Oka-chan highlights goal-scoring problem
The other day, I was surprised to read comments by Takeshi Okada after his Yokohama F Marinos had beaten Binh Dinh of Vietnam 6-0 in the Asian Champions League.
Oka-chan said his players lacked the killer instinct, and that they should have won by at least 10 goals.
This seemed strange to me, even a bit harsh, as 6-0 at home is not a bad result.
A few days later, I appreciate what Oka-chan was talking about.
Marinos' chief rivals in the Asian Champions League group, Seongnam Ilhwa Chunma, beat Persik Kediri 15-0 on Tuesday night!
That's right: Fifteen, or one goal every six minutes!
Marinos' chances of finishing top of the four-team group and qualifying for the quarterfinals now look slim, as the Koreans have a much better goal difference with only one game to play.
So what's the problem with Japanese players scoring goals?
A general observation is that they simply do not shoot enough.
There are many times in most games I watch when a player has the opportunity to shoot, but instead he will cross, or play a short pass to a teammate and the move breaks down on the edge of the box.
Japanese players must not be afraid of shooting. Or, rather, they must not be afraid of missing.
Just watch the world's best strikers on television. If they miss a chance, which they all do, of course, because no player is perfect, do they shy away from shooting the next time?
No they don't. They don't care about missing. They forget it instantly, and concentrate only on the next chance.
Maybe the list of leading scorers in J1 is evidence of this right now.
Emerson leads the way with 11 goals (40 shots), followed by Rodrigo Gral with eight (29) and Ueslei with five (46).
Six players have four goals: Ogasawara, Sandro, Araujo, Marques, Magrao and Okubo.
So, of the top nine in the chart, seven are Brazilians and only two are Japanese: Ogasawara, a midfielder, and Yoshito, who is playing for one of the weakest teams.
Other Japanese players should follow the example of these two, and take more responsibility in front of goal.
ends
The comments to this entry are closed.
Comments