Japanese

"The Breakthrough of Japanese national team of soccer"

The Japan National Team of Soccer made a good start toward World Cup 2006. After getting early grip on the World Cup berth by the game against North Korea held in Bangkok on June 8, they participated confederation cup held in Germany, and made a good results of 1 victory, 1 loss and 1 draw against the champions of each continent even though they were lost in the qualifying round. Especially, they almost beaten FIFA ranking No.1 team, Brazil.

It seems to me a big joke that the mass communications and the critics who had criticized Zico's command severely have turned around and praised him after the games, but as a soccer fan who gets to know that time when Japan national team held international matches on the peeled off grasses of National Stadium because of combined use with Rugby football with a few spectators, the present popularity of Soccer makes me feel of living in a quite different age. When I saw games of the national team recently, what made me impress was that the players had learned to truant in a positive way.

Previously, it was considered to be the best plan to win the opponent that has superior technique that Japan to be superior in quantity of motion anyhow. Even in the 80s when I was playing soccer as a collage student, we spent about the half of practice time on hot running and the rest the time was spared for repeated practice of the stereotyped pattern. To drink water during the practice was strictly prohibited and the player who did not run after a ball during a game was made to take the place immediately. The conclusion drawn to the national team that was still not be able to win international matches was the size of soccer field of 100m x 50m is to big for Japanese physically.

However, when I saw the recent game of national team, it defies the common sense of once Japanese soccer. As you know, various types of time zones exist during 90 minutes of soccer game. Important thing is how we can control the game totally during 90 minutes and not to make our game monotonous. In order to do that, players must be truant sometime and let opponent players to keep a ball intentionally, and by doing that, they can change the rhythm of fame. The fact that Japanese national team often reverse the game in the second half even if they lost a point at the opening game shows that they have put on the skill to controls a game.

I think one of the key factors that made them to get on the skill was that Zico, who came from a soccer advanced nation, Brazil have planted the imagination in the player out of the playful mind of the game, and also many players have gone abroad and being rubbed in a high-level league was also an important cause. Moreover, in the large meaning, since J.League was inaugurated about ten years ago, whole Japanese soccer community have held to improve the level of Japan national team under the intense leadership of Chairman Kawabuchi, and strived to enhance the level of the regional environment and to expand the foot of soccer as much as possible.

Probably, the last thing required for Japanese soccer to be top class in future is to bring up a striker. Although it is a personal opinion, the striker exceeding Kamamoto still has not existed in Japan. The world famous strikers like Ronaldo, Muller as well as Kamamoto had the dreadfulness which made us foresee a score as soon as a ball had fell into them. When the striker exceeding Kamamoto will be born, I have a feeling that it is not a dream to go into the top 10 in the world in FIFA ranking.

2005.7.1