Okada's wise tip for Zico
The morning after Japan's depressing performance against Oman, I took the train to Higashi Totsuka and then a taxi to the Yokohama F Marinos training ground.
My mission, apart from finding out a few details about the forthcoming A3 Nissan Cup in Shanghai, was to talk to Oka-chan about the previous night's game.
Personally, I thought it was a shambles.
The players looked like they didn't have a clue what they were supposed to be doing. Passes were going astray, confidence was ebbing out of them with every mistake-riddled minute that ticked by, and, worst of all, Oman were beginning to think they might actually win.
Anyway, of course Oka-chan could not be too critical, but his opinion was of great value as, after all, he is the only coach to have steered Japan through the minefield of a World Cup qualifying campaign.
Oka-chan's main point was this.
Zico has two choices. Either he picks the players from J.League clubs who are fit and raring to go, or he picks the players he has brought all the way back from Europe, even though several of them have spent much of the season on the bench or on the treatment table.
Clearly Zico prefers the latter, hence the inclusion of Shunsuke, Ina and "Atsushi-Goal."
Was Ina playing? I never saw him.
Why did Shunsuke play for 90 minutes when he had only just come back for Reggina after a long injury lay-off?
Yanagi? Well, that was okay, because he had scored against Tunisia, Romania and Iraq in recent appearances for the national team.
Okada said the introduction of Ogasawara had given the team better organisation, and that Kubo was in fine physical condition.
Kubo it was, of course, who saved the day, and maybe even Zico's job, with his cool, injury-time goal.
Oka-chan's opinion should be taken on board by Zico, who, as I have said from the very beginning of his reign, is merely selecting an all-star team in the hope that they will tune in to each other's wavelength.
It's not working, and maybe the JFA should keep Okada in mind if they need him to rescue another sinking Japanese ship!
ends
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