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Of Asias four qualified teams for this World Cup, Japan seems to be the one most probable of making it out of the group stage. At the last edition in South Africa, they exited at the Round of 16, matching their best achievement from 2002. This time around, Japan will come to Brazil hoping to outdo it with an even better squad that has a good combination of youth and experience.Japan have been placed in Group C along with Colombia, Greece and Ivory Coast. Its a group that they will hope to progress from, although its a bit tricky. Coach Alberto Zaccheronis men will have to be at their very best if they are to make history.Here are 5 players who will be key to Japans chances in Brazil.
#5 Eiji Kawashima
Easily the first choice keeper for both club and country, Kawashima has impressed greatly with consistent performances. He kept 20 clean sheets throughout Standard Liege’s 2013-14 season, conceding the least number of goals.
He is one of Japan’s most dependable players, ever since shining at the 2010 World Cup. He contributed to his country’s Asian Cup triumph in 2011 with a man-of-the-match performance in the final against Australia. After building up lots of experience over the years, Kawashima is now expected to be Japan’s reliable last pillar of defence. He will probably have his work cut out placed behind a defence that has threatened to spoil the attack’s good work on many occasions. Therefore it will be his performances in goal that will be very crucial to Japan winning matches at the World Cup.
#4 Yoichiro Kakitani
Japan’s possible new golden boy has gone from strength to strength in the past two years, with great displays for his club Cerezo Osaka at home and abroad. He has also taken that form along with him when called up for Japan, winning the top scorer award at the 2013 East Asian Cup. The target for him now will be to score against the world’s best in Brazil.Kakitani is an exciting talent and if recent matches are anything to go by he will be Japan’s first-choice striker this time. It only remains to be seen how he will fare at the greatest stage of them all: will it be his launch pad to European stardom?
#3 Yuto Nagatomo
This super-fast dimunitive left back has consistently been one of the best players for both Inter Milan and the Japanese national team in the four years since he first came to prominence at the last World Cup, when Arsene Wenger named him in his team of the tournament.
Nagatomo’s energetic nature drives him forward and often sees him deliver pinpoint crosses into the box. While he has racked up a lot of assists for both club and country, he is a goal scoring threat too when combining with the attack and cutting into the box.
Although starting at left back, Zaccheroni’s tactics mean that Nagatomo often appears like a winger. In a team where both the left and right sided midfielders are not wingers, it’s Nagatomo who provides the width.However, for all his attacking worth, he will have to be great defensively too as crunch games with top teams come up in Brazil. If Nagatomo can be at the top, in both departments, then Wenger will be joined by more in singing his praises.
#2 Shinji Kagawa
He hasn’t had the best of seasons with Manchester United in 2013-14. But then again, nobody at Old Trafford did. In that lies a glimmer of hope for Japanese fans; maybe failing to score a single goal in 30 appearances for United this past season had more to do with the club than him. Perhaps putting on the blue jersey will transform him into the star that Japan needs.
This will be Kagawa’s first World Cup after being overlooked by Takeshi Okada four years ago, and he will be hoping to make his mark. He impressed for Japan in the 2011 Asian Cup, the 2013 Confederations Cup and also during the World Cup qualifiers.
Playing from the left, he is part of the attacking trio that also contains Keisuke Honda and Shinji Okazaki. This trio poses the most danger with the capability to interchange and play quick one-touch passes; Kagawa’s composure and vision are very crucial to its effectiveness.The core of Japan’s team from 2010 is still there this time around and when Kagawa is added to the mix, fans can’t help but hope for even better.
#1 Keisuke Honda
Without a doubt, he is the undisputed king of the team. Kagawa may be more famous in Europe but Honda rules Japan. This golden-haired golden boy will have to be at the top of his game if Japan are to make any progress in Brazil. Orchestrating Japan’s attack by creating chances will be Honda’s primary responsibility. But his talent doesn’t stop at assisting; he is a regular goalscorer for the national team and finished the qualifying phase with the second most number of goals.
His goals from midfield will be handy for Japan and fans will surely remember his two goals from South Africa four years ago. Opposition keepers will have to be extra careful when Honda lines up for a freekick, whatever the distance may be from the goal.
Honda will be at the heart of Zaccheroni’s tactics as the Italian coach will look to continue with Japan’s fluid attacking style of play. However, everything depends on Honda coming up with his best and not with his club form, which is only a shadow of his true ability.
