National Team Match:

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Japan 2 - 0 Peru

Date: March 24, 2007 Location: Yokohama Int'l Stadium Japan 2 1 1H 0 1 2H 0 0 Peru Seiichiro Maki (19') Naohiro Takahara (54') Scoring Cautions Alvarrado Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi, Yuichi Komano, Yuji Nakazawa, Marcus Tulio Tanaka, Akira Kaji, Keita Suzuki (Akihiro Ienaga 74), Yuki Abe (Kengo Nakamura 60), Yasuhito Endo (Naotake Hanyu 68), Shunsuke Nakamura (Jungo Fujimoto 74), Seiichiro Maki (Kisho Yano 68), Naohiro Takahara (Koki Mizuno 74) Flores (Forsyth 45), Hidalgo, Alvarrado, Villechez, Delaraza, Passarel (Torres 69), Marino, Sanchez, Herrera, Gimenez, Most

Two and a half cheers for Osim Japan. At long last, there are signs that the players are starting to get used to his playing philosophy and execute it with reasonable success. It is very important to keep in mind that this was a very understrength Peru squad, playing their first match under incoming coach Julio Uribe. The fact that Japan failed to score from the run of play against such a makeshift opponent leaves us reluctant to succumb to unwarranted euphoria. There were plenty of rough spots that still need to be addressed, and we still have reservations about some of the players that Osim is still using in his squad.

But for the first time since Osim took over as National Team coach, there was reason to smile as the final whistle sounded. Furthermore, apart from a few choice words when Akira Kaji played back passes directly to Peruvian players (on two separate occasions!), we managed to watch almost the full 90 minutes without yelling at the TV set. The content of play looked very good, and even if they did fail to produce a goal from the run of play, Japan was creating a lot of dangerous opportunities, and even managing to finish off a decent percentage of their shots. Best of all, both starting strikers got their names on the scoresheet, and substitute Kisho Yano came tantalizingly close to adding his name to the list. That surely is an indicator of success.

We are starting to see a clearer picture of the sort of football Osim is trying to teach his players, and we like what we see. But hopefully the old fox will concede some of the points that his detractors have been making. It was the presence of two Europe-based players -- Shunsuke Nakamura and Naohiro Takahara -- which seemed to provide the essential "glue" to hold the team together. Osim's reluctance to call players from Europe may have been valuable, in terms of allowing him to look at a large number of J.League players, and sort out which ones are most effective. However, if you compare this contest to last year's National Team matches, it is hard to avoid the conclusion tht Nakamura and Takahara were the essential ingredient needed to transform Japan into a more fluid and effective team.

Having said that, we have to give Coach Osim credit for designing a style of football that seems very well suited to the skills and character of Japanese players. The formation was extremely fluid, and players changed positions constantly without any visible loss of shape or dangerous open spaces for the opponent to exploit. With only one serious exception, every player seemed to understand their role at every moment. There were a number of missed connections, as the players showed their lack of familiarity with one another, but even when play broke down, you could see very clearly what the team was TRYING to do.

Last year, we tried to analyze the roles of each player, but had difficulty pinning down some of the details. The main problem was that the teamwork was still so ragged, and assignments missed so frequently, that we often were forced to guess what was SUPPOSED to be happening. But improved play from the J.Leaguers and the addition of a truly effective player in the center of the pitch, has clarified things a great deal. In that sense, this contest was very enjoyable to watch because we FINALLY were able to see, and understand, what was happening.

Nominally, the team was playing a 4-4-2 formation, but the back line was deployed in the positions that we have grown accustomed to seeing at JEF. Basically, only the two centre backs were really playing as "defenders". The wing backs were extremely flexible in their positioning, and it was the twin volantes -- Keita Suzuki and Yuki Abe -- who would drop into coverage as the opposing team pushed forward, and not the two wings. Suzuki's role was to play at the deep point of the buildup, when Japan was going forward, and to attack the ball when on defence. Yuji Nakazawa (who also left no doubts about how dominant he can be, and how badly he has been missed since Osim took over) played a relatively fixed position in the back line, while Tulio often would dash forward into the attack (Nakazawa also did so on two occasions, and when he did so, Tulio took up the fixed spot in front of Kawaguchi.)

Last year we offered some speculation about the roles of Abe and Yasuhito Endo, particularly since we thought Endo had been a weak link in the team. Though he often seemed to go missing, we suggested that perhaps his role was to watch what everyone else was doing, and adjust his position and responsibilities accordingly. In this contest there was finally enough fluidity in the movement that we could see how Abe and Endo fit in -- constantly adjusting in order to preserve the shape of the formation, while the others seemed to switch around at will. This is obviously a difficult responsibility, and perhaps that helps explain why Osim has preferred to use Endo, up to now. However, he still seems to be one step slower and less skillful than his teammates. When Kengo Nakamura came on (for Abe, actually, but he appeared to take over Endo's responsibilities), we thought he was more effective in filling the gaps while also contributing to the attack.

