20 Jan 2005(Thu)

TOKYO (January 19): There was some good news for Yokohama F Marinos fans at the beginning of the week.

And that was that manager Takeshi Okada is in fine early-season form.

I don't know about his players, but Okada simply oozed self-confidence at the club function to announce the team's goals for 2005 on Monday.

He was happy, positive and in control, so it's no wonder he can motivate his players to perform at their maximum at the right time.

This year will be another marathon season for Japan's champions, with the A3 Championship in Korea and the Xerox Super Cup coming before the league season starts.

Then there's the AFC Champions League and the Nabisco Cup, and possibly the FIFA Club World Championship in Japan in December.

No wonder the club's motto is "Go the distance." It sounds more like a boxing phrase, and Japan's heavyweight contenders such as Urawa, Kashima and Nagoya will all be trying to knock out the champions.

Okada thinks his team will need 71 points from 34 games to win the single-stage season. In typical style, he has analysed the opponents and divided them into A, B and C categories.

He has also checked data from other leagues, and calculated that 70 per cent of the total points available is what it takes to finish on top. With these two factors in mind, he has come up with the figure of 71.

There was a glaring absence on the new list of players, with the No. 10 spot still vacant.

Italian reports have suggested this could be for Alessandro Del Piero, but Okada laughed off the link.

It's more likely to be for Koji Yamase, who could be set for a shock move from Urawa Reds. The release of Yoo Sang Chul and Yukihiko Sato has freed up a lot of money, and Okada admitted that Yamase was a target.

But he still needs a striker, and that's likely to be a foreigner with only Dutra and Ahn Jung Hwan on the books.

"Do you know any goalscorers who are available? Maybe Henry?," Okada said, with a smile.

Whoever arrives before the start of the season, one thing is for sure: they will immediately find a manager who knows his stuff and, in between the jokes and bonhommie, is deadly serious about his work.

ends