26 May 2008(Mon)

May 23, 2008: If Tadanari Lee was not already on Yasuharu Sorimachi's list of 18 for the Olympic Games, then surely he is now.

Displaying equal measures of industry and adventure, the Kashiwa Reysol striker scored the only goal of the game as Japan beat the Netherlands 1-0 in the prestigious Toulon Tournament for young hopefuls.

Sorimachi, it is true, has not much choice up front, as the forward department is quite bare; so much so that Yoshito Okubo is being tipped as a strong contender for an over-age spot.

But Lee for one has done enough in qualifying, and since then, to book his place.

Although he is quite lightweight for a target man, he has pace and a venomous left foot, and used his skill and strength to get the better of his Dutch marker before striking the ball home with the outside of his left foot. I also like his personality, as there is a spark about him on the pitch and a bit of attitude.

Another player who really impressed for Japan, but in an area where the competition for places is much stronger, was Masato Morishige, who played in the centre of the back four, alongside captain Mizumoto (although the TV feed listed Inoha, who played at right back, as captain).

With Aoyama, Inoha, Mizumoto, Yoshida, Morishige and, back home, Makino all in with a strong claim for a place, I don't understand the talk about Tulio and Nakazawa being needed as a central defender in the Olympics. This is one of the strong areas, although I am not saying the younger players are better than Tulio or Nakazawa.

Sorimachi's formation was interesting: 4-2-3-1, with Lee on his own supported by Mizuno, Taniguchi and Keisuke Honda.

This is a very pragmatic solution to Japan's lack of quality strikers in this age group, and the lone ranger up front is a common trend in the modern game (Rooney and Drogba in the Champions League final, for example)

Taniguchi had scored a couple of fine goals in a trial match at Omiya NACK5 Stadium recently, and Sorimachi used him in a more advanced role than he plays for Frontale in the hope he could hit some shots from edge-of-the-box range.

One last word on Inoha. He was guilty of some blatant shirt-pulling that went unpunished in the early stages, and I hope Sorimachi warns him against this.

Goals might be at a premium for Japan in the Olympics, so the last thing they need is to concede a penalty or a free kick around the box due to this unnecessary sort of foul.

Inoha is good enough to get the better of his striker without resorting to such sly and risky tactics.

ends