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Mexico and Japan do not have much to play for except pride on Saturday as both teams have been evicted from the competition after their losses to Italy and Brazil. Group A has turned out as expected without any upsets; and as disappointing as that might be for the neutral, it will contribute for a really competitive end to the tournament. While Japan had something to take away from their enthralling fixture against Italy, Mexico have been lacklustre in both their games. Their midfield has lacked teeth even when they have potential goal-scorers standing at the head of the pitch in Chicharito and Giovani Dos Santos.
Mexico coach Jose Manuel de la Torre seemed confident in his shoes in spite of the results and their below-par performance in the World Cup qualifiers. He said, “Whatever the result against Japan, it won’t lose me the support of my players or my bosses [at the Mexican FA]. For the sake of our pride, we really want to win this game. We don’t want to bow out without any points, particularly since our aims [for this competition] had been so different.” Whatever these aims were, as of now Mexico face the terrible possibility of going down against Japan, who have looked a much better side. History favours El Tri as they have three consecutive victories against the Samurai Blue; but they will need drastic change to maintain that record.
Here is a list of five players who can influence the result of the game:
5. Chicharito
The Manchester United striker has suffered from the same problem in both the group games that Mexico has played. He is not given any service at the head of the formation; as a result, he is usually receiving passes in the the middle of the pitch and trying to work an offensive move from there. There has been nothing lacking about his movement or work rate on the pitch. He just has not been given an opportunity to add to his tally of 33 goals for the national side. The likes of Gerardo Torrado and Jose Andres Guardado need to take more responsibility.
4. Shinji Okazaki
Okazaki scored a wonderful header past the Italian goalkeeper Gianluigi Buffon to help Japan draw level at 3-3 in a game that eventually brought heartbreak for Japan. His efforts in a wide position often troubled the Italian defenders as he ran the channels to find the ball at his feet time and time again. There was an odd chance in the game with which he could have done better, but it was a performance worthy of the big stage. The Asian side might have lost the match, but they won a lot of hearts on the day as they lit up the Confederations Cup. The last match will offer Okazaki another opportunity to exhibit his skills; and you never know who might be watching.
The Manchester United forward looked out of sorts against Brazil as he was driven out of the game by the Brazilian defense, but he was in his element against Italy. He was a nuisance to the Italian defense with his mobility on the pitch as they failed to pin him down. His 33rd minute volley put Japan 2-0 ahead. The Samurai Blue could have hardly asked for more from him at that point in time. He continued to be a threat for the rest of the game, but it was not meant to be. He will be a huge threat against Mexico once again.
2. Giovani Dos Santos
The Mallorca forward has been a rare positive for the El Tri in this disappointing campaign. He came to the tournament with an embarrassing controversy behind him, but he made his skills do the talking. He was a threat whenever he got on to the ball and always looked to make that final pass. The progressive vision of his game was something that Mexico lacked all over the pitch as they seemed unsure in offense. Felipe Scolari had to put a tab on him in the second half after he continuously threatened to break free and cause trouble.
The Japanese midfielder was flying against Italy. He made a number of runs as if the Italian defense did not exist. His passing was top-notch and he must be on the radar of top clubs who can use the offensive vision he possesses. He was a leader on the pitch and fulfilled the responsibility by slotting the penalty Japan were awarded to give his team their opening goal. He will command a lot of respect when he goes out to finish the job against Mexico; and if he is allowed to control the game, Mexico will not want to have a look at the scorecard at the end of the day.
