JAPAN COAST PAST GUATEMALA - SOCCEROOS FACE BRAZIL

Japan's best: Endo, Honda, Hasebe and Nagatomo

On Friday night (06th September), Japan put the cleaners through Guatemala after the visitors put on a gritty first half. Returning from the half time break with Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscow) and Yoichiro Kakitani (Cerezo Osaka) coming off the bench, suddenly Japan took control.

Youngster Yuya Osaka started up front for the Japanese but had very few opportunities in a first half dominated by the 'big white bus' parked in front of the Guatemala goalkeeper. The half time changes of Kakitani for Osako (Kashima Antlers) and Honda for Kiyotake (FC Nurnberg) triggered the turn around though.

Keisuke Honda added some urgency and initiative in the attacking third. The CSKA Moscow star headed home a Nagatomo cross from the left. In the 69th minute in form striker Masato Kudo of Kashiwa Reysol made it 2-nil. The goal came about through a short corner which was centred to captain Hasebe. The midfielder's through-ball for Kagawa was sublime, and in turn, the Manchester United striker made it harder for Kudo to miss the goal than score. Yasuhito Endo scored the last of the goals with a deflected free kick. Despite playing in J2 with his beloved Gamba Osaka this season, it appears Endo's class hasn't been affected.

Japan next face Ghana on Tuesday, 10th September, 2013.

SOCCEROOS SMASHED FOR SIX BY BRAZIL

Australia's national soccer team 'the Socceroos', have been given a lesson. Brazil have smashed the Socceroos 6-nil in a cakewalk that exposed the glaring gulf in class between the two teams.

The scoring got underway in the 8th minute with Jo getting the first of his double. It was a simple case of loose marking being punished brutally. Right back Ryan McGowan will be haunted by the image of Neymar for the rest of his career, after the Barcelona ace tormented the youngster for the entirety of the match. The first goal started with Neymar propping and lobbing the ball across the face of goal for Aussie left back Matt McKay to be outstretched by his opponent. But the strike would hit the upright and bounced into the path of big tall Jo. In that one goal every Australian defender was exposed. Surely centre-backs Ognenovski or Neill should have been first to that deflection. Brazil's second goal was courtesy of a brilliant volleyed finish by Jo. It was symbolic of a theme that would pervade throughout the match. Too fast, too big and too strong.

Neymar's goal in the 36th minute magnified Australia's problems with lack of speed in the centre back position. Neymar appeared super human as he strode past Neill and Ognenovski en-route to collect a through ball. His only task was to beat Chelsea reserve keeper Mark Schwarzer. A half time score line of 3-nil signalled the match was over as a contest, and all that was left was for Osieck to blood some youngsters. The fresh players didn't halt Brazil's domination though, as it ended 6-nil.

As is 'the norm', rumours are now circulating that Holger Osieck's time as Australian manager is nearing an end. Prior to the match on September 7th (Brazil time), Osieck spoke about his squad, "Some players that only have few caps have an opportunity, and we have some youngsters, Mitch Duke for instance, I want to see him and how he deals with the situation here . . ." Osieck followed through but it was surprising that Duke was afforded just 12 minutes despite the result being a formality by half-time. In addition to this youngster Tom Rogic only received 20 minutes as substitute for a severely out of touch Brett Holman. The result has caused a massive response in Australia with influential journalists and ex-Socceroos taking different approaches in the aftermath.

One thing we can all agree with is that this crop of youngsters just does not measure up to the standard that was set in Germany 2006.


Robbie Slater vents at senior players
Tom Smithies advocates managerial change

NICHOLS AND SAITO SET FOR BRAZIL 2014

 

So Japan’s Blue Samurai defeated the Socceroos 3-2 in an almost empty Hwaseong Stadium, in South Korea. It was the second match of the East Asian Cup for both sides, with both coming off first round draws against China and South Korea respectively. As expected both managers fielded experimental line ups and the final wash up was exactly what the two nations were hoping for. Both Japan and Australia saw some individuals stand up and say ‘count me in’ for Brazil 2014.

