Japan World Cup 2018 squad and team guide as Shinji Kagawa hopes to help Samurai Blue banish Brazil pain

Matt Jones - Editor 00:30 11/06/2018
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  • The major conundrum for Japan will be how they deal with the decision to sack manager Vahid Halilhodzic two months prior to the tournament – the upheaval hardly ideal preparation.

    The Bosnian – who led the Ivory Coast to the 2010 World Cup but was dismissed before the tournament – left in acrimonious circumstances following reports of divisions between him and the players, despite a largely successful three-year stint on the pitch.

    Although Halilhodzic may be gone, Japan can count on experienced heads. They also have arguably one of the most settled squads in the tournament – which will stand them in good stead.

    Japan will be appearing at their sixth consecutive World Cup finals – famously making the knockout stages for the first time when they co-hosted the tournament with South Korea back in 2002. And although the squad lacks star power, they can count on a group of reliable players with plenty of European experience.

    Shinji Kagawa of Borussia Dortmund and Shinji Okazaki of Leicester City should play key roles, and veteran former AC Milan string-puller Keisuke Honda remains a talismanic figure despite the fact he’s out to pasture in Mexican football with Pachuca these days.

    Yuto Nagatomo and Okazaki both have more than 100 caps, while defender Maya Yoshida and midfielders Yasuyuki Konno, Honda and Kagawa are all approaching their centenary too. They have alternated their trips to the last-16 with disappointing group stage exits on three occasions.

    By the natural order of things, Akira Nishino’s men are due a deeper run in Russia, having disappointed in Brazil four years ago under current UAE boss Alberto Zaccheroni, finishing fourth in a weak group with just one point.

    Besides Colombia, who were the fairytale story of the tournament, Group B contained a below-par Ivory Coast and a poor Greek side. But Japan have bounced back in qualifying for Russia with a confident display in the AFC.

    They came out on top in a tricky final stage, finishing a point ahead of Saudi Arabia as both qualified automatically.

    KEY PLAYER

    Shinji Kagawa

    Shinji Kagawa

    The former Manchester United schemer has had a quiet season by his standards as Borussia Dortmund’s struggles continue, recording five goals and five assists in the Bundesliga, but he will carry the creative burden for his nation.

    COACH

    Akira Nishino

    Akira Nishino

    With the country rushed into a change of plan after the sacking of Halilhodzic, former technical director Nishino has an unenviable job on his hands to prepare for a World Cup bid. Has he been afforded too little time or will his appointment actually galvanise a nation?

    CAPTAIN

    Makoto Hasebe

    Makoto Hasebe

    The skipper is hugely experienced, with the Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder set to break into the list of the top five most-capped Japanese players. Converted into a sweeper by Frankfurt, and now Bayern Munich boss, Niko Kovac to superb effect last season.

    YOUNG STAR

    Naomichi Ueda

    Naomichi Ueda

    Japan possess one of the oldest squads at this World Cup so filtering through a young star is far from easy. Indeed, Ueda is the only outfield player under the age of 25 but the defender is likely to be restricted to a utility role with the Kashima Antlers centre-back only just breaking through at club level.

    KEY FACTS AND STATS

    – During a 13-year career for japan between 1964 and 1977, Kunishige Kamamoto scored 80 goals in 84 games – placing him fourth on the list of best goals to international game average (0.95)

    – Japan are record four-time winners of the AFC Asian Cup – triumphing four times (1992, 2000, 2004 and 2011)

    – Japan had 21 consecutive native managers in charge for 69 years before Dutchman Hans Ooft took over from Kenzo Yokoyama in 1992

    FIFA Rating

    73 DEF 77 MID 76 ATT 

    World Cups competed at

    6 (First in 1998)

    World Cup record

    P17, W4, D4, L9

    Best finish

    Round of 16 (2002, 2010)

    Qualification record

    P18, W13, D3, L3

    World ranking

    60

    SQUAD

    Japan1

    Goalkeepers: E. Kawashima (Metz), M. Higashiguchi (Gamba Osaka), K. Nakamura (Kashiwa Reysol).

    Defenders: Y. Nagatomo (Galatasaray), T. Makino, W. Endo (Urawa Reds), M. Yoshida (Southampton), H. Sakai (Marseille), G. Sakai (Hamburg), G. Shoji, N. Ueda (Kashima Antlers).

    Midfielders: M. Hasebe (Eintracht Frankfurt), K. Honda (Pachuca), T. Inui (Eibar), S. Kagawa (Dortmund), H. Yamaguchi (Cerezo Osaka), G. Haraguchi, T. Usami (Fortuna Dusseldorf), G. Shibasaki (Getafe), R. Oshima (Kawasaki Frontale)

    Forwards: S. Okazaki (Leicester), Y. Osako (Werder Bremen), Y. Muto (Mainz).

    VERDICT

    Will battle Colombia and Poland to reach knockouts. avoid defeat in the group opener against the South Americans and that will set them up nicely.

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