The U-23 Japan Women’s National Team short-listed squad had their second day of the training camp in the rain. Due to the typhoon that was approaching Kanto, there was strong rain at times but the players kept working hard in these conditions.  

The afternoon training was called off due to the typhoon. The players had core muscle training using some tubes inside the hotel. Coach TAKAKURA Asako told the players: “the disadvantage of Japanese players compared to foreign players is physical strength. Please work hard on improving your physical strength.”

After the session, all the players watched the women’s quarter-final match of the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, Canada vs. Germany. After observing the match, they were divided into 4 groups to analyse both teams’ offence and defence. Most players hadn’t done this type of analysis before, but they had a good discussion raising different questions. 

At the end of the day, Coach Takakura said to the players: “when you understand football more, your play can be changed. To be a top athlete, use your brain and think hard.”

Tuesday 23 August will be the last day of the camp. The team will have a practice match. 

Players' Comments

MF  MIHASHI Mana (Osaka University of Health and Sport Sciences)
Every time I come to the squad, I get inspired by the high-level training. Today, we worked on defending considering how to approach the opponent in possession of the ball, while cutting off the line of the pass of the nearest opponent, and intercepting it. Since we have a good understanding of what we want to do as a team, we will try many things positively in the practice match tomorrow. 

GK  FUKUMURA Kanae (ALBIREX NIIGATA LADIES)
The issues that was pointed out to me here are similar to those at my club team, so in this training camp I want to re-examine my play and improve them. Tomorrow, I will speak up and try to effectively communicate with my teammates. In addition, we will strive our best at winning the match.

MF  ITO Miki (INAC KOBE LEONESSA)
Even a small pass mistake can affect the subsequent plays, so I want to improve the quality of my first touch. Playing against the men’s high-school players, we have disadvantages in both speed and physical strength, but I will play to the best of my ability. I hope we can play not as individuals but as a team.

Schedule

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