For the Japanese it was winger/midfielder Manabu Saito who stamped his name most prominently on the match. The left sided Yokohama F Marinos player scored a super goal to exclamation mark his brilliant performance. Throughout the match he had the Aussies second guessing his every move. The goal came about in a similar manner to his recent strike against J League leaders, Omiya Ardija. A brilliant solo run capped off by an angled shot to beat the keeper at the far post. One for his highlights reel, which will have the talent scouts in Europe queuing for his signature.

 

For the Socceroos it was the turn of Mitch Nichols. The 24 year old Queenslander who recently linked up with his former Brisbane Roar mentor Ange Postecoglou at Melbourne Victory, proved to be an inspired second half inspiration. While the Japanese have put Australia's late revival down to their own fatigue, more credit should be given to Nichols. He gave the Australians attacking options that they lacked in the first half. His brilliant passing game provided opportunities for teammates and eventually his headed pass for Mitchell Duke led to a goal for the Socceroos. The instinctive pass highlighted his soccer intelligence and his overall performance will have manager Holger Osieck pencilling his name in for Brazil. "Mitch helped create a lot of opportunities in the attacking third . . ." the German said. In truth Nichols is closest to a Bresciano clone as the Socceroos will get.

As well as Saito and Nichols impressing there were also promising performances from Japan's Yuya Osako who grabbed two goals and Tomi Juric who picked up one for the Australians. At the end of the match Australian manager Osieck explained, "Down the road when I consider the purpose of our participation at the competition, I will take a lot of positives from the game." The same can be said for Japan. From this point it's Australia v China at 05:15pm and Korea Republic v Japan at 8pm local time.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

EAST ASIAN CUP HYSTERIA

Cue the hysteria. Australia has had a dour 0-0 draw with Republic of Korea at the East Asian Cup and the fans and media report the match as a disaster. “Axe Holger,” is the cry. Online forums were busy telling us it should have been 5-nil but for the heroics of Eugene Galekovic. However, the tournament needs to be looked at in its true context.

Australia is competing in their first ever East Asian Cup and the tournament has arrived at a time that couldn’t be more convenient. The Socceroos along with fellow participants South Korea and Japan have already qualified for Brazil 2014. The Chinese are unfortunately still in a rebuilding/transitional stage (which seems the permanent status) and so don’t have the luxury of using the tournament as a trialling opportunity.

Pundits and fans should know by now that teams that have been thrown together in such a fashion lack cohesion, and as a result the quality of soccer suffers. Australia’s back four had never played together in club competition (Franjic, McGowan, Thwaite & North), let alone being asked to play at a higher level, alongside players they were not familiar with. Compounding this situation is the difference in fitness between the Australians and their three opponents which Holger Osieck cited. “We must consider that their team is in the middle of the season, and their fitness was outstanding, whereas our boys have not played competitively for a couple of months.” If that wasn’t enough we also need to consider the contrasting weather conditions. The Australians are coming from winter (15-20 degrees) to the Korean summer where temperatures are hovering around 30 with intense humidity.

So we need to take the tournament for what it is: a trialling ground for individuals to stake a claim for Brazil 2014. And with that purpose in mind we can only hope that there are some break out performances in areas of the pitch where the Socceroos are struggling. Amazingly it's not only the Australian audience who have been apoplectic with East Asian Cup displays. The Japanese were shocked by the their 3-3 result with old foes China last night. But amidst the hysteria manager Zaccheroni told it straight, "We'll be up against three different types of teams. It's a fantastic competition and we need to make the most of it." The Italian added, ". . . If I had to choose between winning with the players not being able to show what they can do, or not winning but finding that one or two of them have what it takes to play for the national team, I'll take the latter." On that note Japan can say that Cerezo Osaka's Yoichiro Kakitani and Masato Kudo of Kashiwa Reysol have proven they're capable of stepping up.

