Alkass Digital
Doha: Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu believes criticism of his team’s performances so far at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023™ are a sign of the new standards set by the Samurai Blue as he prepares for the four-time champions Round of 16 meeting with Bahrain on Wednesday.
The Japanese qualified for the knockout rounds with a second placed finish in Group D despite a 2-1 loss against Iraq on Matchday Two that condemned them to the runners-up slot, setting up the meeting with Group E winners Bahrain.
But a lack of their usual fluency and defensive deficiencies that have seen them fail to keep a clean sheet so far in the competition have seen hopes of success for Moriyasu’s team called into question.
“It’s a sign of respect for us when people say we are struggling because that shows we have high expectations placed on us,” said Moriyasu. “People know that we can play better.
“But Asian teams are growing, not only us. All Asian countries are growing and getting more competitive and the gap between the top teams and the lower teams has been cut.”
Moriyasu’s side came into the tournament in a rich vein of form having won nine matches in a row – including defeating Germany 4-1 in Wolfsburg in September – scoring 39 goals in the process to build on their impressive performances at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022.
But, after the loss to Iraq and conceding five goals so far at the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2023, doubts have been raised over their ability to sustain a challenge for a record-extending fifth continental crown.
“We have to learn from our mistakes in the first three games but that doesn’t mean we have any worries about our defence for tomorrow’s match,” said Moriyasu.
“Bahrain are a strong side so we have to be careful of their attacking play, but I’m confident my players will play up to 100 percent of their potential.
“Bahrain are a very talented side. They have individual talents, but also they can work as a team, as a unit. They are strong as a team, they can not only counterattack but they have also talented players up front who can play good football.”
Bahrain go into the game off the back of a 1-0 win over Jordan, which earned Juan Antonio Pizzi’s side pole position in their group ahead of a Korea Republic side that had defeated the West Asian side 3-1 in their opening match of the tournament.
The return of Czech Republic-based striker Abdulla Yusuf against the Jordanians, after starting the first two games on the bench, bolstered Pizzi’s side and the Argentinian could look for the towering forward again to cause problems for Japan’s backline.
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“Japan are a tough team with a lot of strengths but they have weaknesses that we need to exploit in order to be able to come out on top,” said Pizzi. “Hopefully we will be able to implement our philosophy.
“We learned a few lessons from the game against Korea Republic and before the tournament we also played Australia (losing 2-0). When you compete against big national teams this makes the team stronger collectively and individually.
“Unfortunately the results of these two matches were not up to our expectations but we still felt comfortable because the level was high and it reassured us that we can compete against anybody.”
Bahrain v Japan
Venue: Al Thumama Stadium (Doha)
Kick-off: 14:30 (UTC+3)