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The story
Japan’s national football team beat Venezuela 2-1 in an international friendly at Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima on September 28, notching a second straight win following their victory over Uruguay. In a column for Nikkan Sports, commentator Sergio Echigo (81) criticized the approach of fielding a lineup centered on reserves and young players in the first half before bringing on the World Cup regulars in the second, calling it “stuck in a rut” and closing with “it’s unthinkable.” On 5ch, opinion was split between those arguing the nature of a friendly should be taken into account, and those agreeing that this approach does nothing to build up the bench.
<International Friendly: Japan 2-1 Venezuela> ◇September 28◇Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima
Japan (FIFA ranking 17th), led by manager Hajime Moriyasu (58), who will stay on through next year’s Asian Cup, edged out Venezuela (ranked 47th). It was their second straight win, but Nikkan Sports commentator Sergio Echigo (81) pointed out a string of problems, closing with the word “unthinkable.”
Japan’s matches have become remarkably stuck in a rut. In the first half they send out young, inexperienced players who fail to get anything going, then bring on the core World Cup squad in the second half. That was true of the Uruguay match the other day, and it was true of this Venezuela match too.
Source: nikkansports.com / Original article here
What people said
yeah, exactly
Dentsu put this together, so that's basically the whole point, isn't it
That's literally all they've got
Going on years now….
But these are matches you can't afford to write off if you want to land in Pot 1 for the next World Cup
There's no sense chasing short-term results by leaning on a washed-up vet like Ito who has no future
South Korea 1 – 4 Uruguay
Japan 2 – 1 Venezuela
Lose ugly at home in front of the fans and the federation gets crucified for it
The criticism is valid, but the manager just couldn't afford to lose
Bandwagon fans can't stomach a loss anyway
one-trick pony
It's precisely because it's a friendly that they need to build up the squad
There's no point unless they actually work young players into the starting eleven and test them
Moriyasu hasn't learned a thing
The number one purpose is putting on a show for the sponsors
After that, it's about getting all the athletic-monster kids around the country watching so they aim to go pro in soccer instead of baseball or basketball
There's no other point to it, and that's fine
How much longer with Moriyasu?
The young players who underwhelmed in the first half got pulled to the bench,
and I think there was a lot to take away from watching the veterans come on fired up in the second half
Even among pundits, Harry always laid out exactly what should be done instead
Kirin Cup broadcast schedule
・Thursday, October 1, 19:10~ 🇯🇵 Japan vs 🇪🇨 Ecuador (Yokohama International Stadium):
Live nationwide on TBS, streaming on TVer
・Monday, October 5, 19:30~ 🇯🇵 Japan vs 🇵🇦 Panama or 🇳🇿 New Zealand (National Stadium):
Live nationwide on TV Asahi, streaming on TVer, ABEMA, and DAZN
That's exactly why they tested them in the first half
and everyone except the defenders and keeper failed the test
Once the squad's back to 26 and the injured guys like Mitoma, Minamino, Machida, Tomiyasu, plus the U-age players currently away at the Asian Games, are all back, these guys are gone
I'm saying put them into the actual starting lineup
It's already been proven that Moriyasu's approach doesn't build team depth
The rut is just way too real
Seriously, exactly
How much longer with Moriyasu? Isn't this a massive waste, since it just shrinks the time the next manager gets to work with?
Background and key points of this discussion
Sergio Echigo is a well-known, no-holds-barred columnist for Nikkan Sports, and this time his target was the lineup pattern manager Moriyasu has repeated friendly after friendly: fielding reserves and young players in the first half, then bringing on the World Cup regulars in the second. Friendlies are supposed to be a chance to test young and fringe players, but with FIFA rankings and next year’s Asian Cup on the line, results matter too, so opinion tends to split over whether development or winning should take priority. On the thread, one camp agreed that “if you don’t actually use young players as regulars, it doesn’t build depth,” while the other pushed back with “they’re forgetting what a friendly is for” and “it’s also a promotional event for sponsors and for growing the sport.” The national team is also set to face Ecuador and either Panama or New Zealand in the Kirin Cup this October, and whether this pattern of squad selection continues will be the thing to watch.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Sokuhou+) thread “[Sergio Echigo] Japan is stuck in a rut, nothing’s changed since the World Cup… They can sub all 11 players, so make it an event.”
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