday 9 December, one day before their first match against the China PR National Team at the E-1 Football Championship 2019, the SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) held a training session in Busan, Korea Republic. At the official press conference, coach MORIYASU Hajime shared his aspiration, “We will approach each match cautiously and seek to win the title.”

The E-1 Football Championship is a tournament held every two years to determine the champions of East Asia. Japan will face China PR on Tuesday 10, Hong Kong on Saturday 14, and the two time defending champions Korea Republic on Wednesday 18.

With the tournament being held during a non-FIFA International Match Day, the squad was selected from a pool of players playing in Japan, and out of the 23-man roster, 14 players were from the U-22 Japan National Team, including WATANABE Tsuyoshi (FC Tokyo), TANAKA Ao (Kawasaki Frontale), and TAGAWA Kyosuke (FC Tokyo). Therefore, the team’s main focus will be on how well these young players can mesh with the more experienced players like NAKAGAWA Teruhito (Yokohama F・Marinos) and OHSHIMA Ryota (Kawasaki Frontale).

Following the conclusion of the J.League’s final game week on Saturday 7, the players arrived in Busan on Sunday 8 to start their trainings. Despite entering the tournament with only a two-day interval, coach Moriyasu mentioned, “Our key to success lies on whether our players can play with a challengers’ spirit or not. They must be able to showcase their strengths while helping the team play as an unite.”

On this day, the team held their training session in the evening. At the beginning of the session, coach Moriyasu told his players, “Let’s get our job done. We must use our heads and share our thoughts to make this team better.” The session was opened to the media for the first 15 minutes, where the players were seen going through their warmup routines. After the session went behind closed doors, the team went through their tactics for the upcoming match.

Japan’s first opponent, the China PR National Team has recently saw coach Marcello LIPPI stepping down from the coaching post following their loss to Syria at the FIFA World Cup qualifiers in November. For this tournament, coach LI Tie from the Chinese Super League side Wuhan Zall will be in charge to lead the team.

Ahead of their first match, striker UEDA Ayase (Kashima Antlers) shared his take on the match, “I want to make many runs into the space behind the opposing defenders.” HASHIOKA Daiki (Urawa Red Diamonds), who was named into the squad as a late call-up on Saturday 7, also mentioned, “From my experience at the ACL, I have a positive vison and I feel like I can play with confidence.”

With the women’s tournament being held simultaneously at the E-1 Football Championship, the Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women’s National Team) also trained at the same training field on this day, as the two teams got together to take a photograph ahead of the tournament.

The SAMURAI BLUE will face the China PR National Team on Tuesday 10 December (19:30) at Gudeok Stadium in Busan.

Coaches and Players' Comments

MORIYASU Hajime, Coach of SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
We are honoured to be able to participate in a wonderful tournament like the E-1 Football Championship. I reckon that all of our opponents are strong teams. I have faced Korea Republic both as a player and as a coach, and I have the impression that all of our matches were very intense, so I am expecting another tough match for us. Through the fierce competitions against the three teams, we hope to heighten the overall level of football in Asia. Our key to success lies on whether our players can play with a challengers’ spirit or not. They must be able to showcase their strengths while helping the team play as an unite.

GK #23 OSAKO Keisuke (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
There are many players I have never played with before, but I feel like I can help out the team through my experience at the ACL. China PR can play with great intensity and they consist with many talented players, but we have enough talent to cope against them, so we will try not to give them too much credit and focus on getting our jobs done.

DF #2 SUGA Daiki (Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo)
In order for me to win a spot into next year’s roster, I must do well at this tournament, so I am focused on earning positive results. I have been playing constantly at my club, so I am currently in great form. As long as I can showcase my usual performance, I feel like I can help out this team, so I will do my best to get my job done.

DF #15 WATANABE Tsuyoshi (FC Tokyo)
Although we have limited time ahead of our match, I will prepare myself in the best way possible. There are so many great players on this team, so I will try to showcase my strong point to help out the team.

FW #13 UEDA Ayase (Kashima Antlers)
Many of us have never played with each other before, so there will be many difficulties in our combinations, but the team is talented enough to make it work on the pitch. We will communicate and combine with each other to create many opportunities upfront. We must try not to get overly worked up about the future and try to focus on the match ahead of us. What’s important is that we give our very best efforts in the current situation.

LI Tie, Coach of China PR National Team
How we enter the tournament is very important. It has always been a dream of mine to coach the national team. All of our players have been doing well in the professional league, and we have held a training camp for 15 days prior to this tournament, so we are in great condition to represent our country. We will give our best efforts against these wonderful opponents from Japan, Hong Kong, and Korea Republic.

Mixu PAATELAINEN, Coach of Hong Kong National Team
For Hong Kong, this is our first appearance at this tournament in nine years, and this will provide our players with a great challenge against wonderful opponents. We will first focus on our match against Korea Republic and take it one match at a time. When playing at the top tier, a simple mistake can cost the entire match, so the players must keep their focus from the beginning of the match. We are the inferior team among the four teams, but we hope to close down the gap with our teamwork.

Paulo BENTO, Coach of Korea Republic National Team
Korea Republic has won the past two E-1 titles, so we hope to showcase our very best performance throughout the tournament. Regardless of who we face, this team will always compete to earn the best result. Our key to success will rely on our teamwork. At this tournament, all of the teams will enter without sufficient preparation time, so we hope to work hard as a team, strive to improve ourselves through the tournament, and earn a positive result.

Schedule

*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.

EAFF E-1 Football Championship 2019 Final Korea Republic

Tournament Dates: Tue. 10 - Wed. 18 December 2019
Tournament Venue: Busan Gudeok Stadium/Busan Asiad Main Stadium (Korea Republic)
Participating Countries: China PR, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea Republic

Tournament Information

OFFICIAL PARTNER

OFFICIAL SUPPLIER

SUPPORTING COMPANY

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
•