On Monday 7 October, the SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) started their training camp ahead of their matches against the Mongolia National Team (10/10@Satiama) and the Tajikistan National Team (10/15@ Dushanbe) at the second round of the Asian qualifiers for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.

On this day, 11 players belonging to foreign clubs, including NAKAJIMA Shoya (FC Porto) and SAKAI Hiroki (Olympique de Marseille) were seen on the pitch along with NAGAI Kensuke (F.C. Tokyo) and two other players belonging to clubs at the J.League. The 14 players went through light conditioning drills to work up a sweat in their first training session.

KUBO Takefusa (RCD Mallorca) was seen making his way directly from the airport after arriving from Spain in the afternoon, as he joined the team towards the end of the session to go through some drills with physical coach MATSUMOTO Ryoichi.

The remaining nine players are scheduled to join the team from the training session on Tuesday 8.

Last month, the SAMURAI BLUE started off the Asian qualifiers with an away victory against Myanmar. The team will now face Mongolia at home on Thursday 10, followed by an away game against Tajikistan on Tuesday 15.

After concluding the first day of their training camp, coach MORIYASU Hajime mentioned to his players, “In order to win the match against Mongolia, let’s condition ourselves so that we can get ourselves into our best form, both as a team and as individuals.” The coach continued to speak about their match against Tajikistan, “We have reports from our staffs regarding transportation, climate, and the environment surrounding the match. Once we play our match against Mongolia, we will set our minds towards the next match.”

Ahead of this day’s training session, the players decided to take their time to interact with the local children, as nearly 70 primary students from the Saitama area joined the team to take pictures and played mini-games with the players. The participating children and players all shared laughter and spent a great time together. The kids were given the opportunity to get autographs from the players after playing football together, as each participant had their jerseys and note pads singed by the players.

After interacting with the local children, Nakajima shared his memories as a child, “I remember having a great time playing with professional players when I was a child. This was a great experience for us and the kids.”

The team will start training behind closed doors from Tuesday 8 to prepare ahead of the upcoming matches.

Coach and Players' Comments

MORIYASU Hajime, Coach of SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
I have been telling my players before each match that we must prepare ourselves in the best way possible within the given time frame. It might sound obvious, but it’s something I have been reminding my players all the time. With so many talented players, it gives us plenty of options as a team, so we hope to try out many variations and strategies, all depending on our given situations. There are many things I would like to try out, but we must focus on the improving the team one step at a time.

GK GONDA Shuichi (Portimonense S.C.)
Regardless of who we face, we must prepare ourselves both mentally and physically ahead of each match. In their match against Myanmar, Mongolia played very defensively and scored a goal from their few chances to win the match. They will surely take a similar approach against us, but as a goalkeeper, I will prepare myself against any possibilities.

DF SAKAI Hiroki (Olympique de Marseille)
We must all prepare ourselves so that the team can perform well regardless of who is on the pitch. It is not an easy thing to do, but that is why must always stay on the same page and actively communicate with each other. (Reflecting on the match against Singapore played four years ago) We must showcase a positive performance so that we can say that we have learned from that match and managed to get off to a good start because of that experience.

MF NAKAJIMA Shoya (FC Porto)
Through each of our matches, we hope to showcase improvements both as a team and as individuals. In terms of what our coach wants us to do, we still have plenty of room for improvements. It is also important that we become more critical in front of the goal. Regardless of who I face, I want to prepare myself in the best way possible and showcase my best performance at the match. (Regarding the absence of OSAKO Yuya) With different players featuring the line-up, we will see different play styles, and that is part of football.

MF ITAKURA Kou (FC Groningen)
At the Netherlands, I am given the opportunity to face many players I have never played against in Japan, so I feel like I am in a very good form right now. I have been given plenty of playing time at my club, so I hope to utilise all the experience I gained in the Netherlands to help out the national team. Within this limited time, I will prepare myself so that I can showcase my best performance whenever I am given the opportunity to play in the next two matches.

FW NAGAI Kensuke (F.C. Tokyo)
I will prepare myself so that I can showcase a good performance, but my top priority will always be set on the team’s victory. We have numbers of great passers, so I will anticipate for my opportunity to showcase my speed and exploit the open space behind the opponent’s defence line. There should be plenty of chances created from the flanks, so I will focus on connecting with the crosses and try to get myself involved with our team’s goals.

Schedule

SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) Squad, Schedule

2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar and AFC Asian Cup China PR 2023 Preliminary Joint Qualification - Round 2

SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) vs Mongolia National Team
Match Date: Thu. 10 October 2019, 19:35
Match Venue: Saitama Stadium 2002, Saitama

Tournament Information

Tajikistan National Team vs SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
Match Date: Tue. 15 October 2019, 17:15 (21:15 Japan time)
Match Venue: Republican Central Stadium, Tajikistan

Tournament Information

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