EMBARRASSING HIROSHIMA PROOF OF J-LEAGUE'S PROBLEMS

Last week's tawdry display from Sanfrecce Hiroshima in the ACL was proof of the problems the J-League has with maintaining its status as the premier soccer competition in Asia. Hiroshima were below, below par. They were tepid! And no, I'm not just saying that because I did my dough on the Purple Archers. Their performance highlights the waning standards of the J-League: as it is pilfered of it's best talent by European clubs, can't match China's ability to attract quality foreigners, and is detrimentally affected by the closeness of it's own competition.

Hiroshima have long been a bugbear of mine. Back to back champions of the J-League, they've gotten much mileage out of playing a rather drab brand of soccer. I'm not the only one who believes this, as Chris Collins of World Football Weekly recently twat of Hiroshima, "Not sure what cattenaccio is in Japanese but they've mastered it." (March 1st). After the nine hour flight to Australia we heard stories of jetlag, but Hiroshima managed to go ahead in the 21st minute - dominating possession. However, when Central Coast Mariners fought back and took the lead, Hiroshima were lost. Unable to employ their usual 'sit and hit' tactics, Moriyasu's men had to chase the game, but found the out of form Mariners too tough to break down. Yes, Hisato Sato and 34 year old midfielder Mihael Mikic were absent, but the Mariners have a line-up that has been mined of talent, and Hiroshima should have been able to get the job done if the J-League is what it's cracked up to be.

What's stifling the J-League can't be narrowed down to one issue, but one pertinent problem is the closeness of it's own competition. J-League champions of the last five years have lost 8 matches or more out of 34 league matches. That means, virtually every fourth match, the number one team in the J-League will lose. Comparing that with leagues around the world certainly paints a poor picture of the quality of Japanese champions. Go to England's Premier League and the percentage there for the last two seasons is 1 in every 7.6 matches, in Germany it has been 1 in every 34 matches (2012/13) and 1 in every 11.3 matches in 2011/12, while in Spain it's every 19th match. In China, the losing percentage definitely indicates a true champion also, 2013 it was 1 in every 30 matches while in 2012 it was 1 in every 5. People will always debate that 'one sided leagues' or two sided leagues such as Spain's are unappealing, and I'd rather the J-League doesn't get to that extreme, but in recent years the competition's champions have merely been default, or clayton's champions.

Along with default champions Japanese players are now shining brightly on European radars. In recent times the J-League has simply been pilfered of promising talent to the point that Japanese authorities are considering putting promising young footballers on the endangered species list. Yes, the nostalgic value of playing in Europe pervades the thoughts of young football professionals and will for a long time into the future, but the recent trend has even seen the mid 20s reliable professional disappearing also. European clubs are rubbing their hands and damaging the league by selling the dream to the many technically skilled Japanese. Mu Kanazaki is a classic example. The former Nagoya Grampus wing-man was hardly the J-League's super star but he bought into the European dream and his club has lost a great professional. Replacing this kind of contributor is not easy.

And now China is rising. Foreign influence in Chinese soccer is at an all time high, and with names like Marcello Lippi and Sven Goran Eriksson in managerial roles, Chinese youngsters should only stand to benefit. What's more there is no shortage of money being splashed around in China. In fact Japanese players are probably the only nationality in Asia not flocking to the country for the riches on offer. This year we saw Evergrande purchase, Alessandro Diamanti, Jiangsu Sainty poached Dejan Damjanovic from FC Seoul, and Vagner Love moved from CSKA Moscow to Shandong Luneng. Shandong Luneng are currently topping their group in the ACL, and this is just another sign that the balance of power on the continent is shifting.

Tonight Kawasaki Frontale face Western Sydney Wanderers in Parramatta. The match comes after Yokohama F.Marinos were defeated by Melbourne Victory last night partly due to Shunsuke Nakamura not boarding the flight to Australia. For Kawasaki Frontale's sake I hope his namesake Kengo makes the trip as the J-League is on notice.

MARINERS IN TEST AGAINST ASIA'S FINEST

Daniel McBreen hits the winner in the 2012/13 A League Final

On Wednesday 15th May the Central Coast Mariners will face the stiffest test of their so far unfruitful ACL lives. The little team from Gosford who were recently crowned champions for 2012/13, are up against China's Guangzhou Evergrande. Guangzhou have marched out of the ACL's group of death with one loss and some impressive victories.

The Mariners have got mileage out of using the underdog tag over the years, despite making it to four A League Grand Finals. This blog has been on the case of the Mariners for the continued 'little battler-ism' being employed by club management, and playing staff over the years, however, this time they are free to play the underdog card. It's okay.

