Dogged success

Japan’s marathon man Shinji Okazaki has put in the miles to establish himself as a key starter for the Samurai Blue…

Shinji Okazaki is really growing on me.

His scoring record for Japan has always been impressive (33 goals in 63 games after his decisive strike against Iraq) and his work-rate has never been in doubt but I have always seen him as something of a trier, lacking the control and intelligence of the more refined players left out of the Samurai Blue squad. He reminded me – particularly in his longer-haired days – of a big dog chasing a ball around a park: full of boundless enthusiasm and clearly loving every minute of his playtime, but completely clueless as to what he was supposed to do once he was in possession.

I’d frequently bemoan his presence in the team while others were overlooked, and would groan in frustration as he inevitably found himself in the right place at the right home to tap home the goal that would keep him involved for the next match.

Now, however, I am starting to think that he wasn’t just Johnny-on-the-spot in meaningless Kirin Cup games against Finland, but that he is a far smarter player than I initially assumed.

Once is chance, twice is coincidence, after that there must be more to it, and it seems there is more to Okazaki than meets the eye.

Before South Africa 2010 I attended a press conference with the then-Shimizu S-Pulse striker, when he was struggling to live up to his expectations as the central striker for Takeshi Okada’s side as the World Cup edged ever-closer. At the time he had scored just twice in his last seven appearances for the Samurai Blue, something of a dip after he’d raised expectations by plundering seven in his previous three games.

While he of course denied feeling any pressure as the focal point of the attack, he did admit that he had perhaps started to overthink things out on the pitch.

“I wanted to score so badly that I think I killed my instinct to do so. I was thinking too much about it so I killed my strong point,” he said.

There were suggestions even then that he maybe struggled to focus, and that he expunged too much energy chasing after lost causes.

“That’s my character,” he responded. “If I don’t do that then it’s not me. I have done it from when I was very young.”

It is precisely that characteristic which persuaded Alberto Zaccheroni to shift Okazaki back a little though, into one of the three supporting roles behind the main centre-forward. While Keisuke Honda struts around expending energy only when he absolutely must and Shinji Kagawa possesses such wonderful technique and ability that he rarely looks flustered, the third point of that trident presents opponents with a far different proposition to defend – as well as putting in a shift heading back in the opposite direction.

Despite my initial impressions Okazaki’s movement is not performed without thought, and he has improved dramatically since Zaccheroni – who prides himself on his intricate coaching methods – has been in charge. Okazaki doesn’t just luck out when the ball falls to him in the box, he has made sure he is exactly where he should be to cause the most danger, and now that he is not relied upon to lead from the front he is able to act more instinctively coming onto the ball rather than needing to work with his back to goal.

It takes more than just hard work to change your game once you are established in the national team, and Okazaki deserves credit for having persevered to improve his weaker points. It shouldn’t really have surprised me as he paid reference to the strength of character needed to make it in football back at that press conference in 2010.

“My [high school] teacher said that personality was vital and combined with your football performance,” he said. “I have a lot of respect for that teacher.

“I was better at marathons and longer races [at school] – stamina is one of my strong points,” he added.

His persistence has certainly won me round, and if I was in charge the Stuttgart man would be one of the first names on the teamsheet for the final straight in Brazil next year.

Out of the shadows

During the qualifying campaign for the last World Cup Japan were lagging way behind Australia, and the Socceroos were well aware of their superiority. Things are a little different this time around…

“Nippon: Forever in Our Shadow,” read the banner in Melbourne in 2009.

Australia certainly had the better of things in the early exchanges of the ever-developing rivalry with Japan, and having inflicted that painful 3-1 loss in Kaiserslautern in 2006 and wrapped up top spot in the qualifying stages thanks to another Tim Cahill brace four years ago it was hard to argue with the sentiment.

A lot has changed in four years though, and while it may be a stretch to say that the shoe is now on the other foot, the Samurai Blue are certainly matching Australia blow for blow.

The Australians paid plenty of reference before and after the game to the fact that Japan haven’t beaten them in regulation play for 12 years, but that is clutching at straws. As they found out at Saitama Stadium as Keisuke Honda rifled home his 91^st minute penalty, not all matches are won or lost in 90 minutes. Doha in 2011 and Hanoi in 2007 also demonstrate that point.

