8 Sep 2003(Mon)

There was bad news and good news at Kashima Antlers in the past few days.

The bad news was the sad plight of Koji Nakata, one of my favourite players in Japan and, in my opinion, grossly under-used by Zico.

I believe Nakata would give Japan's midfield much more balance and shape, allowing the more attack-minded players to push forward knowing that he is controlling things behind them.

Nakata ruptured knee ligaments playing against Oita Trinita last Saturday and has been ruled out for at least six months.

He will have an operation at the end of this month, and then face a long, patient journey back to full fitness.

Hopefully he will be back for the start of next season, but Zico will miss him for the East Asian Championship in December if he does not have his European players available.

A few days later came news that Masashi Motoyama had been recalled to the national squad.

Motoyama and Nakata, of course, were both members of the Japan under-20 team that reached the final of the FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria in 1999.

This is where Nakata played on the left side of Philippe Troussier's flat three, replacing the injured Seiji Kaneko, and did so well that the Frenchman promoted him into the Olympic team and then the national team all the way through to the 2002 World Cup.

At that time, Troussier used Motoyama as a left winger, and I remember him having a wonderful game against Uruguay in Nigeria. Motoyama was so fast and elusive that the Uruguayans couldn't even foul him, never mind tackle him.

Troussier described Motoyama as the Ryan Giggs of Japan, and eventually gave him three caps: against Bolivia, the United Arab Emirates and South Korea, all in 2000.

Since Brazilian playmaker Bismarck left Kashima, Motoyama has played as an attacking midfield player rather than a left winger, and it is in this role that Zico will consider him for the Senegal match next Wednesday. It will be off the bench, of course, because he has already decided his midfield will be the same as the Nigeria match.

Motoyama has a confident, bubbly personality and will add his own special characteristics to the national squad.

Even though he has changed his role, he can still turn a match with his darting runs around the box and his eye for goal.

His last cap was almost three years ago, but he is still only 24 and has much to offer.

ends