2 Jun 2008(Mon)

May 30, 2008: All strikers suffer a loss of form when the goals just dry up.

In such circumstances, the player's manager will inevitably say something on the lines of: "I am not worried just because he missed a couple of chances. He can't score in every game. Happens to everyone. I'd be more concerned if he wasn't getting any chances."

Enter Naohiro Takahara.

Had Taka been getting into position in the box and missing chances, Takeshi Okada would have left him in the squad. With a record like Takahara's, it would only be a matter of time before the chances started going in again.

But the problem for the player is that he is not getting any chances at all.

He is not missing a hatful every game; he just isn't in the game.

From Superman at the 2007 Asian Cup, Takahara has become the Invisible Man.

After a recent Reds game, when Takahara was substituted, I had a good chat with Gert Engels about his Boy from the Bundesliga.

"Of course he is worried," Engels said, "but not in a strange way. He has to be worried if he does not score and if he is substituted."

Engels said Takahara and the team were still getting to know each other, and that he was optimistic the goals would come once he learned how to cope with the packed defences Reds faced.

"Of course he is not happy with the situation," added Engels. "I think he is over-working at the moment. He is not cool. You have to be patient. That is the big point."

With Takahara clearly off the pace when he came off the bench against Paraguay the other night (yes, he did come on for Maki on 63 minutes), Okada decided it was best to send him back to Reds in the hope he would find some match fitness...find anything, really, from the Taka of old.

Takahara will be back -- and will be needed for the final round of qualifiers, provided there are no further mishaps in June.

The Invisible Man can change back and still be a super hero on the road to South Africa.

ends