Stats are always the most flexible of weapons anyway, and they can easily be manipulated to tell you what you want to hear. If you look at the most basic figures, for instance – wins, draws and losses – the two nations are dead even: six wins apiece and eight draws.

It’s true that Japan haven’t beaten the Socceroos in six attempts in World Cup qualifying but, if we ignore the two matches from 1969, they have never needed to. The sides are usually the two favourites in their group and thus would settle for a share of the spoils when they come face-to-face. Australia have only won once themselves in recent times, and that was the “in our shadow” game at Melbourne Cricket Ground when the result was irrelevant and both teams were already assured of their places at South Africa 2010.

This time, too, a point was enough for Japan to stamp their ticket to Brazil – even a loss, it turned out, would have seen them through as well, albeit in slightly underwhelming style – and would also leave the Socceroos’ fate in their own hands, with two home games to come.

“A point’s a massive point here,” Japan’s former nemesis Tim Cahill conceded after the game. “[Our performance] gives us the confidence as a group to know that we can play good football. This is a hard stage to play on and also difficult circumstances.”

Captain Lucas Neill also admitted as much, although his satisfaction was tinged with disappointment having come so close to snatching a huge victory.

“How do I feel?” he responded to the obvious question. “I’m feeling like before the game I would have taken that point but as the way the game played out I think we deserved all three, so it feels like two points dropped.”

Even so, he concluded that a draw was good enough when considering the esteem the current Japan team are held in.

“They’re a fantastic team, this is a very tough place to come and get points. This is a talented team, arguably the best Japanese team we’ve faced for a long time.”

I asked if he felt they had strengthened mentally since themselves experiencing that harrowing reverse at the 2006 World Cup, which also came late in the game.

“Not that late,” he laughed. “91 minutes. I don’t know if they were ever going to fold. This team is playing with a lot of confidence. They’ve got guys now playing at the best teams in the world, especially in Europe, their J.League is fantastic, it’s at a high standard and every year you can notice an improvement.”

The Socceroos have witnessed that improvement firsthand over the past few years and Cahill’s comments demonstrated that it is no longer the Australians having things all their own way.

“Congratulations to Japan, they’re a fantastic team. I think it’s the first time they’ve qualified at home and now we need to look forward and push on and join them in the qualification.”

The Samurai Blue are on their way to Brazil, and as they jet off to start preparing at the Confederations Cup Australia still need points. Who’s casting a shadow now?

Shoulda, Woulda, Kudo

Thanks to me (maybe) Japan may have discovered a player capable of filling the troublesome No.9 spot…

I first had my suspicions a while back when Hiromi Hara seemed to be trailing me around the country. There was a spell when the JFA’s Technical Director was at every game I attended, and until I spotted him at Thespakusatsu v. Gainare Tottori I’d just assumed it was coincidence.

His appearance in Gunma, however, alerted me to the fact that he must be on my trail (why else would he be at Thespa-Tottori?) and I realized that as an intrepid foreign journalist covering the J.League my insights in this magazine and on twitter (@seankyaroru, for anyone not yet following) were obviously being picked up on in JFA House.

After initially playing it cool I decided to test the waters a couple of weeks ago during the Kashiwa Reysol-Cerezo Osaka game. While all around were (quite rightly) demanding Yoichiro Kakitani be drafted into the full national team I tweeted that Alberto Zaccheroni could do worse than calling Reysol striker Masato Kudo up for the games against Bulgaria and Australia.

And lo-and-behold, the 23-year-old was given just that chance.

Seeing as I was ahead of the curve I was able to get Kudo’s thoughts on his national team chances in the mixed zone after that game, and although he admitted to not having really thought about it too much he did seem confident he could compete in the international game.

“I don’t really have any image with regards to the national team as I haven’t been called up even once yet,” he said. “If I were to get the opportunity to represent Japan though of course I would be honoured.

“I always try to think positively. I have confidence that I can achieve good results at that level. Now I have that confidence and that has enabled me to produce good results in the J.League.”

His club coach, Nelsinho, was also full of praise when I asked if he thought his No.9 could be as effective for the national team.

“This year Kudo has changed – in a good way,” he began. “He’s been scoring goals in important games, he’s been leading from the front, and his hold-up play has really improved. Not only with regards to his goalscoring efforts but aspects that aren’t immediately apparent to the naked eye have also been contributing to the team. His technical level has been really eye-opening.”