Now lets look forward to Thursday's next installation of the Japan and Australia rivalry.

Asian World Cup Hopes on Tenterhooks

Can the Socceroos finish the job? Is Uzbekistan set for its first appearance in a soccer World Cup? Which two Asian teams will play off to face South America's fifth placed qualifier? All these questions are set to be answered on Tuesday night, 18th June 2013.

The Socceroos are finally playing with momentum and it couldn't come at a more fortunate time. Throughout the 2014 World Cup qualification tournament, Australia's form has been patchy, and frustrating for fans. No doubt manager Holger Osieck has been frustrated too. But the turning point arrived when Australia took a point away from the Japan clash, and just last week dealt with Jordan convincingly. Most poignant in these two matches has been the emergence of Robbie Kruse, Tommy Oar and Tom Rogic as genuinely influential members of the  2014 World Cup squad. Assuming that Australia wins against Iraq tonight, manager Holger Osieck has the luxury of the East Asian Cup tournament in July (played in Korea), in which to give these and other youngsters more valuable experience.

The clash against Iraq sees a glut of factors favouring Australia. The match is set to be played in front of a sell-out  80,000 strong crowd in Sydney; striker Younis Mahmoud (age 30) with over 40 goals for Iraq has retired from international soccer as of last week; Nashat Akram (age 28) the star of the 2007 Asian Cup tournament retired from international soccer as of last week; Iraq are out of contention for Brazil 2014, and new manager Vladimir Petrovic is on the nose. Petrovic has overseen losses against China in February and the woeful display against Oman a fortnight ago. In Iraq's favour is the unknown quantity that they present themselves as in Sydney. Made up primarily of the under 20 Iraqi side, goalkeeper Noor Sabri said, "We've got Humam and other players in our squad who we have a lot of faith in." The keeper was speaking specifically about midfielder Humam Na'oush just 17 years old with ten international caps to his name already.

Meanwhile, in Group A Uzbekistan host Qatar at home, while they cross their fingers that Korea Republic take care of Iran, in Ulsan, Korea. The Uzbeks are coming off a narrow defeat to Korea Republic in Seoul last week, where they went down 1-nil through an own goal. Manager Mirdjalal Kasimov has stated ominously that, "There is no reason to look for people who are responsible for the defeat." The midfielder responsible for the own goal, Akmal Shorakhmedov will be crossing more than his fingers that his manager is as forgiving as he paints himself to be. Their opponents cashed-up World Cup 2022 hosts Qatar, sit helplessly adrift of qualification, four points away. The Uzbeks have it all to play for and should get 'the cash'.

Interestingly it is Iran who have been the only team to inflict defeat upon Korea Republic during qualification. If they repeat the effort away from home they're headed for Brazil. Korea Republic have nothing to play for with a superior 'for and against', which would see them fend off the Uzbeks, unless there was a disaster. Korea are currently plus seven in goal difference while Uzbekistan are plus one.

If I was a betting man, I would say that Iran are headed to their first World Cup since 1998, when they famously knocked out Australia, in a play-off for the final position in France '98. Along with them will be Korea Republic from Group A and Japan and Australia from Group B. The Asian play-off should see Uzbekistan take on Oman. 

Aussies Talking a Good Fight in Preparation for Japan

Socceroos v Japan in Brisbane 2012

The Socceroos 2014 World Cup qualification hopes sit precariously. Australia currently lie third behind the barnstorming Japan, and surprise packets Jordan. This round of World Cup qualifiers (04/06/2013) pits Australia against the Blue Samurai, while Jordan has a bye and Oman host Iraq. All the talk from the Socceroos has been about the fighting spirit which exists in Australian teams. Josh Kennedy said, "All of us fight down to the last second of the game . . ."

