SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) finished their pre-competition training camp in Cessnock, in the southeast of Australia, before the AFC Asian Cup Australia 2015, on the morning of 8 January. In the afternoon, the players moved to Newcastle, where they will play their first match against Palestine on 12 January.

On the last day of their camp in Cessnock, the players did high-impact exercises and moved a lot despite the blazing sun. They started with passing balls among groups of four, and did some six-on-four mini games in order to look at positioning and swift changes between attack and defence. Then the players practiced shooting, receiving crosses from the wings, and played a seven-on-seven mini game. Javier Aguirre, the head coach, instructed the players with big gestures and praised positive plays with shouts of ‘good!’.

Before the practice session, Bob Pynsent, the mayor of Cessnock, joined the ceremony to finish the team’s six-day training camp. Boomerangs, which had been made by an Aborigine elder artist and wished for ‘their return to this place in the near future’, were given from Bob Pynsent to each of the players, including the head coach Aguirre. Staff from the local rugby league club gave the club’s commemoration kits to the midfielder HASEBE Makoto on behalf of the team.

At the end of the ceremony, a baby kangaroo, a baby common wombat, and eight-year-old koala bear from a zoo in Hunter Valley joined the event. The players were surprised, but enjoyed the appearance of the animals. When the players and Pynsent finished with a commemorative photo altogether, the forward HONDA Keisuke held the common wombat, which is also the Cup’s mascot, over his head, as though it was a championship cup.

The mayor commented in his speech: ‘having SAMURAI BLUE stay with us here in Cessnock this past week has been an absolute honour and privilege. The local residents will remember this event for a long time. I’d like them to come back on their holiday and have some relaxing time. We support Japan. We wish them the very best of luck in the 2015 AFC Asian Cup competition.’ In the end he said ‘Ganbatte!’ in Japanese to encourage the players.

After the practice session, Hasebe, expressing the team’s good result in their pre-competition training camp, noted: ‘I got used to this heat and I’m getting myself into good condition. It’s vital that no one has picked up an injury.’

Japan, who are aiming to become back-to-back champions after the previous competition in 2011, will make final adjustments in Newcastle from 9 January in preparation for their first match against Palestine on 12 January. This quadrennial championship to decide the best in Asia among 16 teams will start with the opening match between the hosts Australia and Kuwait in Melbourne.

Comments

FW HONDA Keisuke (AC Milan)
Although I’m not thoroughly satisfied with the result of our training camp, no one can be perfectly ready. As we still have time, we don’t need to be 100% yet. I’d like to finish our preparation and become ready in the remaining three-day training session and the actual matches. Ideally, we’re up and ready from our first match. However, I know human’s bodies won’t work like that. There will be six games in the championship. I’d like to maintain a high performance in every game. I’ll stay focussed on our play and do what each position needs.

GK KAWASHIMA Eiji (Standard Liege)
Although the humidity is low, the sun is very strong and exhausts us. We got used to this climate. In four days, we’ll play our first match. I’ve been aiming to become back-to-back champions in the Asian Cup since I started our training camp. I’d like to forget our past glories and would like to challenge once more. As we did good preparation, we’d like to win our first match to gain three points. I think our team is getting ready in a good condition.

MF KONNO Yasuyuki (Gamba Osaka)
Although we’ve been practicing hard in the heat, I feel the camp in Japan was physically tougher. I think I’m playing reasonably well. As I think we have opportunities to make a case for ourselves, I’m trying to show my skills. Despite the fact that there hasn’t been any meeting yet, I believe I understand the way the head coach thinks or what he requires us to do from the practice sessions. In terms of crosses from the sides, if you pass a high-quality cross, the opponent can only be a ball watcher, which will be our advantage. We’ll have a higher scoring success rate if I’m inside the box when a cross is passed. If I run towards the centre when we have the attacking opportunity, we can attack better. So I will bear that in mind.

FW OKAZAKI Shinji (1.FSV Mainz 05)
I really appreciate for letting us use an excellent ground in Cessnock. Hopefully some people here come to the stadium of the first match for giving us their support, the venue is not more than one hour away from here. I want to keep winning the games for advancing to the next stage. We’ve been holding training raising the quality of each play and I believe we are getting better organized every day. I know the first game against Palestine is not an easy one but I am going to battle all through the 90 minute game. I would assume we may be facing difficult situation during the group stage games and forced to stay defensive and I see the excellent scenario is to raise our condition to the best form towards the end of the championship.

JFA-TV

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