Japan, which lost its set-piece advantage, waits for a new "Shunsuke Nakamura"

Compared with the Japanese national team in the past, the shortcomings of the current Japanese national team are in the set-piece part.

The number of taller defenders such as Maya Yoshida, Kenhiro Tomiya, and Itakura is also increasing, and The midfielder Isao Iso is also a player who can show great strength on set-pieces. But there is currently no way to find a set-piece top scorer who can use their height to create a threat.

In the past, there were people like Shunsuke Nakamura, Yuji Nakazawa and King Tokasa Tanaka to rely on, as well as Yasuhito Endo after Shunsuke Nakamura left the national team, whose set-piece ability kept fans looking forward to corners and free kicks.

Of course, the current Japanese national team also has advantages that are different from the past, but in terms of set-pieces, it is the former national team that is better.

Shibasaki's footwork is good, but there is no way to secure his main position at the moment. If Shibasaki is not in the squad, there will be a lack of set-piece free throwers in the case of players who can run in the midfield.

Japan's strength in Asia is still very prominent, and all opponents will maintain maximum vigilance against Japan. Although there will also be opportunities to get set-pieces due to fouls, fans are far less expectant of the Current Japanese National Team in terms of set-pieces.

Not long ago in the World Preliminary Tournament against Australia, the Japanese team was used by Australia to use a free kick in the front of the box to break the goal, if the Japanese team to take this ball, who will punish it? Although Kubo Kenei is a good choice, in the absence of Kubo Kenei, in terms of shooting accuracy, can only be handed over to the center-back Maya Yoshida to punish?

Set-pieces are an important source of scoring for modern football, but it's clear that the current Japanese national team isn't taking full advantage of that. Will there be a new Shunsuke Nakamura or Yasuhito Endo in the future? This seems like it will be a long-term task.

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