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 National Team Match: |
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An injury-time goal by substitute striker Yuichiro Nagai gave Zico his first win since taking over as national team coach, and rewarded a fine display of hard work and coordinatiuon at midfield that, up to the final minute of the match, had been squandered by very poor finishing work by the forwards. Both Japan and Korea contested the match without their Europe-based players, but whereas Japan had a good group of replacements available for midfield duty, the selection of forwards left many people shaking their heads even before the match kicked off. Zico cannot be faulted for the fact that his preferred choices -- Atsushi Yanagisawa, Teruaki Kurobe and Tatsuhiko Kubo were all ruled out of the squad due to minor injuries. However, the selection of 35-year-old Masashi Nakayama and Yoshiteru "the Slowest Gun in the East" Yamashita as his two starting forwards simply defies logic. Surely it is time to start giving youngsters such as Yoshito Okubo and Satoshi Nakayama -- or better yet, Yamashita's teammate Hisato Sato -- chances to show what they can do.
Be that as it may, Japan played a very attractive and exciting match against a fired-up Korean team who were urged on by a very loud and enthusiastic home crowd. The team's srength continues t9 be its midfield performance, which seemed to lose absolutely nothing in terms of quality when Mitsuo Ogasawara, Alex Santos, Takashi Fukunishi and Koji Nakata took over from Ono, Inamoto, Nakamura and the other Nakata. The defence also looked quite sharp, apart from left wing Toshihiro Hattori, who continues to be the weak link. Korea put on a lot of pressure, but had a very difficult time moving the ball into a dangerous position. Though they outshot Japan in the match by a wide margin, they consistently settled for long and harmless shots that Seigo Narazaki had little trouble collecting. Apart from two or three dangerous chances -- almost all of which were the result of Hattori overplaying, or underplaying Lee Chun Soo on the right wing -- the defence held Korea at bay.
On offense, Ogasawara did a brilliant job of orchestrating play, creating good opportunities for his teammates almost every time he touchedthe ball while also statching the ball away in midfield on countless occasions with his tremendous anticipation and amazing body control. Koji Nakata was a rock in defensive midfield, and Fukunishi played an error-free match as well, though both probably could have taken a few more chances to try to lend more support on the attack. Santos was the onlyreal disappointment, though it would be hard to say he performed poorly. The only problem was that his individualistic efforts did not mesh well with the fine-tuned passing of the other midfielders (plus Hattori and Narahashi on the wings). This became even more apparent when the second-half introduction of the offensively autistic Daisuke Oku actually made Japan look MORE fluid and cohesive at midfield. Unless Santos can learn to play in better tune with his teammates, Zico should relegate him to a late substitute role, where his speed and individual moves might be useful rather than distracting.
The match began with some excellent play from the Japanese midfield, as well as a few decent runs by Yamashita and Nakayama (the best that they would provide all match long). Ten minutes in, a through pass from Ogasawara was collected by Nakayama, who looped a shot over the keeper and into the back of the net, but even he seemed to realise that he had been caught offside. Five minutes later, Japan had a more legitimate and equally dangerous opportunity after a neat drop pass by Fukunishi set up Ogasawara at the top right corner of the box. Oga lofted a cheeky lob shot that left the keeper frozen in impotence, but the ball curled just milimeters wide of the left post.
Good midfield pressure kept Korea on the back foot until about the 20 minute, but as the first half wore on, Korea started to get more possession and applied pressure on Japan's defence. The Korean attacking midfield seemed a bit too impatient, settling for long shots that were easily handled by the keeper, but they sustained the momentup for a stretch of close to 20 minutes, and the pressure began to create openings, particularly for Lee C-S on the right wing. With ten minutes to play in the half, Lee took a ball with his back to the goal, and flicked it over his own shoulder, leaving Hattori sprawled in the dust. But Lee's shot also hooked wide of the post, and apart from a quick turn-and shot by Yoo Sang-Chul just before the halftime whistle, that was the best chance Korea would get to score in the entire match.
