18 Sep 2007(Tue)

Tokyo, September 14, 2007: That was a vital win for Japan against Qatar in their Olympic qualifier on Wednesday.

An impressive one, too, considering they had a man sent off after 68 minutes and were up against a fast, strong and determined opponent.

Although I was not confident of Japan qualifying for Beijing in the early stages of the campaign, there is no doubt they are improving and looking more dynamic, more united and more business-like.

Now, with seven points from three games, they are in a good position to win the group, even with two away games coming up next.

Once again Sorimachi is going to have to make changes, because Takuya Honda is suspended for the next game and Kajiyama is injured. That rules out the coach’s first-choice pairing in the midfield engine room, so what is he going to do?

The first move is simple: He brings in Toshihiro Aoyama to replace Honda as the midfield anchor. I thought Aoyama made a big contribution to Japan’s 1-0 victory on Wednesday after coming on for Kajiyama in the 56th minute, particularly with his interceptions and tackles as Qatar surged forward.

I wonder, then, if Sorimachi might move Inoha into the center of midfield, giving Japan a very solid base for the two away games. After all, Keisuke Honda will be available again after missing the Qatar game through suspension, and he could easily slot into the left side of the new-look four-man defence.

Inoha found himself in the eye of the storm in the second half against Qatar, and was hanging on for grim life in his unaccustomed role of left back. I thought Sorimachi might bring on Yasuda and play him in front of Inoha to bolster Japan’s left flank, as the more attack-minded Ienaga was drifting and offering little protection.

Instead, the coach took off Mizuno and switched Ienaga to the right flank, where he played exceptionally well in the closing stages by keeping the ball and leading the counter-attack. This was the best passage of play I have seen from Ienaga, as he cut out the crowd-pleasing flicks and the show-boating and played solid, percentage football when the team really needed him to.

Another substitute, Kobayashi, was sent on to strengthen the midfield, although I have no idea why he preferred to roll around on the ground holding his face in the closing stages when he should have jumped up immediately and helped his team defend their slender lead. Did he expect the game to stop just for him? It didn’t, and Kobayashi had no option but to get up and run back, rather sheepishly.

This is a really bad trend at the moment, and something coaches should stamp out among their own players -- especially when they are already down to 10 men.

ends