In international soccer/football it's often said that 'class tells' or 'class rises to the top'. Sadly for Australia at this point in time the core of it's eleven are playing in leagues a number of tiers down from the elite European stages such as Spain, Germany, Italy and England's Premier League. This is in contrast to the Japanese squad, which has been compared to the peaking 2006 Aussie World Cup squad. 

The Japanese have invaded Germany's Bundesliga with as many as five members of the starting eleven currently plying their trade there. Also starring in Europe is Yuto Nagatomo at Inter Milan and the feted Shinji Kagawa playing at Manchester United. Meanwhile, Japan's biggest weapon Keisuke Honda remains in one of the second tier leagues of Europe, that of Russia. For Japan however, the past two internationals have seen hiccups. They slipped up in Jordan 2-1 minus the zip of a Honda driven midfield, and in the friendly last Thursday night (30/05/2013) against Bulgaria, the Blue Samurai just lacked the cutting edge, although they were trying out a different formation. Coach Alberto Zaccheroni said, "I don't think our opponents created so many chances, but we couldn't create as many as we wanted to either." Again Japan played without Honda.

As well as being outclassed on paper, Australia are also lacking match fitness in many positions. Captain Lucas Neill hasn't played a competitive match since 23rd March, midfield weapon Brett Holman has played 11 minutes as a substitute for Aston Villa since their 23rd April, clash with Manchester United. Also expected to fill a midfield position is 'yellow card prone' Mark Milligan. Milligan's last competitive outing dates back to 14th April. Then there is the problematic left back position. Michael Zullo of Utrecht played his last full 90 minutes on 21st April, other options are Michael Thwaite (last game 5th April) or Matt McKay a midfielder who has filled the role before but not convincingly.

Despite all of the factors pointing toward a Japanese victory, Socceroos captain Lucas Neill is quietly confident of getting a result. The defender has revealed that the Japanese are actually under a lot of pressure. "What we do need to highlight is that Japan has lost two in a row now. They have a goalkeeper that's shown some shaky moments. I know how much media attention there is around this Japanese team." Tim Cahill also had a confident tone, "For us it's all about us . . . we prepare right we stay relaxed. Play the game not the occasion." Now with New York Red Bulls and regularly on the score sheet, Cahill is the face the Japanese have seen enough of. In 2006 he rammed home two goals in the World Cup group match, while in 2009 he headed home 2 more during World Cup qualification. Perhaps Australia's best hopes lie in the less familiar members of the line-up though. Robbie Kruse has had a breakout season with Fortuna Dusseldorf and has now been snapped up by Bayer Leverkusen. The striker/winger was one of the most fouled players in the Bundesliga and much of Australia's hopes will lie in Kruse's ability to get to past his opponent.

If pressed to predict a result LewDub can see the Aussies picking up at least a draw. Australia's ability in big matches against the headline acts has been proven throughout history. Meanwhile, this Japanese squad are under more intense scrutiny then any soccer team from 'the land of the rising sun' before them. Expect the Socceroos to bully the Japanese early and their opponents to struggle to put together the fluid passing game that they've built their success on.

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

Asian World Cup Qualifiers

JAPAN TO SEAL WORLD CUP QUALIFICATION?

Tonight in Group B of World Cup qualifying Japan host Iraq while Australia travel to the mid east to face Jordan. Currently Japan lead Group B with 7 points from three matches. Iraq meanwhile, have 2 points from two draws. At this early stage we can say with confidence that if Japan take the three points tonight, qualification for World Cup 2014 will be a formality.

Quizzed on his defencive line up, manager Alberto Zaccheroni said, "We had to change around the backline, but we have had good training and our players look fit. I have a faith in them." Japan will be without three regular defenders in Konno (Gamba Osaka), Uchida (FC Schalke 04), and Kurihara (Yokohama F Marinos). Yuzo Kurihara played a great cameo in Japan's draw with Australia in Brisbane where he grabbed a goal from a set piece. Urawa Reds defender Tomoaki Makino has been called into the squad. Surely Japan will struggle in transition as a result of the changes and Iraq manager Zico said "There are no secrets in the modern game, you can't keep anything up your sleeve any more."

