28 Jul 2008(Mon)

July 26, 2008: That was an impressive performance by Japan at Home's Stadium Kobe the other day.

Not just the fact that they beat Australia, but because they showed good stamina in tough conditions and kept going right to the end.

With the Olympics just around the corner, no wonder the head coach was optimistic after such a confidence-boosting result.

But enough of the women.

The men played quite well, too, and coach Yasuharu Sorimachi must have been feeling pretty pleased with himself and his new-look team after the 2-1 win.

I thought the right back, Uchida, was Japan's best player, as he caused all sorts of problems for the Aussie left flank with his dashes down the wing.

It was Uchida's pass, of course, that led to Japan's equaliser, as Lee and Morimoto combined well to set up Kagawa, who finished smoothly into the corner.

Kagawa looked sharp and bright all night, running so freely off the left wing and injecting pace and adventure into the Japanese attack.

He certainly justified his selection on this performance, and the faith shown in him by national coach Takeshi Okada and Sorimachi, but I fear he is going to receive the ridiculous, over-the-top "Hirayama treatment" from the TV and media.

Even before kick-off, the overly loud stadium announcer saved a particularly piercing scream to introduce Kagawa, already dubbed the "Cerezo fantasista". Please...

And I noticed Kagawa's face constantly on the big screen -- the sort of spotlight they used to put on Sota Hirayama, even when he was sitting on the bench.

Expect more of the same hype and hysteria, starting with the Argentina game on Tuesday and all through the Olympics. The Japanese Messi, perhaps? I thought that was Ienaga.

While Kagawa impressed on the left side of Japan's four-man midfield, the same cannot be said of Keisuke Honda on the opposite flank.

The VVV-Venlo midfielder looked like a FFF-Fish out of water on the right side, quite unable to use his right foot when the situation demanded.
One moment in particular sticks in the mind, when Kagawa's through-ball in the 52nd minute sent him clear, but he shot with the outside of his left foot when the ball was begging to be struck with the right.

Funny, isn't it, how so many players with an excellent left foot just cannot or will not use their right, even at the very highest level.

Elsewhere, Yoshida let himself down with his ill-advised chest-down which let in Australia to open the scoring, proving how costly one moment of casual schoolyard football can be against experienced professionals.

As for Taniguchi, getting himself booked for his attempted slam dunk on a right-wing cross...

He'd only been on the field for 12 minutes, from the start of the second half, when folly took over.

Suppose he had fouled someone, accidentally, a little later and earned a second yellow card, reducing the team to 10 men in such stifling conditions; that first yellow would have been even more irresponsible.

I hope Sorimachi tells him that.

Overall, though, Japan played better than I expected. More compact, more dangerous. More confident.

The women's team weren't bad either.

ends