10 Oct 2006(Tue)

Tokyo, October 7, 2006: Ivica Osim wanted a tough game for his young Japan team -- and that is exactly what he got against Ghana.

From the moment the match kicked off I was impressed by the speed, the power, the team work and the confidence of the Black Stars.

What's more, they actually grew stronger as the match wore on, and completely dominated the early stages of the second half.

No one could deny that they deserved their goal, which happened in the blink of an eye and highlighted the difference between the two teams: Japan are still learning to play at this level, whereas Ghana are several steps ahead in terms of experience.

Under such circumstances, I thought a draw would have been a fine result for Japan.

In the end they lost 1-0, but I am far from pessimistic about the new-look team.

In general I thought Japan stood up to the hard examination quite well, especially considering there were players making their debuts (Mizumoto and Yamagishi) and others playing out of position, such as Abe and Konno.

What became clear, though, was that Japan must, absolutely must, be first to the second ball if they are to dominate an opponent. What I mean by this is that if a Japanese player is tackled and the ball breaks loose, or if an opponent is tackled and the ball breaks loose, another Japanese player must be in exactly the right position to collect the loose ball and keep possession.

Playing at such a frantic pace demands a sound first touch and awareness of what is going on around you so that a team can establish a rhythm and a momentum in all areas of the pitch. This has not happened yet, which is not surprising considering the number of players Osim has used.

It will come in time, however, as the new coach settles on his best team and their movements become more automatic and systematic.

At times against Ghana, especially in the second half, it looked like Men against Boys -- and the boys were wearing blue! But this does not mean Japan were out-classed. They showed they were prepared to fight a physical battle and then to move forward with determination and pace.

Bando came close to equalising near the end, but could not wrap his right foot around the ball and the attempt went wide. Still, he will definitely get another chance, as Osim will have been impressed by his angry reaction to missing the chance!

ends