Boasting a star studded and rather 'well remunerated' line-up, Evergrande slipped up once against Japan's biggest soccer club Urawa Reds, while scoring two draws against Korea's ACL top guns Jeonbuk Hyundai. Nicknamed the Tigers, Guangzhou has become the big money club of Asia since the Evergrande Real Estate Group provided their assistance. The stars include 29 year old Dario Conca of Argentina who is said to be on US$10.4 million a year. Aussie midfielder Rostyn Griffiths formerly of Central Coast Mariners has touted Conca as the danger-man. Everything goes through him . . . he floats around the pitch playing as the attacking midfielder and he is very dangerous from set pieces. Griffiths is a voice of authority on the Chinese Super League being a regular at local rivals Guangzhou R&F. Also posing a threat to the Mariners hopes are the likes of Paraguayan Lucas Barrios brought to the club last year on a record transfer fee of 8.5 million Euro (equal to roughly US$11mil). Meanwhile the struggling former Borussia Dortmund striker can only manage to earn US$8.7mil a season. There is no salary cap in 

China. By far my favourite for the Tigers though is Muriqui who has put in some stunning performances in the ACL. He'll be positioned on the wing or as a forward in a 4-4-2 formation. Rounding things off is superstar manager Marcello Lippi.

With a paltry US$2.5mil budget the Mariners have defied logic with their consistency in the A-League. A major problem for Central Coast has been player retention. Midway through the 2011/12 A League season the club were hamstrung by the losses of prodigal son Matt Simon and defensive midfielder Rostyn Griffiths. This season they've seen brilliant youngster Tom Rogic exit to Celtic in Scotland. Also rumoured to be on their way out are keeper Matt Ryan (Premier League interest), defender Trent Sainsbury, striker Bernie Ibini-Isei and the retiring Patrick Zwaanswijk. Incredibly it's team unity which has been the dominant theme of the Mariners narrative.For the Mariners to have a chance in Wednesday night's first leg they will have to all play at their best. Thirty-six year old striker Daniel McBreen has had his best ever professional season, scoring 19 goals. It's possible McBreen's physical style could upset the Guangzhou defence but getting the ball to the man will be a herculean task. Guangzhou are expected to dominate the midfield but the job of breaking down that dominance lay at the feet of English import Nick Montgomery and local club stalwart John Hutchinson.

Good luck to Graham Arnold and his Central Coast Mariners. In this match they stand as Australia's sole representative remaining in the Champions League. It was heartening to see 7623 Mariners fans show up for the recent ACL clash with Japanese club Kashiwa Reysol. Lets hope we see more than 10000 this Wednesday. Finally, although I'm not a betting man, please bet responsibly on Guangzhou Evergrande, and for your own financial health ignore the underdog.

CLOUD OVER GAMBA COULD HAVE SILVER LINING

 Gamba Osaka's dark days in the 2012 J League could finally brighten with a berth in the Emperor's Cup final on New Years Day 2013. The competition which provides the winner with a ticket into the Asian Champions League, will be completed tomorrow when relegated Gamba face Kashiwa Reysol.

Endo in a subdued celebration against Kashima

Gamba have won their way into the final via a recent quarter final win over neighbours Cerezo Osaka, and a semi final victory over Kashima Antlers. Their win over Kashima came via captain Yasuhito Endo's goal which many felt was a cross gone wrong. The diminutive midfielder played his part in a short corner before lobbing a ball toward the box from the left. Low and behold, the ball ended up flying beyond the keeper's reach and into the net at the far post. The 23rd minute opener was the only goal of the match, meanwhile Kashiwa Reysol won their semi against Yokohama F Marinos. Reysol went ahead in the 23rd minute due to a headed goal from 22 year old Masato Kudo. Yokohama failed to deal with a cross from Jorge Wagner and the ensuing head-tennis saw old stager Nakazawa head a ball from off his own line, only to have Kudo step into the breach and make it count. It remained 1-nil, and Kashiwa are now set to play Gamba in a repeat of the 2008 final which the Kansai club won in extra time (1-nil). Revenge beckons for Kashiwa but for Gamba it's a chance to restore some pride and gain a little redemption. The relegation of Gamba Osaka was on the radar all throughout the 2012 season, but nobody truly believed it could happen. Even when the final day of the season came around Gamba's fate was in their own hands. Amazingly the club was relegated for the first time in their history. Tomorrow's final could launch the team into Asia and give the fans some much needed hope.
Kickoff: 2pm Japan time.  4pm AEDT. 

 ACL GROUPS DECIDED FOR 2013

Of the four groups featuring teams from the east Asian leagues Group F looks the most intriguing. It features Chinese giants Gaungzhou Evergrande, Urawa Reds, Jeonbuk Hyundai and Muangthong United. Gaungzhou weren't quite comprehensive champions as they were in 2011 but the club continues to build a reputation on the Asian continent. Urawa are Japan's biggest club and they look set to return to their halcyon days which saw them take out the ACL in 2007 under Holger Osieck. From the K League second placed Jeonbuk are back to continue cementing their presence in Asia. The Korean club hailing from the south west province of Jeollabuk-do are also former champions, winning the ACL in 2006 and finishing runners up in 2011. Maungthong United were comfortable champions in Thailand and play out Nonthaburi Province (north west of Bangkok). The club known as the Twin Quilins is home to highly regarded midfielder Mario Djurvoski (Macedonia) and local boy Teerasil Dangda. Striker Dangda is rumoured to be on the radar of many clubs in Asia but while he's still at Muangthong, you can expect them to be more than a handful for their more established rivals. The first round of clashes are slated for 26th February 2013, with Guangzhou hosting Urawa while Jeonbuk travel to Muangthong. The full ACL draw can be found at this link.

Teerasil Dangda