Japan's biggest problem. Son Heung-min is not hereAsia's best striker with only Korea → Aces missing intellectual strong ST

Sep 22, 2025

Japan's biggest problem. Son Heung-min is not hereAsia's best striker with only Korea → Aces missing intellectual strong ST
Courtesy of the Korea Football Association.



Asia's strongest Japan has something to envy about Korea. It's Son Heung-min.

Japanese media weekly news reported on the 22nd that `Moriyasu Japan, problematic U.S. expedition' local report, long-distance travel, time difference, climate change...What are the countermeasures to the concerns of the 2026 North American World Cup?He sharply criticized Japan's September A match while watching it on the spot under the title '.

Did the media 'the strongest of all time' sign fade. The Japanese national team faced Mexico and drew without a goal. On the 9th, he lost 0-2 against the U.S. The U.S. away game is one draw and one loss. It finished scoreless for two consecutive games. Mexico was 13th and the United States was 15th. It was the first warm-up match against a non-Asian continental team in about two years, and it was a good opportunity to gauge Japan's position against a top-ranked country in the FIFA rankings. However, he criticized, "The offense that scored 30 points in 10 matches in the final Asian qualifying round was silent."
Japan's biggest problem. Son Heung-min is not hereAsia's best striker with only Korea → Aces missing intellectual strong ST
Photo = Japanese national soccer team
As Japanese soccer fans have already pointed out, the most worrisome record is attack power. In defense, Japan was unable to do its best because there were too many injuries. Defensive skills are likely to improve when the injured return. The attack was helpless, although Japan's best forces remained intact. The media pointed out that 'He failed to score in the scene to finish, and at the end of the game, he tried a two-top that had never been seen under coach Hajime Moriyasu, but it was not successful.'




Japan was ahead of Asian countries in both individual and team power, so it overcame it through individual ability and organizational power even when the opponent came forward defensively. However, against Mexico and the United States, Japan found another problem that could not be overcome until the World Cup. It's the absence of A.C.E.

There are many good players such as Brighton's Kaoru Mitoma, Real Sociedad's Kubo Takefusa, Toyan Ritz, who moved to Frankfurt, and Feyenoord's Ayase Ueda. However, it is not like Son Heung-min, who Korea has, that even the top countries in the FIFA rankings are difficult to prevent. Japan's weakness was thoroughly revealed that there was no one who could change the game alone when he could not break through as a team.
Japan's biggest problem. Son Heung-min is not hereAsia's best striker with only Korea → Aces missing intellectual strong ST
Photo = Japanese national soccer team
The weekly news also showed that while many opportunities in the U.S. were created by ace Christian Pulisic (AC Milan), Japan had a remarkable lack of an `individual deciding the game.' Even if the completeness of the entire team increases, it is not easy to squeeze goals in a high-level game unless there is a special player who changes the situation alone at the match point,' he lamented.

American radio TUDN host Gabriel Sainz, who was interviewed by the media, also said, `I think Japan played well. It was painful that I couldn't finish the match against Mexico. GK Suzuki Zaion (Parma) was stable with good saves. Japan is on the right track, but what it lacks may be a strong striker. The lack of a clear scorer was evaluated as Japan's weakness, saying that the technology was excellent but it lacked a 'threat'.




This problem cannot be filled even if Moriyasu tries. It is actually almost impossible to improve individual players' skills in the national team. This is because they have no choice but to pay attention to strengthening their organizational power during the call-up of about a week during the A-match period.
Japan's biggest problem. Son Heung-min is not hereAsia's best striker with only Korea → Aces missing intellectual strong ST
Sportschosun DB
Team Korea is weaker than Japan, but its individual destructive power is stronger than Japan. This is because there is the strongest striker in Asia, Son Heung-min. In September's A-match, Son proved he is still Asia's best striker with two goals and one assist against the U.S. and Mexico.

Not only Son Heung-min but Lee Kang-in also has the ability to work well against the top countries if he raises his sense of playing. South Korea should make good use of the destructive weapons that Japan does not have on the World Cup stage.






This article was translated by Naver AI translator.