Once the wheels had been set in motion Zac’s eyes were opened as well and he included Kudo in his 26-man squad a week later, along with Keigo Higashi (not one of my tips – Hara-san must have other advisors, too).

“I’ve said it many times already but I have a particular interest in young players who show improvement and also players who demonstrate to me that they are growing,” Zaccheroni explained.

“At the same time, I’ve also said that being called into the national team once doesn’t make you good enough to be a regular at international level. Players must continue to show improvement.

“[Kudo and Higashi] are not an exception to that. Until now these kind of players have been called up and not all of them have shown improvement. In terms of these two players, they are the ones who have shown improvement between when I was appointed as manager three years ago and now.

“Both of them are utility players who can play in several positions. I should also pay special mention to the fact that both of them are powerful and demonstrate their ability by aiming straight for the goal.”

That is certainly true of Kudo, and as Nelsinho suggested the striker has really come on in recent seasons. He has benefited especially by gaining vital experience in the ACL – which must have been part of Zaccheroni’s thinking – coping very well with the rough-and-tumble of that competition, not only shrugging off over-enthusiastic challenges on and off the ball but also scoring regularly to help his side to the quarter-finals unbeaten.

Of course the next step is the biggest to take but with nobody having made the Samurai Blue centre-forward role their own yet I see no reason why Kudo shouldn’t be given the chance to stake a claim with Brazil edging ever closer.

Bound for Brazil: Japan 1st to clinch berth / Late Honda penalty earns decisive draw

On Tuesday night Japan finally secured their long-awaited berth at the 2014 World Cup finals in Brazil.

I was at Saitama Stadium to witness the historic match and afterwards gathered some reaction from the Japanese and Australian camps.

Japan aims to lift intensity to sew up World Cup spot

Japan take on Australia this evening at Saitama Stadium and need just a point to make sure of their place at Brazil 2014.

On Sunday I was at Japan training and spoke to a few of the players about their thoughts ahead of the match. You can read my short preview here.

Time is of the essence

Only 13 rounds have been played at the break in J1 but the clock is already ticking on Oita Trinita…

“Where do I catch the shuttle bus from?” I asked the man in the uniform with the red stick.

“They’re finished,” he replied in that no-nonsense manner not uncommon in Kyushu. “You can still catch a taxi though.”

Sod that. A taxi from Oita Bank Dome to my hotel was likely to cost more than my four-hour train ride from Kumamoto the previous day so along with a friend I opted to try and hitchhike.

People in the south may be a little brusquer than their Tokyo counterparts but they aren’t any less considerate and I was soon accompanying some Trinita supporters in their Prius on the way to the station.

I’d lucked out when it seemed time was up but for Oita Trinita the clock has not been on their side in 2013. In fact, it is probably fair to say that they are back in J1 ahead of time and may just be counting down to a return to the second tier.

The speediness of their ascension back to the first division was replicated in their opening three games, in each of which they scored first but were unable to secure all three points. Affronting their opponents in such a manner didn’t seem to do the trick but opting for a less aggressive approach proved equally as ineffective as Trinita conceded late on in their next three games and lost to Kashiwa Reysol (Masato Kudo striking the killer final goal to make it 3-1 in the 93^rd minute), Ventforet Kofu (1-0, Yukio Tsuchiya, 83’), and Kashima Antlers (3-2, Yuya Osako, 90’).

It took them until Round 12 to record their first victory in the league and even then they, like me, needed some additional minutes to get what they wanted. Having conceded an equalizer in the 90^th minute they required fully seven minutes of injury time to secure the winner in their 3-2 triumph over Albirex Niigata.

The day I’d received my hybrid-assisted lift also produced a strange quirk on the clock, with Oita’s two goals coming one minute before the end of each half. Sadly for them their opponents, Sagan Tosu, weren’t overly troubled as they netted twice as many themselves.

The number of goals scored and conceded are what really matter when it comes to determining who is celebrating or not come the end of the season, but for the time being head coach Kazuaki Tasaka is more concerned with another digit: one.

The former Japan international and long-time assistant to Kenta Hasegawa at Shimizu S-Pulse is in his first job as the top man and feels that togetherness is the key if Oita are to stand any chance of avoiding the drop.

“We showed the opponent our weak point and were well beaten today,” he said after the loss to Tosu. “At the moment what we are lacking is unity – we need to become one.

“The team was trying to make that happen and I can give them credit for that. Of course we didn’t win but watching them on the pitch I really felt that they were trying to play as a team. To fight as one and win as one. I want them to keep doing that.”

It has proved as hard as expected since Trinita became the first team to earn promotion via the J2 Play-offs last year, and Tasaka confessed that he has struggled to settle on a new best eleven to cope back in J1.

“I understand that we’ve moved up a level and everyday I’m watching the players and feel they are fighting well on this stage. Before we started back in J1 we had the strength to compete at this level but I was also aware of the current condition of the club. At the moment we aren’t able to stabilize the starting eleven. Within that we aren’t able to win games, which makes it harder to settle the team. Because of that each player is playing for themselves, not for the team.”

If some consistency and a collective purpose can be achieved the club may be able to give itself a fighting chance of staying up, but not as things stand. Time is very much of the essence.

20/20 Vision

The J.League’s “20th Anniversary Match” was a fitting way to mark a special occasion, but it also drew attention to aspects that still need to improve…

A great deal has been achieved in the first 20 years of the J.League, and the official “20^th Anniversary Match” highlighted so much of what is great about the Japanese game.

As chance would have it – or not, depending on how much faith you have in the ‘randomness’ of the fixture computer – the latest clash between Urawa Reds and Kashima Antlers fell conveniently on the weekend when the 20^th Anniversary celebrations were in full swing and was thus selected as the showpiece game.

And why wouldn’t the J.League choose that encounter? Urawa’s phenomenal success off the pitch has seen them generate the biggest aggregate attendance since things swung into action in 1993, and they have come the closest yet of any Japanese team to establishing themselves as a genuine big club. Head outside of Japan and ask your average football fan if they can name a J.League side and the chances are Reds will be one of the most widely known, despite their relative lack of success on the pitch.

Kashima Antlers, meanwhile, may not have established themselves quite so firmly in the consciousness of supporters around the globe but they, too, have a fixed identity – something that is sadly true of too few clubs in Japan. And, most importantly of all, they are winners. Seven league titles, five Nabisco Cups and four Emperor’s Cups are not to be sniffed at.

What better way to show how far the league has come in its opening two decades than a fiery encounter between these two sworn enemies, then. And in a packed Saitama Stadium to boot.

And thankfully the match more than lived up to its billing.

There is genuine animosity between the two sides – a member of staff from one club confided as much before kick-off – and no fan of either team wanted to miss the latest installment, with over 46,000 packing out the stadium despite the rain and fact that the game was being shown live on TV. It speaks volumes, in fact, that in some quarters that figure is being spoken of as ‘only’ 46,000, Attendances are an issue that the league and its clubs need to keep a close eye on, but that figure was more than every Premier League fixture on the same weekend, except for Sir Alex Ferguson’s last ever game in charge at Old Trafford.

Then of course there was the action on the pitch, which like all good games, was aggressive, frenetic, and controversial.

Shinzo Koroki’s decisive goal was quite blatantly offside. Of that there can’t be any debate, and it is beyond doubt that the referee and his assistant made a glaring error.

“Today was the 20^th Anniversary match and both teams did well but it is a shame that while the level of players has improved in the last 20 years the level of officiating hasn’t at all,” Antlers coach Toninho Cerezo witheringly declared after the match. “Everyone here and those watching at home could see the goal was offside but the referee and linesman failed to spot it. It seems like the home crowd made the decision for them.”

His frustration was understandable, but I have to say I think his claims about the level of the officials are wide of the mark. I have said it before and I’ll say it again but until video assistance is mandatory mistakes will happen and referees and their assistants will get things wrong. That is not unique to Japan and not a week goes by without a controversial decision making headlines in one of the world’s top leagues or international competitions.

The lack of discussion about the incident, though, is concerning. Again, this is not the first time I’ve spoken about this issue, but the refusal of any TV station to just come out and say, “he got that wrong” is baffling to me.

In so many ways the J.League has matured and developed since things kicked off on May 15^th, 1993, but the media covering it is still far too controlled. It, too, needs to grow up – and the J.League must allow and encourage that process if the next 20 years are to be anywhere near as fruitful as the last.