Hopefully Osim will give Kengo a chance to start in this position, before the Asian Cup, in June, because in our view, the Kawasaki Frontale midfielder would be a slight improvement over Endo. All in all, though, the players in the centre of the pitch did their jobs very well. There was really only one player who seemed to be completely ineffective, and that should be no surprise because we have been complaining about him for years. Thats right. We are talking about Akira Kaji.

Any consideration of Kaji's performance has to include the understanding that a far superior wing back has been forced out of position, in order to accomodate him. Yuichi Komano, who played at the left wing back spot in this contest, was absolutely brilliant. Both goals were set up by his overlapping runs, which the Peruvian defenders could only stop by fouling him. Time and again, he would work a dazzling exchange with Nakamura and be off on yet another gallop down the left flank. But while he did create a lot of scoring chances, his crosses into the box were not as effective as they might have been . . .

. . . .and no wonder. Because Komano is a right-sided player. Anyone who has watched him deliver precision balls to teammates at Sanfrecce Hiroshima is aware of how deadly he can be on the right. But since Kaji cannot play on the left, Komano is forced to play out of position. Perhaps coach Osim is secretly waiting to recall Alex Santos for the Asian Cup, this summer, and therefore does not see the need to develop another left wing. The experience that Komano develops, on the left, will serve him well in the future, because his ability to switch sides at key moments (as he did several times in this match) can create havoc for opposing defences. .

But in our view, Kaji's performances do not justify his continued presence on the National Team (much less a starting spot). Every one of Peru's most dangerous chances was either directly or indirectly related to Kaji. And while he did make a FEW good moves down the right sideline, most of the time when the ball came to him he would immediately start looking to pass it backward!. The fact is, Akihiro Ienaga can play the left side with almost as much skill as Komano. He probably will need to improve his defensive skills somewhat, but he isnt totally lacking in this respect. And his offensive skills more than make up for any shortcoming on defence. Nor is Ienaga the only option. Japan has several promising youngsters who deserve a chance in that spot. It is high time to let Komano have his proper spot back. Hopefully Kaji's weak outing against Peru will convince Osim to make this change, at last.

Apart from Kaji, though, all of the other players (substitutes included) had good performances. We continue to view Naotake Hanyu as too weak and inconsistent to play at the international level, but as a late substitute, he wasnt bad. The opposition was tired enough that he never was put under too much physical pressure, and his creativity almost sprang Kisho Yano for a late third goal. Seiichiro Maki also performed better than he has in nearly a year. He only had one real dangerous shot, but he hit the target with it, and his work off the ball (including some impressive retreats into defensive coverage) was encouraging.

As we alluded to, above, the most impressive thing about Japan's play in this match was their fluid movement on the attack, with players shifting position constantly. Abe was constantly sliding forward into the playmaker spot, allowing Nakamura to drift to one wing or the other and create three-on-two matchups. Tulio surged forward on several ocasions, and though it never produced any goals, you could see the panic in the eyes of the defence when he surged into the box alongside Takahara and Maki. If only there had been slightly better delivery from the wings, Japan surely could have added to the score line. Komano was constantly popping up in areas where the Peruvian defence was overstretched, and yet despite all this movement, the defence was always equal to the task of scuttling counterattacks.

The stars of the evening, however, were Shunsuke and Takahara. Not surprisingly, Nakamura provded the delivery for both goals, while Takahara produced the highlight clip for the eleven o'clock news. In the 19 minute, after Komano had been hauled down on one of his overlapping runs, Nakamura and Endo lined up a free kick on the left sideline, about level with the top of the penalty arc. Endo feinted at the ball and Nakamura sent a low, flat drive towards the penalty spot. The design of the play was perfect, with Nakazawa and Takahara dragging most of the defenders towards the near post and Tulio lurking at the back post to keep the rest of the Peru players honest. As a result, Maki had only one man to contend with, and he won the aerial battle with a downward header which bounced right on the goal line and underneath the keeper's diving grasp.

The second goal was almost a precise replay of the first, only at the other end of the pitch. Nine minutes after the break, Komano again broke loose on the wing and was hauled down from behind in a nearly identical spot, on the left sideline. Nakamura lined up the kick, but this time he sent a low ball slightly behind the line of tall Japanese players. As Takahara turned his back to goal, to collect the cross, three teammates between him and the goal provided a sort of "screen", that prevented any defenders from dashing out to put pressure on his back. In a beautifully fluid movement, Takahara pulled the ball down with his left boot, swiveled 180 degrees, and sent a right-footed drive inside the right post.

All in all, this was a very satisfying performance for Japan. There are still some issues that need to be ironed out, as the failure to score from the run of play should indicate. But if we look at the content of play in this contest, coupled with the glimpses of fluidity in Japan's home match against Saudi Arabia, last November, we have the sense that Osim Japan is finally on the right track. We will be looking forward eagerly to the National Team's next match, and hoping fervently that the JFA can arrange one more friendly in April or May, before the two Kirin Cup dates, in early June.