Ahead of their match against the Kyrgyz Republic National Team at the second round of the Asian qualifiers for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, the SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) held a training session on Tuesday 12 November, at Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyz Republic. After holding a training session with just 13 players on the day before, the team was joined by the remainder of the squad, as players like MINAMINO Takumi (FC Red Bull Salzburg) and NAKAJIMA Shoya (FC Porto) arrived in Bishkek after being held back due to their club’s schedule.

The session was held at the training ground of the local club, FC Dordoi Bishkek, where the entire squad, with the exception of HASHIMOTO Kento (F.C. Tokyo), made their appearance on the pitch. While the junior youth players of the local club gathered to watch their training session, the team went through their warmup routines to get started.

As the three goalkeepers went through their own drills, the field players were separated into two groups based on either they participated in the training session on the day before or not. While YOSHIDA Maya (Southampton FC) and SAKAI Hiroki (Olympique de Marseille) were among those who trained on the day before, the 10 players went through various possession drills to work on their passing and transitions. During these drills, coach MORIYASU Hajime gave out detailed directions to keep the players on the same page. Following the session, players were seen working on their own drills, as NAGAI Kensuke (F.C. Tokyo) and SUZUKI Musashi (Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo) were among those who went through drills to convert crosses.

Meanwhile the players who were late to join the team due to their match schedule at their respective clubs, went through light conditioning drills to recover their bodies and improve their fitness level. For these nine players, the session ended early, but the players remained on the pitch to move their bodies and observe the trainings conducted by the rest of the team.

On this day, the jersey numbers were also announced, as Nakajima and Minamino continued to wear #10 and #9 respectively, while YAMAGUCHI Hotaru (Vissel Kobe), who made his return to the team since March, was given #20. The team is in the midst of a three game winning streak at the Asian qualifier and this match against Kyrgyz Republic will be their final qualification match of the year. Ahead of the match, Minamino shared his aspiration, “We want to finish the year with a win. A victory will get us that much closer to advancing through the qualifier. We will try to showcase our usual performance and stay eager to win the match.” The team will hold an official training session at the match venue on Wednesday 13, one day before the match.

Players' Comments

GK #12 GONDA Shuichi (Portimonense S.C.)
It is my first time playing at this country and the only information we’ve got is that we will be playing on natural turf. However, regardless of the pitch condition, it doesn’t change the fact that this is a match we cannot afford to lose, so we must prepare ourselves within this short period of time. In order to survive at a foreign country, you must make efforts to change yourself. I feel like that is an essential aspect for this team to get stronger.

DF #4 HATANAKA Shinnosuke (Yokohama F・Marinos)
The pitch condition is very different from Japan, but we will do our best to make our adjustments. I will prepare myself so that I can play in either of the two matches and showcase my strengths when I am given the opportunity. Our opponent will be anticipating on converting their few chances, so it is important that we shut them down in defence. Keeping a clean sheet is essential at this qualifier, so we fill focus on our defence first. I feel that my strength shines the most during the team’s build-up plays, so I will do my best to help the team construct opportunities.

DF #17 SASAKI Sho (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
Our top priority is the team’s victory, so once I am given the opportunity to play in the match, I will do my best to earn positive results for the team. In order to help the team, it is important that we showcase good performance from the training sessions. After playing in the fast paced training session, it made me feel like I finally came back to the national team. Although I was away from the team for a while, I have visualised myself playing for this team, so I will focus on showcasing my best performance. I don’t see any major changes from last time I played for this team, as the team is still playing at a very high level and intensity. We will prepare ourselves by analysing the match films of our opponent.

MF #6 ENDO Wataru (VfB Stuttgart)
We are not sure how the pitch condition is going to be like, but we are preparing ourselves in case of the worse case scenario. Regardless of the pitch condition, it is important that we stick with our own football style. We will first focus on keeping the ball moving, but if we can’t do that, we must make sure to cover the fundamentals, such as winning the ball and showing quick transitions. It is important that we keep a clean sheet. As long as we can start the match strong and score the first goal, we can take control of the match, so we must focus on how we enter the match.

MF #9 MINAMINO Takumi (FC Red Bull Salzburg)
From the last time we faced them, I have the impression that Kyrgyz Republic may park the bus in front of the goal while showcasing persistent defence to deny our chances. If that is the case, we our determination to score goals will be tested. I am just focused on helping the team win this match. I will try to make many runs upfront and make myself available at the final third, so that I can initiate the team’s offence.

MF #10 NAKAJIMA Shoya (FC Porto)
I am fully focused towards our match against Kyrgyz Republic. Everything that follows the match, we can think about it later, so we must all focus 100% on the match in front of us. I don’t remember about our last encounter against Kyrgyz Republic, so I will make the necessary adjustments on the pitch. Every match is a crucial match at this qualifier and there is no such thing as an easy match. I hope to give my best effort to help the team win.

Schedule

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

2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar and AFC Asian Cup China PR 2023 Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2

Kyrgyz Republic National Team vs SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
Match Date: Thu. 14 November 2019 17:15 (20:15 Japan time)
Match Venue: Dolen Omurzakov Stadium, Kyrgyz Republic

Match Information

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