A 23 name squad for the friendly against Ecuador (March 30) was announced this afternoon.
GK
Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi - Jubilo Iwata
Yoichi Doi - FC Tokyo
Seigo Narazaki - Nagoya Grampus
DF
Makoto Tanaka - Jubilo Iwata
Shinji Murai - Jubilo Iwata
Tsuneyasu Miyamoto - Gamba Osaka
Akira Kaji - Gamba Osaka
Alex Santos - Urawa Reds
Keisuke Tsuboi - Urawa Reds
Yuji Nakazawa - Yokohama F Marinos
Teruyuki Moniwa - FC Tokyo
Yuichi Komano - Sanfrecce Hiroshima
MF
Yasuhito Endo - Gamba Osaka
Mitsuo Ogasawara - Kashima Antlers
Takashi Fukunishi - Jubilo Iwata
Shinji Ono - Urawa Reds
Makoto Hasebe -Urawa Reds
Yuki Abe - Jef Chiba
FW
Tatsuhiko Kubo - Yokohama F Marinos
Atsushi Yanagisawa - Kashima Antlers
Seiichiro Maki - Jef Chiba
Hisato Sato - Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Keiji Tamada - Nagoya Grampus
Narazaki and Tamada are back on the list for the first time since last year; these two have been out with injuries.
With the return of Yanagisawa and Ono to the J.league, I was wondering how Zico could shuffle around the other names in this all-domestic call-up. What was interesting is that he has listed 5 forwards (I don't think we've had 5 forwards in one listing before, or it's been a really long time since). And all the forwards are very different in style and personality. Kubo is still 50/50 with regard to his current condition (some trouble to his back and right leg in recent weeks). So who knows which pairing will get the starting nod. Tamada of course will be under pressure to catch up, given his competition have been gaining a lot of attention and momentum in his absence.
It is great to see Hasebe and Abe, as well as Murai, called back too. I know Motoyama was dropped, but I think balance-wise and overal performance wise, Hasebe deserves to nudge Motoyama out.
Malta Before World Cup
I forgot to mention this before: Japan will play Malta on June 4 -- it will be the last friendly before the World Cup obviously.
Lost in Translation Jokes Getting Old
The JFA has been trying to convince FIFA to allow more than one person (ie. the translator) in the technical area during the World Cup games. This of course is an issue for countries where the managers and the players speak different languages. In 2002, when Japan/Korea hosted, they made a special rule to allow two people into the area at the edge of the pitch, but this time things seem to have gone back to the original rule of "only one". Zico of course has said that he would hope they would allow the translator, but has also said that it isn't as big a problem though a bit of a disadvantage. He is not one to shout a lot of things from the sidelines to begin with, his policy being that the players have been getting instructions throughout the pre-game training week with a visualization of the game, and that the players are expected to think for themselves.
GK
Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi - Jubilo Iwata
Yoichi Doi - FC Tokyo
Seigo Narazaki - Nagoya Grampus
DF
Makoto Tanaka - Jubilo Iwata
Shinji Murai - Jubilo Iwata
Tsuneyasu Miyamoto - Gamba Osaka
Akira Kaji - Gamba Osaka
Alex Santos - Urawa Reds
Keisuke Tsuboi - Urawa Reds
Yuji Nakazawa - Yokohama F Marinos
Teruyuki Moniwa - FC Tokyo
Yuichi Komano - Sanfrecce Hiroshima
MF
Yasuhito Endo - Gamba Osaka
Mitsuo Ogasawara - Kashima Antlers
Takashi Fukunishi - Jubilo Iwata
Shinji Ono - Urawa Reds
Makoto Hasebe -Urawa Reds
Yuki Abe - Jef Chiba
FW
Tatsuhiko Kubo - Yokohama F Marinos
Atsushi Yanagisawa - Kashima Antlers
Seiichiro Maki - Jef Chiba
Hisato Sato - Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Keiji Tamada - Nagoya Grampus
Narazaki and Tamada are back on the list for the first time since last year; these two have been out with injuries.
With the return of Yanagisawa and Ono to the J.league, I was wondering how Zico could shuffle around the other names in this all-domestic call-up. What was interesting is that he has listed 5 forwards (I don't think we've had 5 forwards in one listing before, or it's been a really long time since). And all the forwards are very different in style and personality. Kubo is still 50/50 with regard to his current condition (some trouble to his back and right leg in recent weeks). So who knows which pairing will get the starting nod. Tamada of course will be under pressure to catch up, given his competition have been gaining a lot of attention and momentum in his absence.
It is great to see Hasebe and Abe, as well as Murai, called back too. I know Motoyama was dropped, but I think balance-wise and overal performance wise, Hasebe deserves to nudge Motoyama out.
Malta Before World Cup
I forgot to mention this before: Japan will play Malta on June 4 -- it will be the last friendly before the World Cup obviously.
Lost in Translation Jokes Getting Old
The JFA has been trying to convince FIFA to allow more than one person (ie. the translator) in the technical area during the World Cup games. This of course is an issue for countries where the managers and the players speak different languages. In 2002, when Japan/Korea hosted, they made a special rule to allow two people into the area at the edge of the pitch, but this time things seem to have gone back to the original rule of "only one". Zico of course has said that he would hope they would allow the translator, but has also said that it isn't as big a problem though a bit of a disadvantage. He is not one to shout a lot of things from the sidelines to begin with, his policy being that the players have been getting instructions throughout the pre-game training week with a visualization of the game, and that the players are expected to think for themselves.
I seem to be doing a lot of apologizing on this blog this year, and again I am sorry I am behind on updates. My calendar is relatively clear in the next several weeks, now that certain work emergencies have been taken care of.
Round 3 and 4 were played in the last five days, and I think it will be best for me to tackle those first. Thanks to all who posted comments in the meantime.
I'd also like to get back on news from our Japanese players in Europe soon. And today Zico will announce the squad for the upcoming game against Ecuador. So there is a lot to cover.
I'm going to start working on my posts now, so please watch for new updates starting tomorrow morning. Will be burning the midnight oil, and hope all of you have been having a good week!
Round 3 and 4 were played in the last five days, and I think it will be best for me to tackle those first. Thanks to all who posted comments in the meantime.
I'd also like to get back on news from our Japanese players in Europe soon. And today Zico will announce the squad for the upcoming game against Ecuador. So there is a lot to cover.
I'm going to start working on my posts now, so please watch for new updates starting tomorrow morning. Will be burning the midnight oil, and hope all of you have been having a good week!
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