Daisuke Oku replaced Yamashita at half time, moving Santos to a 1.5 striker position. This proved to be a slightly better blend of the skills that each player can offer, and it created two excellent opportunities for Japan in the first 15 minutes of the half. However, on both occasions Nakayama managed to flub wide-open shots from near point-blank range. By the 60 minute, the Korean defence had made the necessary adjustments and momentum shifted back towards the Korean attack. For the rest of the match, the pattern was pretty much the same. Korea dominated possession, but all they could do was move the ball around purposelessly on the perimeter, or launch 30-meter shots that Narahashi collected with ease. This may have been partly due to a lack of patience, or partly due to the team's unfamiliarity with the 4-3-2-1 lineup that Coehlo is using. Whatever the case, It looked like Japan's defence had things well in hand, and would settle for a draw on hostile turf.
With ten minutes to play, though, Zico made the most effective coaching move of his breif career as Japan head coach. Pulling Nakayama, Zico sent in the speedy Yuichiro Nagai and had both him and Alex play wide, while Ogasawara moved slightly forward in the center of the field. Though Korea continued to create the majority of pressure, urged on as they were by their home crowd, Japn's counters suddenly became sharper and more effective at collapsing the Korean defence. On at least two occasions in the final ten minutes, Ogasawara came within a whisker of sending either Nagai or Santos into the clear with a deadly accurate through pass.
As regulation time ended, the Koreans seemed to accept that they would have to settle for a draw, and eased up a bit on their offensive pressure, but with a minute of injury tie already played, Ogasawara and Fukunishi created yet another counterattack, and this time Nagai was able to latch onto the pass at the edge of the penalty box. Nagai was cut off by a defender, and the keeper came out to support, but with a lunge, Nagai managed to push the ball loose. The Korean defender swung at it, hoping to knock the ball clear, but instead it caromed off Nagai's knee and into a soaring arc that took it over the keeper's head and into the back of the net.
Once again, Japan showed some good qualities in this match, despite the fact that Zico clearly has not found the right player mix yet, and the players are still adjusting to the new formation. Seigo Narazak's solid, if unspectacular performance has surely eliminated Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi from anu future consideration, and now he will have to contend only with Hitoshi Sogahata for the starting spot in net. Ogasawara was clearly the man of the match for Japan, and his fine performance may force Zico to make some difficult decisions the next time that the so-called "golden midfield" are all available. Both Koji Nakata and Takashi Fukunishi looked solid as well. Either one could step in for Junichi Inamoto or Shinji Ono with little difficulty, though considering the defensive qualities of both players, one wonders how long it will be before Zico offers one or both of them a chance to assume the left wing back slot. Surely neither one could be a step down compared with Hattori. Santos was the least effective of the four, though this is less a criticism of his individual abilities, and more a reflection of his poor chemistry with the other team members. For the time being, he probably should be viewed as a good wild card to bring off the bench late in a match, rather than as a potential starter.
On defence, Japan looked even more solid than in their previou matches under Zico. Hattori continues to be the weakest link, but Akita and Morioka are developing a good chemistry, and Narahashi, despite his inability to make accurate crosses, made several good runs, and more importantly kept Korea's forwards from finding any space down the left wing (unlike the situation on the right).
The biggest disappointment was the play of the two starting forwards. Yamashita was a total washout, and probably will not get another call even if, as happened this time, the regular strikers are unavailable due to injury. Nakayama ran hard and contrubuted to the defence by harrassing Korean midfielders, but at 35 years of age, he has never been much of a scorer and is even less so at this late stage of his career. Nagai showed a bit of promise at the end, and his winning goal could win him another call, but he doesnt seem like the sort of player who can really establish himself at striker for Japan. It will be nice when Yanagisawa, Takahara and perhaps eveb Teruaki Kurobe are once again available. However, we think that Zico needs to start looking at some of the younger players, who have been raising eyebrows both in the J.League and on the U-23 team. Surely they cant do any worse than Yamashita and Nakayama did in this particular match..
National Team
Overseas Players
Japan 1 - 0 Korea 