4 Apr 2005(Mon)

TOKYO (April 2): How times change...

Not all that long ago, in 2002 at Saitama Stadium 2002, to be precise, Junichi Inamoto was the toast of the nation after his World Cup goal against Belgium.

This week, against Bahrain, he was on the bench, and played for only a few seconds right at the end.

You have to wonder what the future holds for the likable midfielder.

Should he stick at it in the English Premier League, or should he move permanently down a division, or even to a lower level such as Holland or Belgium?

Should he give up on Europe altogether and come home, just as Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi did at the end of last year?

The fact is, "Ina" is now no longer an automatic first-team choice for Japan, and if he remains in the wilderness he may lose his squad place altogether.

Ono and Fukunishi now look to be Zico's first-choice pairing in defensive midfield, and even when Ono was suspended for the Bahrain game, the coach moved Hidetoshi Nakata into that role.

Ina, who was looking very relaxed and full of spirit in training, eventually got on for Nakamura, who had displayed a remarkably high level of irresponsibility by casually giving the ball away in injury time as Bahrain pressed for an equaliser.

This is Ina's fourth season in England--one with Arsenal, two with Fulham and one with West Bromwich Albion, where he is back again now his loan spell with Cardiff City has finished--and he is still trying to prove himself.

Chatting to him the night before the Bahrain game, he said he must return to West Brom and try and convince manager Bryan Robson that he is worth a place in the team.

For a while, now, I've thought the English Premiership midfield was a level too high for Inamoto. His physical fitness is fine, of course, and so is his attitude, spirit and technique.

His problem, I feel, is that it's too quick, mentally, because you have to decide what you are going to do with the ball even before you receive it.

For this reason I still think Ina would be a better right-back in the English game, where he would have more time to use the ball. And it would not stop him making his trademark runs forward and having a shot at goal.

The bigger picture, though, is Ina's club career.

He must make sure he is playing regularly, and in the public eye (meaning Zico's), or the hero of 2002 may be watching Germany 2006 on TV, whether or not Japan qualify.

ends