One day following their 5-0 victory over the Hong Kong National Team at the EAFF E-1 Football Championship 2019, the SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) held a training session on Sunday 15 December, to prepare themselves ahead of their final match against Korea Republic.

In the training session held in the afternoon, the players who started the match against Hong Kong went through a light recovery menu before leaving the pitch early. Meanwhile, the remainder of the team conducted passing drills to get warmed up before entering a 5 vs 5 possession drill, where the goalkeepers also joined. The team then went onto to play different versions of possession drills to work on their transitions between offence and defence.

During their shooting drill, assistant coach YOKOUCHI Akinobu directed the players to stay on the same page, as the players made passes and runs to penetrate the space behind the opposing defenders. The team then went onto play a half court scrimmage to work on their touches and transitions.

Following the team trainings, players got together in groups to work on individual drills. While the attackers, SUZUKI Musashi (Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo), MORISHIMA Tsukasa (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), and IDEGUCHI Yosuke (Gamba Osaka) repeatedly took shots to work on their finishing skills, HASHIOKA Daiki (Urawa Red Diamonds) and MIURA Genta (Gamba Osaka) were seen working on their ball clearance manoeuvres.

On this day, the two time defending champions Korea Republic defeated China PR 1-0 to mark their second win of the tournament. With this result, Japan can now win the tournament with a draw or better, as they hold the advantage in goal difference.

The SAMURAI BLUE will hold a training session behind closed doors on Monday 16 December.

Players' Comments

DF #5 MIURA Genta (Gamba Osaka)
Korea Republic consists players with great physical strengths and they will be fully motivated for this match against Japan. That is why it is important that we fight hard in each one-on-one situation. In order to fight as a team, we must actively communicate with each other and take a collective approach in defence. In our match against Korea Republic two years ago, we let our guards down after earning a penalty kick, so it is important that we remain focus throughout the match, regardless of the score. We are now aware of each other’s strengths and character, so we hope to support each other to showcase our full potential.

DF #22 HASHIOKA Daiki (Urawa Red Diamonds)
In our match against Hong Kong, our team managed to utilise the width of the field effectively and it gave me more motivation to do well in our next match. I didn’t have much opportunities to get myself involved in our offence against China PR, so I will try to focus on my off the ball movements to make more action and receive the ball from my teammates. I will prepare myself thoroughly and try to showcase my best performance on the pitch.

MF #7 ENDO Keita (Yokohama F・Marinos)
I was very inspired by the goals scored by Suga and Ogawa against China PR. In order to survive, we must earn results, and even if I am not a forward, I still need to be eager to score goals and make runs like Soma to create chances for the team. In our match against Korea Republic, I must focus on defence first, so that we can keep a clean sheet. The opponent will be playing with their home crowd on their back, but we must enter the match with the intention to win each battle and fight with pride to represent our country. must

MF #8 IDEGUCHI Yosuke (Gamba Osaka)
The atmosphere of the stadium will be enormous when facing Korea Republic, and I am looking forward for our match against them. I remember the bitterness we felt when we faced them last time. Regardless of the game flow, I will try not to overthink myself and try to showcase my usual performance.

MF #9 SUZUKI Musashi (Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo)
I was inspired by our match against Hong Kong and I was very happy to see Suga score a goal. After playing two matches, we are aware that Korea Republic is the strongest opponent of this tournament, so our next match will be a crucial match for us. This will be a very important match for the players of the Olympic generation and for my generation as well. I will anticipate for my opportunities to score goals and make runs that will irritate the opposing defenders.

MF #14 MORISHIMA Tsukasa (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
I have the impression that Korea Republic will play with great intensity, and with this being an away game, we must focus on keeping a clean sheet. I hope to add an accent for the team, and I hope to make runs to create opportunities for the team.

• Interview of HATANAKA Shinnosuke (Yokohama F・Marinos)

• Interview of SUZUKI Musashi (Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo)

• Interview of MORISHIMA Tsukasa (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
  
  

Schedule

EAFF E-1 Football Championship 2019
Tue. 10 December	2-1	vs China PR National Team (Busan Gudeok Stadium)
Wed. 11 December	TBC	Training
Thu. 12 December	TBC	Training
Fri. 13 December	TBC	Training
Sat. 14 December	5-0	vs Hong Kong National Team (Busan Gudeok Stadium)
Sun. 15 December	TBC	Training
Mon. 16 December	TBC	Training
Tue. 17 December	TBC	Training
Wed. 18 December	19:30	vs Korea Republic National Team (Busan Asiad Main Stadium)

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

EAFF E-1 Football Championship 2019 Final Korea Republic

Tournament Dates: Tue. 10 - Wed. 18 December 2019
Tournament Venue: Busan Gudeok Stadium/Busan Asiad Main Stadium (Korea Republic)
Participating Countries: China PR, Japan, Hong Kong, Korea Republic

Tournament Information

 

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