Okubo stakes his claim for World Cup call
May 24--With perfect timing, Yoshito Okubo gave Zico a reminder of his striking talent.
The former Cerezo Osaka star has not had the easiest of times in Spain with Mallorca, but he inspired them to a valuable victory over the weekend.
A 3-0 win at Deportivo La Coruna, where Okubo netted Mallorca's third goal, was a great effort from the islanders.
It followed Japan's 1-0 defeat at home to Peru in the Kirin Cup, and surely gave Zico food for thought for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
A fully-fit, fully-focused Okubo, to me, is still the best striker in Japan. He is hungry and aggressive, and it's only a matter of time before the goals start to flow at the highest level.
Wouldn't it be a treat to see him playing alongside a solid target man, such as Takayuki Suzuki, in the World Cup qualifiers against Bahrain and North Korea?
He could turn out to be Japan's match-winner, their ace in the pack, and score the goals to book Japan a ticket to Germany 2006.
Will Zico give him that chance?
I sincerely hope so, because Zico has championed Okubo's cause for a long while now.
Tamada is not scoring for club or for country, and Oguro does not look quite ready to jump from J.League to national team starter. For the time being, Oguro looks more effective off the bench.
As for Takahara, I thought he had two awful games in Tehran and at home to Bahrain, so his place is by no means certain.
An Okubo-Suzuki "combo" would be pretty dangerous, as Suzuki leads the forward line well and drags defenders all over the place.
Okubo could thrive in this space, bursting into the box and letting fly with either foot. Okubo is not afraid to miss, and this is an important part of his character.
Great timing from Okubo at the weekend, and hopefully the JFA are booking the plane ticket from Spain to the UAE, where Japan will train ahead of the Bahrain match on June 3.
The return of Okubo could be an unexpected bonus for Japan.
ends
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