6 Apr 2003(Sun)

On April 16, Japan will play their fourth match under Zico.

It is in Seoul against the 2002 World Cup semifinalist South Korea (can that be true? South Korea in the World Cup semifinals!), and Zico will choose his squad of players from the J.League.

In a busy year for the national team, Zico has said he will call on his overseas-based players only for the tour of America, which was cancelled, and then for the Confederations Cup in France in June.

So we have to presume that when he names his squad for the Korea match on Tuesday it is not going to include any of the seven players who returned to play against Uruguay.

This means Zico is going to be desperately short of fully fit, match-sharp strikers.

His original squad of 23 for the America tour included only four forwards: Takahara and Suzuki, who are based in Europe, and Gon Nakayama and Kurobe. Nakayama pulled out of the Uruguay game injured, but was back in the Jubilo squad for Saturday's game at Gamba Osaka.

Japan's best J.League-based forward is, in my opinion, Atsushi Yanagisawa.

He received ankle and knee injuries when he was the victim of a heavy foul when Antlers played Jubilo in the A3 Mazda Champions Cup at Tokyo National Stadium on February 19, and he has only just returned to the first-team squad this weekend.

So does Zico pick Nakayama and Yanagisawa when they are clearly not ready for international football?

If not, who does he go for?

Presumably he will stay with Kurobe, who has made rapid progress after joining Kyoto in 2000 from Fukuoka University. The blond-rinsed striker was not short of confidence when he came on against Uruguay, and Japan will need this positive approach, as well as courage and commitment, when they face Korea in their own back yard.

Top of my list of forwards for this game would be Tatsuhiko Kubo, now of Yokohama F Marinos.

He is strong, aggressive, fearless and powerful in the air. Like Takahara and Yanagisawa, he covers a lot of ground off the ball with his tirless running, creating space for other players and also setting up chances.

I still think Kubo was desperately unlucky not to be in Philippe Troussier's World Cup squad, as he possesses that element of surprise. He is still raw, despite his years of experience.

With Kubo you never know what is going to happen next. And if Kubo doesn't know what he's going to do, how can the defenders?

He is an explosive player, and would be my first choice against Korea. Kurobe, too, would stay involved, and I would pick Yanagisawa if he has no problems after Saturday's game at Reysol.

But Zico has not got many options, has he?

Perhaps a formation with only one central striker, such as 4-3-2-1, may be the answer, with Ogasawara and Alex behind Kubo, and a line of three "volante" in front of the back four.

ends