Many new faces in the Japanese team in the match against Vietnam

Coach Moriyasu Hajime was a bit worried when the plane carrying the players to compete in Europe arrived in Hanoi 12 hours later than expected. It was not until after 9:00 p.m. on November 9, 2021, that the players arrived at Noi Bai airport. Thus, coach Moriyasu Hajime and his team only had time to practice together for 1 match before facing the host team Vietnam.

Scoring is calling

Most of the Japanese national team players are playing football in Europe. Photo: Japantimes

In addition to Japanese players playing in Europe that Vietnamese audiences are familiar with on television such as Takumi Minamino (Liverpool), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal), Maya Yoshida (Sampdoria), Wataru Endo (Stuttgart)..., coach Moriyasu Hajime has called up many new faces. 5 Japanese players who scored 6 goals for their clubs in the matches last weekend were all called up to the Japanese team. The reason the media of the Land of the Rising Sun is interested in scoring goals is because in the last 4 matches, the team's strikers have only scored 3 goals.

First, Kyogo Furuhashi (Celtic) scored 2 goals in a 4-2 victory over Dundee F in the Scottish Premiership. This is a good sign because since scoring against Tajikistan (June 7, 2021), this striker has not scored. Kyogo Furuhashi wears the number 18 shirt and plays as a center forward for the Japanese national team. A player who, according to our observations, has a very similar playing style toCong Phuong.

Contrary to what some newspapers have reported, Ritsu Doan is not injured, but the player who is playing for PSV (Netherlands) has just scored against Fortuna Sittard in a 4-1 victory. This midfielder number 11 usually plays on the right wing, when needed he can also play as a defender. Ritsu Doan often comes off the bench and has a very energetic and fast playing style.

Shoya Nakajima, who is playing for Portimonense Club in the Portuguese Championship, scored a goal against Belenenses, which helped him get a place in Hanoi. Nakajima's best position is as an attacking midfielder in a 4-2-3-1 formation, and he has not scored a goal for the Japanese national team for 2 years. He has not played in 4 matches of the 3rd qualifying round of the 2022 World Cup in Asia, so Nakajima is likely to be just a substitute player.

Rookie

Ritsu Doan just scored a goal for PSV. Photo: Japantimes

Keito Nakamura is a 20-year-old midfielder playing for the Lask Club (Austria). This is a very familiar face of the Japanese U17 and U20 teams. Nakamura was not called to attend the 2020 Tokyo Olympics in his home country, but his goal against WSG Tirol helped him catch the eye of coach Moriyasu Hajime. This is also the first time this player has been honored to be called to the Japanese national team.

There are 6 players in the Japanese national team playing in the Bundesliga and last week Masaya Okugawa (Arminia Bielefeld) scored a goal against VfB Stuttgart. This is a 25-year-old player, playing as a left winger and was called up to the Japanese national team for the first time by coach Moriyasu Hajime. Along with Wataru Endo, Daichi Kamada is playing in Germany, this player will contribute to creating a solid, energetic style of play for the away team.

Not only are there players playing in the top 5 European leagues, the flight that landed in Hanoi yesterday also had Japanese players playing in Austria, Portugal, and the Netherlands. But with only one team building session, I wonder how coach Moriyasu Hajime will choose the adjusted team?