The Samurai Blue may have failed to register any goals in the recent Kirin Cup but the players certainly benefited from the time together on the training pitch.
After the final game of the tournament against the Czech Republic I got the thoughts of Eiji Kawashima, Maya Yoshida and Keisuke Honda, all of whom are keen to keep improving.
The Kirin Cup may have ended a dead-tie – almost literally, with all three games ending 0-0 – but the Japanese national team were still able to take some positives from the tournament.
My consideration of the Samurai Blue’s performances can be found here.
The 2011 Kirin Cup gets underway this evening when Japan take on Peru in Niigata.
Here’s my preview of the match for The Daily Yomiuri.
Sakka Nihon 