With the FIFA Women’s World Cup Canada 2015 is approaching just around the corner, the Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women’s National Team) is busy with working on their final tune-up under the guidance of SASAKI Norio. Their objective in the upcoming competition is clear – to retain their world title.

Following the success at the previous World Cup in Germany four years ago, the Japan women’s national team won a silver medal at the 2012 Olympic Summer Games in London. They went on to clinch the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in 2014.

Now for the upcoming quadrennial competition, Sasaki hired six World Cup debutants among the Nadeshiko Japan’s 23-strong squad to team up with those who experienced the victorious 2011 World Cup squad, including SAWA Homare. The 2011 FIFA Women’s Player of the Year is expected to set a new world record in Canada, with her sixth straight World Cup appearance.

Shown in her presence, the Nadeshiko boss knows the experience and the high quality of performance are crucial to make their title-defense challenge successful in combination with his younger players. How is Sasaki looking at his squad and his side’s challenge in the upcoming tournament?

Q: What do you think of Nadeshiko Japan’s development over the last four years?

Well, I have to admit that it is a pity that we couldn’t have as many younger players in our World Cup squad as I had expected four years ago. I had tested various younger players at various occasions, but they didn’t come far enough to make it to the squad. It is my duty to select the best players to our squad. I think the experienced players’ strong determination and desires to play in the World Cup once again surpassed the younger players to win their place in the squad. It would have been better if we could have younger players more to join us. However, we do have six new players with us, and their work in the tournament will be important to make our campaign successful.

Q: Were there any specific moments that you have recognized the quality of your experienced players?

When I saw their play in our tour matches in Canada last autumn, they made me recognize their abilities anew.
When you play against the top teams from the rest of the world, you would face different kinds of physicality – such as in strength and timing of physical contacts. The experienced players can adjust to those differences smoothly, and there are some players who can also figure out how to sort out the situations while feeling the differences. You need to be quick to feel the differences and act in international matches.

Q: Among those experienced players you called up Sawa Homare after almost a year break. What made you to decide to have her again?

Sawa is such a hard-working player. She tackles hard for the ball and does her best to win the ball and keep it alive for her team. You can see that in every game she plays for her team. Every time when I see her hard-works of such, I always feel so glad with having her with us. I hope the other players can also try as much harder as Sawa does.
We the Nadeshiko are not yet good enough to win only by playing exuberantly. We need to play ugly, precisely and tenaciously, or we won’t be able to win in the world again.
I chose Sawa for us not because this is her sixth World Cup. I need what she possesses in her game for us. If she had fit well, I would have called up for the Algarve Cup in March, but she has worked well on her own fitness to be in time for the World Cup squad selection.

Q: In your squad, you also have some other players from the previous World Cup.

Kinga [Yukari] comes forward when needed even if she is feeling physically hard. You rarely have such a player like her and you can always count on the service. Ogimi [Yuki] finished the previous World Cup before showing what she could do. I hope she can fully show her ability this time, so that we can increase our attacking forces, for sure. Miyama [Aya] can take a role in building-up as well as in the final phase of attack in midfield. We also have more options in forming our team after the rises of Sugasawa [Yuika], Iwabuchi [Mana], Utgsugi [Rumi] and Ariyoshi [Saori].
Those who played in the previous World Cup all worked so hard to win that tournament and I think they must have experienced the sense of achievement there, too. But they decided to go for another tournament. You can imagine how strong their determinations are. Whatever the outcome of the tournament will be, we all want to make it a good one so that we can feel happy about our challenge.

Q: What is your prospect on the upcoming tournament in Canada?

Germany, the United States and France are all very strong and are ahead of the others. We are fourth in the FIFA Rankings but are joined by the second group. However, I don’t think it impossible to win over them – as long as we can play football.
In our group, we have three World Cup debutants in Switzerland, Cameroon and Ecuador and they can come to play us, feeling that they have nothing to lose. If we take them in passive manners, we’d lose to them.
All teams will obviously come out with strong motivation to beat the champions. We should brace ourselves, go into the tournament with strong challenging spirit, and take a game at a time. This is the World Cup. There’s no team to play and beat easily.
Remember the previous World Cup. We were not at the top level but still manage to win the tournament by playing with what we had to play. This time we will be playing, with the emblem of the world champions on our shirt. It’s a new challenge for us.

Q: The attentions from the media and the public look increasing as the World Cup is approaching. How does that make you feel?

I am glad to have good attentions from the public. Our players will be spurred on to do well in the tournament. Many people probably think that it is not easy for us to retain our world title, however, it is the Nadeshiko who come through all kinds of hardships. We are strong even in unfavorable circumstances, and I am hoping that we can betray their expectations in a good sense.
It is important for us to produce the good results for the sake of women’s football in Japan while receiving high attentions from the people. It is also a good opportunity for women’s sports in Japan to show its significance. I think we did that pretty much with our campaign at the 2011 finals in Germany, but I am feeling that it was not enough and we should do that again in Canada.