11 Sep 2008(Thu)

September 10, 2008: Before the game, everybody in Japan would have settled for a 3-2 victory in Bahrain.

That is what the record books show, so I am not going to get too despondent over those last few chaotic minutes.

Of course Japan should not have been hanging on after going 3-0 up with five minutes to play, but they had enough goals in the bank to survive the late scare and emerge with all three points.

Therefore it was mission accomplished -- an away win in their opening game of the group -- and they can now watch the other four teams jostle for position in the second round of games on Wednesday, when Japan have a breather.

By the time Uzbekistan visit Saitama on October 15, the group should be taking shape already, and Japan can put themselves in a strong position to take one of the two automatic qualifying spots with another three points in their second game.

What impressed me about Japan at Manama was their professional and positive approach from the kick-off, and how they set about taking control of the game from the opening whistle and showing Bahrain who was boss with some aggressive, confident play.

They did not do this in the 1-0 loss earlier in the year, but on this occasion they made Bahrain look like a poor team.

I loved watching Matsui tease them on the left wing. I have written before about how much his game has matured and developed in France, and he looks like he can do anything he wants at this level. He has the confidence and the technique to hold the ball, invite the challenge from the defender, and then wriggle free with that sudden burst of acceleration. He is a joy to watch, and has emerged as one of Japan's main weapons in their qualifying bid.

I still have reservations over the centre of midfield, however. The combination of Endo and Hasebe, especially with Shunsuke Nakamura on the right and Matsui on the left, looks too brittle as a unit, and the big, strong Uzbeks could test them in this area, surging through the middle.

Maybe Okada will have a fully-fit Keita Suzuki in there against the Uzbeks, shielding the back four, but this would mean changing a winning formation.

I still think Japan are lightweight in this area, though, and need more muscle and defensive quality than either Endo or Hasebe can provide.

Abe can do the job and so can Konno, but sadly the latter must be suffering from shell-shock after events in Manama. Nakazawa clearly blamed Konno, who had only been on the pitch a couple of minutes, for Bahrain's first goal, telling him he should have cut out the cross on the edge of the box.

Will Konno's confidence be down? I doubt it. He is a good player with the right attitude and character, and has nothing to prove to anyone.

ends