On Wednesday 13, one day before their match against the Kyrgyz Republic National Team at the Asian Qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar, coach MORIYASU Hajime of the SAMURAIBLUE (Japan National Team) appeared at the official press-conference held at a hotel in Bishkek, and shared his take on the match, “We are expecting a very tough match.”

Since entering the second round of the Asian qualifiers in September, Japan has taken the lead in Group F by winning all three matches played thus far. In their fourth match, the team will face Kyrgyz Republic, who is currently ranked 94th in the FIFA ranking (Japan is ranked 28th). Kyrgyz Republic has seen their ranking boost last year, and the team has advanced to the round of 16 in their first appearance at the Asian Cup this year, making them a force to be reckon with.

When asked about their opponent, coach Moriyasu mentioned, “They have players with great physical strengths, a coach with a firm set of strategies, and the team can fight with great discipline. They are a strong team that can cause damage from their counters and side attacks.” However, the coach also shared his confidence towards his side, who has won three consecutive shutout victories, “We are fully focused to make quick transitions from offence to defence. We will keep ourselves on the same page to keep another clean sheet as a team.”

Led by coach Aleksandr KRESTININ, Kyrgyz Republic is currently in second place of Group F. Following their away loss to Tajikistan, the team has won consecutive matches against Myanmar and Mongolia. The Russian coach, who took over the helm five years ago, shared his aspiration ahead of their match against the group leader, “Japan is a team who has played in the World Cup several times, but every team has weaknesses and there will be mistakes made. We will anticipate for our chances to exploit their flaws.”

This will be the second time for these two teams to face each other, as Japan has won the first encounter last year in November, when they won 4-0 at the KIRIN CHALLENGE CUP 2018 played in Toyota. Seven players on this roster featured in that match a year ago, including HARAGUCHI Genki (Hannover 96), NAKAJIMA Shoya (FC Porto), and ITO Junya (KRC Genk).

On this day, the team held an official training session at the match venue, Dolen Omurzakov Stadium. The session started in the evening to simulate the kick-off time of the match. During the session, the players went through their warmup routines while checking out the pitch condition. The players then went onto play a possession drill, where NAGATOMO Yuto (Galatasaray S.K.) and SHIBASAKI Gaku (Deportivo de La Coruna) were seen chasing the ball with a relaxed atmosphere. The remainder of the session was conducted behind closed doors, as the team went through their tactics for the upcoming match.

After assisting three goals in last month’s 6-0 victory over Mongolia, Ito mentioned, “It will be a very tough match if we concede a goal, so it is important that we score the opening goal. If we can score a goal in the first half, we should be able to pick up a positive rhythm. I hope I can send some good crosses for our attackers.” For Nagatomo, this match can potentially give him the 122nd cap with the Japan National Team, which will tie the record of Mr. IHARA Masami (current head coach of Kashiwa Reysol) as the second most in Japan National Team history. Also, for YOSHIDA Maya (Southampton FC), this could be his 100th cap with the team, as the defender shared his aspiration ahead of the match, “We just need to focus on the match ahead of us. I am always committed to giving my best performance at each given situation.” When asked about the pitch condition, he mentioned, “It might not be the ideal pitch, but it’s within our expectations. We must keep our plays simple and focus not to commit any mistakes in our own territory.”

The match against Kyrgyz Republic National Team will kick off at 17:15 local time (20:15 Japan time) on Thursday 14 November.

Coaches and Players' Comments

MORIYASU Hajime, Coach of SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
Kyrgyz Republic has players with great physical strengths, and they are capable of causing damage from their counters and side attacks, so we must defend with great care. Our defence has done a great job keeping clean sheets in the previous three matches, but our offense has also done a great job to help the cause with their quick transitions. We gave up a close opportunity from our own mistake in the first half of last month’s match against Tajikistan. There are always chances to make mistakes, but in order to keep clean sheets, we must stay focused to cover those mistakes as a team. Despite losing some our players to the U-22 national team, I don’t think our team strength has dropped at all. Our players have done a great job to challenge themselves through the friendly matches and worked hard to understand the team strategies. This match will give the players the opportunity to display the team’s bench strengths, so I hope to see our players showcase their abilities while following the team concept.

DF #22 YOSHIDA Maya (Southampton FC)
We are nowhere near being at the level to compete against teams in Europe or South America. When playing against inferior teams, we tend to misinterpret the results and think that we are in good form, but in reality, we must work harder and showcase tenacious efforts to bring the team to a higher level.

MF #7 SHIBASAKI Gaku (Deportivo de La Coruna)
Although we won the match against Tajikistan, we struggled to earn that result. I hope to stay focused on each of the plays when playing on the pitch. Especially with this pitch condition, I must be even more focused on the details. There will be mistakes made, but it’s important that we reset our minds and focus on the next play. We must utilise the experience we gained in the match against Tajikistan and focus on shutting down the opponent from creating opportunities from counterattacks.

MF #18 KAMADA Daichi (Eintracht Frankfurt)
If I am given the opportunity to play in this game, I will do my best to help the team. I am not on the roster for the following match, so I will focus on this match and give everything I’ve got to lead the team to victory.

FW #11 NAGAI Kensuke (F.C. Tokyo)
Considering the pitch condition, it will be difficult for both teams to keep the ball moving, so I will focus on applying quick pressure against our opponents. Kyrgyz Republic consists players from the league champions of their domestic league, but regardless of who we face, it is important that we focus on showcasing our usual performance on the pitch.

Aleksandr KRESTININ, Coach of Kyrgyz Republic National Team
Japan is a very strong team, but the players are still human. There are chances for both teams to make mistakes. We know it isn’t going to be an easy match, but we will give our best efforts in this match. We hope to prepare ourselves in the best way possible, so that we can showcase a positive match.

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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