Reporter Han Bing reported that at 6 p.m. Beijing time on January 27, the national football team will meet the Japanese team on the road. Before the game, Japanese coach Mori Hoichi attended the press conference and talked about the recent adjustment of the opponent, he said that he only knew that the new coach Li Xiaopeng had taught in the Wuhan team, and other information was limited, "I don't know how different the Chinese team will be after the change of coach, we will insist on me while understanding the opponent, and changing too much will cause confusion in the thinking of the team members." ”
With the returnees returning to the team one after another, the Japanese team began a large-scale training camp on the 24th, with 18 participants for a period of 2 hours, and the players carried out recovery training by running, practicing set-pieces, etc., and only began to enter tactical training on the 25th. Because captain Ma Yoshida was also absent, 35-year-old FC Tokyo veteran Yuto Nagatomo temporarily became the leader of the team. However, Moriho confirmed that the two matches would be taken over by vice captain Hang Endo.
Yesterday, with Takumi Minamino, Yasushi Don and Junya Ito in place, the Japanese team conducted full-staff training for the first time. In order to prevent the tactical training content from being leaked, the Japanese team temporarily changed the training ground. Japanese media reports are consistent with what coach Moriho revealed before the match, the Japanese team is not familiar with the Chinese team after the change of coach, and is still discussing whether it will continue the five-back system as in the first leg. To this end, the Japanese team has also stepped up set-piece practice, hoping to break the dense defense that the Chinese team may follow.
Japan scored five goals in the first six games but did not score a free kick. Kubo Kenei, who returned from injury, scored a wonderful free kick against Espanyol in the Copa del Rey on the 15th, so it was highly expected by the Japanese media. This is Kubo Kenei's first selection for the Japanese national team since September last year, and in an online interview with more than 100 reporters yesterday, he said that he would do his best to prove himself, while stressing that although Maya Yoshida and Kenhiro Fuan were absent, the other players selected for the national team would win for the Japanese team: "It is not good to play at the best level, the mental burden is too big." The outcome is of course the most important, but as long as you're a professional player, you need to play something that fans will be happy with. ”
Saitama Stadium will have more than 20,000 fans on the field tomorrow night, and whether the fans can cheer for Kubo Kenei's free kick will depend on how the 20-year-old genius played.
Japanese media mentioned that the tactical formation of the Chinese team may arrange 5 defenders, Kubo Kenei said that the draw means that the Japanese team has not improved, and he hopes that the Japanese team will be more proactive in attack and can create more free kick opportunities. Kubo also said that the Japanese team is likely to continue to use the 433 formation, which is also familiar to him in the Barca echelon: "Overwhelming possession, and absolute confidence, create difficulties for opponents. ”
As for coach Moriho's situation, Kubo Kenei believes that he is trying a new formation, and it is difficult to work from the beginning: "Meeting new challenges will not be smooth sailing. Media such as Nikkan Sports believe that Kubo Kenei may start and support the attack on the right or middle of the midfield.
Maya Yoshida and Kenhiro Fuan were the main centre-back combinations of the Japanese team in the Round of 12, and their absence due to injury caused a certain impact. The two of them played five of the six round of 12 matches, and the only one that Kenyang Fuan missed was Japan's home loss to Oman in September last year. Morihoichi coached 44 games, and Maya Yoshida and Kenhiro Fuan played 19 games, making them the most partnered centre-backs. The two were absent together in November 2019, with Japan conceding four goals in 38 minutes in the first half of the warm-up match against Venezuela, the worst defensive performance since 1996.
Coach Moriho is expected to use Schalke 04 defender Itakura Uzumaki, who was once a teammate of Kawasaki Striker and has been training with Ueda in the national team, and both can be his partners. Naoto Ueda has played three games with two absent centre-backs and is more likely to start.
Striker Takuma Asano also believes that the absence of Maya Yoshida and Kenhiro Fuan has a great negative impact on the Japanese team, especially the absence of captain Maya Yoshida. However, he said that as long as the players can perform their respective duties, they do not have to pay too much attention to defense, and the key to victory is to score goals. In the World Cup qualifier against the United Arab Emirates in March 2017, the Japanese team also lacked captain Makoto Hasebe and relied on Yuya Kubo's pass to win away.
Scoring difficulties have always been a stubborn problem in the Japanese team's round of 12, and this time the offensive end is missing Furuhashi, who is the best in Europe, which inevitably worries Japanese fans. In the first leg of the match against the Chinese team, Junya Ito's breakthrough and Ōkyo's goal are still the offensive weapons of the Japanese team. Not surprisingly, Dae yong is also the starting center. Jun Ito also just contracted the new crown pneumonia virus at the beginning of the year, and although he has recovered, whether his state can meet the starting standard depends on the choice of Mori Baoichi.
As for the game itself, Japan's new captain, Hang Endo, said there were other good players in the team: "In two games, we had no choice but to win all. Two consecutive home games are our advantage, and although we know it's a tough game, the players are ready for a winning streak. As for the possible tactics of the Chinese team, Endo Hang believes that in any case, the offensive tactics of active scrambling and high pressure are very important for the Japanese team: "If you can quickly adapt to the tactics of the other side and respond, it would be great." ”