14 Aug 2008(Thu)

Shenyang, China, August 12, 2008: My abiding memory of the 2008 Olympics will not be of Kosuke Kitajima. It will be of Hiroyuki Taniguchi.

The sight of Taniguchi on his knees, either with his head in his hands or beating the ground in frustration, sums up Japan's campaign -- so close to scoring, but so far from qualifying.

It happened against USA in the 1-0 defeat, and it happened again in the 2-1 defeat by Nigeria, when Taniguchi really should have scored from Yasuda's low cross from the left.

Not that I am blaming Taniguchi for Japan's demise. It's just that the image described above lingers in the mind and tells the sorry ("Sori"?) tale of Japan's campaign.

Funnily enough, the morning after the Japan-Nigeria game I was in the departure hall of Tianjin Airport, waiting for the flight to Shenyang, when I bumped into coach Sorimachi. The Japanese and Dutch teams were on the same flight.

I discussed Taniguchi with Sorimachi, and he laughed when I said I thought Taniguchi was playing in the wrong position. To me he looks like a central defender with his sturdy physique and his ability in the air, which he had displayed with some excellent clearing headers in the recent friendly against Argentina. Sorimachi remarked that Taniguchi had, indeed, started his professional career in that position with Frontale before moving into defensive midfield and now even further forward in the Olympic team, behind the lone striker.

At least Sorimachi could find a lighter moment in these troubled times, as he was clearly feeling the responsibility of the team's quick exit.

There is still time to regain some pride, though, as they face the Dutch here in Shenyang on Wednesday night.

The Dutch media are not happy with their team, though, and feel a victory over Japan is far from a foregone conclusion.

This must give Japan hope, even though they trained with only 14 outfield players on Tuesday, and one of those, Takuya Honda, is suspended for the next match.

Uchida and Yasuda are struggling with injury, and if both fail to recover I hope Sorimachi puts out the following team: Yamamoto; Morishige, Mizumoto, Yoshida, Nagatomo; Taniguchi, Hosogai; Okazaki, Lee, K. Honda; Morimoto.

Why not give second-choice keeper Yamamoto a run, as well as Yoshida, otherwise his inclusion will have been a waste of time. If Okazaki starts on the right, Keisuke Honda could switch to the left, where he looks so much more comfortable than on the right.

I am reluctant to move Morishige from the centre of defence, as I think he has been Japan's best player in the two games, but how else to fit in Yoshida unless Sorimachi reverts to three at the back; a system that worked so well in qualifying with Naoaki Aoyama, Inoha and Mizumoto and which he abandoned, along with two of that trio, to his obvious cost.

ends