On Thursday 29 September at JFA House in Tokyo, Vahid HALILHODZIC, the coach of SAMURAI BLUE (the Japan National Team), selected the team members to compete against Iraq (6 Oct/Saitama) and Australia (11 Oct/Melbourne) in the final Asian Qualifiers of the 2018 FIFA World Cup. He expressed his enthusiasm: ‘although both games will be tough, we aim to win them both with confidence and determination. I believe we can do it.’

There were 26 player selected this time. Most of them played two consecutive games in September, including forward HONDA Keisuke (AC Milan/Italy), midfielder KAGAWA Shinji (Borussia Dortmund/Germany), and midfielder HASEBE Makoto (Eintracht Frankfurt/Germany). The defenders, NAGATOMO Yuto (FC Internazionale Milano/Italy) and MAKINO Tomoaki (Urawa Red Diamonds), both of whom could not play for the national team previously due to injury, were also selected. Goalkeeper KAWASHIMA Eiji (Football Club de Metz/France) was recalled for the first time since the Kirin Cup in June.

The players, who had experienced the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, such as midfielder OHSHIMA Ryota (Kawasaki Frontale), forward ASANO Takuma (VfB Stuttgart/Germany), and defender UEDA Naomichi (Kashima Antlers), while NAGAKI Ryota (Kashima Antlers) was invited for the fisrt time to the national team.

After suffering a defeat against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) 2-1 in the first game of the qualifiers, Japan won away game against Thailand 2-0. Japan are currently sitting in third place in Group B, behind Australia and Saudi Arabia.

Australia won at home against Iraq 2-0, followed by another victory away against the UAE 1-0. Iraq, on the other hand, was beaten at home by Saudi Arabia 2-1, and is sitting in fourth place with two consecutive losses. Japan currently rank 56th in the FIFA World Ranking, while Australia and Iraq rank 45th and 128th, respectively.

Coach HALILHODZIC stated that we need to proceed with caution: ‘both Iraq and Australia are high-quality teams. Although Iraq lost two consecutive games, they performed really well against Saudi Arabia. Australia, as Asian champions, dominated the game with their experience. I expect some tough matches again this year.’ Furthermore, he added with enthusiasm: ‘our aim is to win both. I know everything about how they’ll play.’

There are some players based abroad, who have not had many opportunities to be on the pitch with their clubs. Coach HALILHODZIC explained with high expectation: ‘we had some excellent attacking plays in Asia. Taking off those players, who have been contributing to Japan for the past seven or eight years, might affect the team mentally. It’s my message that I trust them even if they haven’t had much game time. I’ll look forward to their performance on the pitch.’

The team will get together on Sunday 2 October in Saitama to start their training.

The match against Iraq will kick-off at 19:35 on Thursday 6 October at Saitama Stadium 2002. The match against Australia will start at 20:00 (18:00 Japan Time) on Tuesday 11 October in Melbourne.

The final qualifiers will continue until September next year. Each team will play home and away game to decide the top two teams, who will book a place in the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia. The third place team will play against the fourth-placed team in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) in order to earn the final spot.

Comments

Vahid HALILHODZIC, Coach of SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
It was not easy for me to make this list. Among the 15 players based abroad, there are some, who don’t regularly start for their respective teams. Usually, I wouldn’t select them for the national team, but I couldn’t think of anyone else to replace them. There is a big gap in the physical aspect of football between Europe and Japan. For example, Kagawa is struggling against Schürrle and Götze, who played and won the 2014 FIFA World Cup for Germany. They are competing in a high-level environment.

Japan have played 18 matches so far. There were only two matches—against Iran and Syria—where we didn’t perform well in the first half. As we have been attacking well in Asia apart from those two matches, I cannot say negative things about the players. I’d like to keep encouraging them.

We need to play with a stronger spirit in the coming two games. I’d like the team to strengthen their mentality to compete with braveness, and I expect some of the players to lead the team to do so. I selected goalkeeper Kawashima, expecting him to bring that spirit and lead the team with his experience.

Nagaki, on the other hand, is good at intercepting the ball, and he doesn't shy away from physical contact. I am interested to see him play for the national team.

Despite the coming tough matches, our aim remains the same. We’re determined to win both. Firstly, we must beat Iraq for sure. Adjusting and preparing ourselves against swift plays are essential in the first game. Iraq have many players between 180cm and 190cm in height with excellent skills . Having said that, we played a friendly game brilliantly against Iraq especially in the first half of June last year. I do expect the players to perform equally well in the final qualifiers.

Many of the Australian squad members play abroad and are not afraid of physical contact. They tend to play really aggressively at home. We need to cope with their aggressiveness and their strength in the air. We’ll be tested in many aspects during the game. Still, we must win away game by performing well.

TASHIMA Kohzo, President of the Japan Football Association
As the teams are getting stronger in Asia, there are no longer any easy game in the qualifiers for the World Cup. Unfortunately, we lost our first game to the UAE, but we beat Thailand in our second match. So the coming third and fourth games will be extremely critical. We must play our best in order to meet the expectations of our supporters. Each player as well as the whole Japan Football Association will face these two games with excitement and enthusiasm.

SAMURAI BLUE Schedule

For Full Schedule

JFA-TV (Japanese version only)

ASIAN QUALIFIERS - ROAD TO RUSSIA

2016-10-6 (Thu.) - 19:35 (estimate time)
Saitama Stadium 2002
SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) vs Iraq National Team
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2016-10-11 (Tue.) - 20:00 (estimate time) (Japan Time 18:00) 
Docklands Stadium (Melbourne, Australia)
Australia National Team vs SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
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