13 Oct 2003(Mon)

Is your body clock back on time after waking up at 4.25am on Thursday morning to watch Japan against Tunisia?

I am sure all the FC Tokyo fans will have suffered no after-effects from this very early start to the day due to the performances of Akira Kaji and Teruyuki Moniwa.

Both players were making their debut for the national team, and both can be proud of their performance.

Especially Kaji, who showed a very professional, confident and business-like attitude.

He is a very athletic right-back, and came close to scoring a goal late in the second half.

Even though Japan were leading 1-0, Kaji was not content to stay back and defend.

He ran up the right wing, and was sent clear with a neat pass from Takayuki Suzuki.

Kaji then did everything right by sidestepping the advancing goalkeeper and shooting for goal, but his effort was intercepted by the large, burly frame of Tunisia's captain and central defender, Khaled Badra.

Kaji's play, but probably more so his decision to support the attack and take some responsibility, earned the admiration of captain Hidetoshi Nakata.

Moniwa, too, looked at ease alongside Nakazawa in the heart of the defense, and it was Moniwa's pass down the middle which led to Japan's goal, scored beautifully by Yanagisawa.

So what does Zico do now for the Romania game on Saturday night?

Does he keep his makeshift defense of Kaji-Nakazawa-Moniwa-Miura, or recall Yamada, Tsuboi and Santos?

After all, Yamada-Tsuboi-Miyamoto-Santos only became a unit for the Paraguay friendly before the Confederations Cup, after Zico made many changes following the Argentina embarrassment.

But they did not allow a goal against Paraguay, so Zico made them his first-choice defense in France.

Will he do the same with the four who played against Tunisia?

We will find out Saturday evening, when the television broadcaster is hoping for a 20 percent viewer rating. It was only 2.1 for the Tunisia game.

ends