Buoyant Japan coach targets World Cup glory despite Mitoma blow
TOKYO: Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu believes his team can win the World Cup after historic friendly wins over Brazil and England, despite the loss of Kaoru Mitoma dampening the mood.
Brighton winger Mitoma will miss the World Cup after suffering a hamstring injury less than a week before Moriyasu named his squad.
Japan have never gone beyond the last 16 at a World Cup but they were the first team to qualify and their soaring confidence has been boosted by impressive recent results.
They have been drawn with the Netherlands, Sweden and Tunisia in Group F and they start their campaign against the Dutch in Dallas on June 14.
Mitoma’s injury deprives Moriyasu of one of his most dangerous attackers but the coach still has a squad packed with European club experience.
“Last year we played Brazil in a friendly and we beat them for the first time, and Mitoma wasn’t available to play in that game,” Moriyasu said.
“That reflects the team concept, that anyone can come into the line-up and the team still performs.”
Japan came back from two goals down at half-time to beat Carlo Ancelotti’s Brazil 3-2 in a friendly in Tokyo last October.
It was Japan’s first win over the five-time world champions.
They then became the first Asian team to beat England when they claimed a 1-0 victory at Wembley in March.
Japan started both games with entirely Europe-based line-ups and their World Cup squad features only three players from the domestic J. League.
Moriyasu believes they have greater strength in depth than ever, and the tactical nous to adapt to any opponent.
“Of course the players were happy when we beat Brazil and England, two teams we had never beaten before,” he said.
“But I sensed an atmosphere where the players quickly shifted their focus to a bigger goal ahead.”
Mitoma’s absence is a major blow, with the 28-year-old hitting peak form just before his injury heartbreak.
He scored the winner against England, dispossessing Cole Palmer before launching a counter-attack that he finished himself.
Monaco’s Takumi Minamino will also miss the tournament after tearing knee ligaments in December.
Liverpool’s Wataru Endo and Ajax’s Takehiro Tomiyasu both recovered in time after long injury absences.
Feyenoord striker Ayase Ueda is a reliable source of goals, while Crystal Palace’s Daichi Kamada and Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo are key men.
Big ambitions
Half of the players in the squad were also at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where Japan stunned Germany and Spain, beating both 2-1, before losing on penalties to Croatia in the last 16.
“We have more players with World Cup experience and that will help us in terms of the team’s composure,” said Moriyasu.
“It will help us perform effectively in a variety of situations.”
Japan breezed through qualifying, winning seven out of 10 games and only losing after they had clinched their place at the tournament.
It will be their eighth straight World Cup appearance, having made their debut in 1998.
Japan have never reached the quarter-finals despite advancing to the last 16 four times.
Moriyasu has set their sights significantly higher this time, insisting that they have the quality to go all the way and win the tournament.
The loss of Mitoma has done nothing to temper his ambitions.
“The target doesn’t change,” he said.
“But it’s not just about that target, it’s about raising our level as individuals and as a team.”
Moriyasu is Japan’s longest-serving coach, having taken over after the 2018 World Cup.
He won the J. League three times with Sanfrecce Hiroshima and he has led his country at a World Cup, two Asian Cups, an Olympics and a Copa America.
“It’s not just about my own experience. The managers that have gone before me, both foreign and Japanese, and my staff also have experience of the World Cup,” Moriyasu said.
“I want to use that experience and knowledge to increase our chances, no matter how slightly.”
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