Zico is well known to Japanese soccer aficionados for his contribution at Kashima Antlers in the 90's. The Brazilian was upbeat but also had this to say about Iraq's situation, "We haven't played together since July and I'm not happy we were not able to fix anything on the official FIFA Match days." This will work against Iraq and if the speed and fluidity of Japan in transition will be hampered tonight, we can say that the overall cohesion of Iraq will be tested also. This could mean a low scoring affair in Saitama.

In Amman, Jordan face Australia who also sit on 2 points from two draws. The Socceroos are expected to try the pairing of Bresciano and Mckay in central midfield after the two showed promising signs as a partnership against Lebanon. The big question mark amongst fans is where to play Holman? He is to good a player to leave out but by putting him in a striker's support role Australia miss out on a large element of what makes Holman whole: that's his work rate.

Watch and listen to Socceroos players on video below.

Socceroos in Danger Zone

  SOCCEROOS IN DANGER ZONE

"Oman's a completely different (pause), competitive game to this one. So, we look forward you know, in confident mood." After a 2-nil defeat to Denmark on Saturday, Socceroos captain Lucas Neill is not panicking. However, despite what the captain says, Australia's path to World Cup 2014 is beginning to look very dangerous. With imminent retirements and a star player out over family issues, Australia might well find itself chasing the pack.

This Friday 11pm AEST, the Socceroos face Oman at the Sultan Qaboos Sports Complex. The Omanies got their qualifying campaign off to a disappointing start when being downed 3-nil by Japan at Saitama Stadium on Sunday. That 3-nil scoreline is what is most dangerous for the Socceroos. With what seems a comfortable victory for Japan the Socceroos will quite plausibly head to the middle east expecting to pick up the three points in standard manner, but the defeat to Japan wasn't as ugly as the scoreline depicts.

Japan picked up an early goal from a Nagatomo cross and a superb volleyed finish by Keisuke Honda. From there the Samurai Blue dominated possession, it's true, but the Oman back four held firm. This was a defensive unit unlike most from west Asia. They moved as one, and it was only an offside goal and an unfortunate deflection which provided for the second and third goals (check video below). Make no mistake, a Socceroos outfit lacking it's most potent strike weapon in recent times (Brett Holman), will struggle to prise this team open.

With Holman on paternal duties (expecting his second child), expect Australia to look to the famous faces , Cahill, Kewell and Bresciano. The old faces at the back though, are cause for concern. Socceroos fans are all aware of their aging line-up, and the lack of mobility in the centre back position is becoming more and more a liability. In the Denmark clash we saw Matthew Spiranovic (squad member at Urawa Reds) slot in for Sasa Ognenovski (33 yrs old), and unfortunately he had a game to forget. Responsible for the penalty that provided Denmark with their first goal, the defender then failed to make contact with a corner, leading to the second goal. The 'icing on the cake' came when the 23 year old played a neat through ball  (a woeful back pass) into the path of Nicklas Bendtner, who should have made it 3-nil.

These are worrying times for Australia. With a lack of speed and mobility at the back the Socceroos cannot afford to be 'behind the eight ball' in this qualifying campaign. Given that Australia's second opponent in qualifying is Japan the need for three points in Oman is paramount. Imagine this hypothetical situation: Australia take 1 point from Oman, and Japan defeat Australia in Brisbane. Suddenly the Socceroos are chasing the pack. Does Holger Osieck ring in the inevitable changes before our third qualifying match in September? Or does he stick with the experience to get us out of trouble, in full knowledge that even skipper Lucas Neill (34 yrs old) may struggle to make a starting eleven in Brazil?

Check out Japan vs Oman below: