19 Feb 2007(Mon)

February 17, 2007: If Ivica Osim does decide to bring back some players from Europe for the Peru friendly next month, it will be interesting to see just who.

A few names have been circulating in the media --Shunsuke, of course, plus Matsui, Takahara, Koji Nakata, Alex.

Personally, I can't see Osim calling up half a team, as it would undermine the foundations he spent the second half of last year laying down.

And is there any need for five or six additions to the squad, when analysing what is already there?

I think he might just settle for two -- Nakamura and Matsui, although his reasons for leaving out some of the others mentioned are very different.

Takahara would be a popular choice for many, but I am not convinced. Osim likes Maki and Ganaha, and he has a third target man in his training squad in Takamatsu. Add to these Bando and Sato, and the permutations are numerous without even considering the newcomer Yano.

At the latest count, following Eintracht Frankfurt's 4-0 drubbing by Stuttgart on Friday night, Taka has netted seven goals this season for his new German team. A decent strike rate, true, but is it enough to convince Osim he needs him back? I am really not sure, but Osim is the kind of coach who prefers continuity rather than tinkering -- and Taka has had his chances before.

Alex? Well, of course he is in Osim's plans for the Asian Cup. For the moment, though, Osim might be tempted to leave him in Austria. After all, Alex has just made the move from Urawa to Salzburg, will still be adapting to the lifestyle and the training, and does he need any upheaval so early in his new start?

Osim knows everything there is to know about Alex, and his training squad includes Alex's former Reds understudy, Soma, as well as the robust Komano. Osim may well settle for this.

In the meantime, let the guessing and speculation continue, but if I had to play safe I would go for Shunsuke and Matsui, with Takahara an outside bet.

ends