Sunday 4 December saw the third day of the U-15 Japan Women’s Selection Team’s training camp. In the morning, the team practiced dribbling and shooting, focusing on ‘how to finish’, had five-on-five exercises with a free player, and played a small-sided game in the last 20 minutes in order to prepare for the practice match in the afternoon.

The U-15 Japan Women’s Selection Team played a practice game of three 30-minute periods against Hinomoto Gakuen High School. There were many differences between a real match from what the players had been practicing, and they lost the game 3-1 (1-0, 1-0, 1-1). They had shown their achievements in the game, but also had many more tasks to work on.

In the evening meeting, the team discussed ‘achievements and tasks as a team in terms of defence, attack, and switching between them’ in the practice game. Then, coach TODOROKI Natsuko gave a lecture on ‘key points of set pieces’.

The team will now attend the final day of this training camp.

Coach's Comment

KANO Michihisa (JFA National Training Centre Coach/SAGAWA SHIGA FC)
In the morning, we practiced, focusing on the preparation before taking shots, always looking to aim at the goal and then scoring, which was an approach of ‘planning backward from the goal’. In the afternoon practice game against Hinomoto Gakuen High School, we aimed to ‘take the initiative by playing collectively’ against stronger high school players. It was vital for individuals to stay competitive both in attack and defence and coordinate with each other according to the situation. Although the players seemed to be overwhelmed by the speed of the high-school pupils at the beginning of the game, they gradually got use to it, performing without hesitation around the ball. Some of the positive takeaways from the game were: they stayed highly aware of switching between attack and defence, predicted changes in the situation up front, and attacked swiftly by intercepting the ball through continuous pressure. However, there was still room to improve in judgements and techniques under pressure.

The players analysed the match to find their achievements and issues and gave a presentation during the meeting in the evening. I could see the players had a productive time from their expressions. I’d like to pursue the players’ improvement even more in the final day of the training camp.

Players' Comments

MATSUMOTO Hono (Cerezo Osaka Sakai Girls)
Due to the rain, it was difficult to adjust to the bounce and changing speed of the ball in the game. I focused on the accuracy of passes in attack. In terms of defence, I played tenaciously and stayed strong. We couldn’t get a win and I didn’t manage to score, which were my tasks. So I’d like to practice everyday, working on striking goals and winning games against high-school students.

UEDA Kana (Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies Junior Youth)
We couldn’t create many goal-scoring opportunities at the beginning of the training game. However, we gradually found out that what we had been practicing, including movements behind attacks, worked against a stronger opponent. Personally, I managed to score a goal from utilising the space behind the defenders. In terms of our tasks, we were not so physically competitive. In order to play internationally in the future, I’d like to focus on more details in everyday training, so that I can play solidly while getting strong physical contact, as well as staying physically competitive. I attended this training camp as a pre-activity for the U-16 Japan Women’s National Team. We have raised our quality since the previous camp and aimed more at ‘the international level’, and there was a good atmosphere during the training sessions. I’d like to continue practicing with the same high motivation, while taking on the responsibility of the national team.

AOKI Yuzuka (Kyoto Seika Gakuen Women's Soccer Club)
We practiced shooting this morning. I paid attention to follow-through, rather than simply making good contact on the ball. In the afternoon, we played a practice game against Hinomoto Gakuen High School. Although the opponents were stronger than us, we performed well as a united team. Despite our loss, it was a great experience, finding our achievements and tasks. As we’ll play a set-piece match tomorrow, I’d like play hardest not to let the opponents perform easily in my defensive area, bearing in mind what I had learned from goalkeeping coach Todoroki in the evening meeting. I’ll do my best in the final day of the training camp, so that I won’t have any regrets.

OKUMA Tamaki (JEF UNITED ICHIHARA CHIBA LADIES U-15)
My aim in this training camp is to ‘be unbeaten in one-on-ones and equate space with players’. We practiced shooting in the morning. Then we played a five-a-side with a free player on a half-length pitch, working on aiming at the goal from distance. As I managed to score from distance, I’d like to play, bearing that in mind. In the afternoon, we played a practice match against Hinomoto Gakuen High School. Since the high-school players were so strong and fast, I easily let the opponents get through in one-on-ones several times. In the second period, I decreased the distance from the opponent in one-on-one situations, and I could intercept better. I’d like to analyse what were the reasons in playing better to fix my problems in future games.

Schedule

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