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| The Japanese national team celebrates its early advance to the 2026 North-China World Cup finals. |
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There was a thorough system for the Japanese national soccer team to be the first in the world to win a ticket to the North-China World Cup finals.
Masahiro Yamamoto, director of the Japanese national soccer team, told Japanese soccer media 'Football Zone' on the 6th about how Japan, which had been chronically facing a crisis in the World Cup qualifying round, was able to pass the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup without a crisis.
Japan, led by head coach Hajime Moriyasu, became the first country in the world to win the World Cup finals in March, winning 2-0 in the seventh Group C match against Bahrain in the third World Cup qualifying round. Currently, Japan has secured an early first place in Group C with two games remaining, with eight consecutive undefeated games (6 wins and 2 draws).
Director Yamamoto "I tried to learn and utilize a lot from my past mistakes. For example, the problem was identified by closely reviewing the 2018 World Cup in Russia and the 2022 World Cup qualifying match in September, when they lost the first match of the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. We have identified problems with the increasing number of players in Europe, and the opponent arriving in Japan before the Japanese players and preparing for the game seven to 10 days in advance."
Japan, which suffered shock losses to Oman (0-1 loss) and the United Arab Emirates (1-2 loss) in the first home game of the third World Cup qualifying round in 2018 and 2022, respectively, defeated China 7-0 in the first match of the qualifying round in September last year, laying the groundwork for its eighth consecutive World Cup finals. September, when the major European league season begins, is known to be a time when European players are having a hard time managing their condition.
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| Japanese portal site Yahoo. | featuring an interview with Masahiro Yamamoto, director of the Japanese national soccer team
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| 구보 다케후사. |
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Director Yamamoto "There is a limit to what we can do. In this context, we considered ways to extend the training period for all before the game to two days and improve administrative work"The players who finished the game were asked to leave the locker room at a fixed time and travel to the airport in a prepared vehicle. Not only did he ask an official from his club, but he also asked each player's agency (agent) for help. In extreme cases, it was moved in 10-minute increments. And before returning home, I had a good night's sleep and a good meal on a chartered plane." This means that the Japanese Football Association managed the return of European players.
In Japan, almost all players are made up of European players. Of the 23 players who played A matches in March, only five were J Leaguers, and all of them were European players. In the match against Bahrain, Daichi Kamada, who plays for Crystal Palace in the English Premier League, and Takefusa Kubo of Real Sociedad in Spain's Primera Liga scored consecutive goals to win 2-0.
Yamamoto said, `At the beginning of the season, it is difficult to know whether the players are in good condition or what condition they are in. Even if you have the ability and talent, you cannot fulfill your true potential if you are not in good condition. Fatigue should also be taken into account"That's why it's important to train twice (before A-match). If the training menu is organized as if the training two days ago is real, the physical coach can grasp a lot from the data. It's tough for players to play at different times in two days after a long trip, but they need to be prepared to bring their skills closer to 100%. I think meticulous preparation has paid off."
Japan carefully prepared meals at the association level. Yamamoto said, "(European players) spend three different time zones playing home and away, away and home, or two away games in two consecutive qualifiers. European players have devised a way to use European time throughout the game. It was a method of not having breakfast in Japanese time, but only having lunch and dinner as a group, and having a separate European meal at night. To do that, I had to serve meals in the middle of the night. Late-night meals were sourced from outside the hotel. I think the staff was burdened by the establishment of a support system for three groups: European leagues, J Leaguers, and coaches. We also divided the support staff into two shifts to take care of their health."
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| Hajime Moriyasu, head coach of the Japanese national team. |
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On the medical system "Normally, the national team has a surgeon, but Japan always accompanies an internal medicine specialist. The U-20 and U-17 teams were also accompanied by internal medicine specialists in the final qualifying round"This is because symptoms such as gastrointestinal disease, fever, and sore throat can occur. It is natural to entrust a surgeon to treat injuries, but the role of an internal medicine specialist in managing the health of players is also very important. The role of internal medicine specialists has also improved."
When South Korean soccer failed to secure early tickets in March and had to play Iraq and Kuwait in June under tension, Japan is leisurely singing 'World Cup win'. The Japanese daily `Nikan Sports" reported in March that the Japanese national soccer team, which decided to advance to the World Cup finals for the eighth consecutive time in history, will speed up to win the North Korea-China-U.S. World Cup, which will open in June next year, and that Japan beat Bahrain for the longest preparation period of 448 days. However, the team aiming to win the World Cup cannot afford to rest. We need to raise everyone to the top of the world.
He then introduced Moriyasu's remarks, saying, `The Japanese national team sincerely aims to win the World Cup, so it is also demanding understanding from the surroundings.' Immediately after the World Cup finals were confirmed, Moriyasu voiced his voice, "When I look at the World Cup winners in the past, I feel that I cannot win without the interests of the country.' Moriyasu, who acquired the World Cup ticket through an A-match in March, has gained the leeway to experiment with various players in the two consecutive games against Australia and Indonesia in June. Japan will fly to the United States, one of the World Cup hosts, for friendly matches with co-hosts Mexico and the United States on A Match Day in September.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
