World Cup death group Japan is ruined, Son Heung-min has been missing for two months and Ace Kubo is also in a record slump
Kaoru Mitoma's injury seems to be quite serious.
Brighton drew 1-1 in the 15th round of the English Premier League (EPL) in the 2025-2026 season against West Ham United at the American Express Stadium in Brighton, England on the 7th (Korea time).
In this game, Mitoma, the core of the Japanese national team, was not found. Mitoma has been sidelined since early October with an ankle injury. The ankle injury was serious, and Mitoma missed as many as nine consecutive games.
Mitoma suffered additional injuries. At a press conference a day before the match against West Ham, Brighton coach Fabian Wheeler said "Mitoma had a minor injury recurrence during the training process. It's not a big deal. Hopefully he'll be able to train, and we're definitely trying to make him an option for us as soon as possible. Mitoma is still an option. So let's see if we can train today. He returned to our training session" he once said.
However, Mitoma was not included in the event list. In other words, he couldn't proceed with training ahead of the game. The news that Mitoma's injury is prolonged is raising concerns among Japanese fans. This is because the two wings representing Japan are having their worst season.
Mitoma has missed nine games this season, with only one goal and one assist in six games before that. It is questionable how he will perform after his injury. In the 2023-2024 season, Mitoma remembers being very sluggish in a season where he suffered from injuries. He played only 19 league games. Every Mitto who will be hoping that memories of that time will not repeat.
Mitoma injury is not the only problem. The other wing, Takefusa Kubo, is also in a serious slump. Kubo, Japan's present and future, is very low in offensive point productivity this season as well. In 13 games, one goal and one assist are all there is. Kubo, who scored only five goals in 36 games last season, is revealing his growth is going backwards. It is a disappointing performance considering that he has suffered from an ankle injury since the beginning of the season.
Both Mitoma and Kubo are key players under the Japanese coach Hajime Moriyasu. There are Junya Ito and Doan Ritz, but the two clear players who can target the side with their personal abilities are Mitoma and Ku. Japan, which includes the death group, can expect the World Cup tournament only when each player shows a good performance, but if Mitoma and Kubo look like this, concerns will grow.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
