On Friday 7 October, the Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women's National Team), resumed their training ahead of their MS＆AD CUP 2022 match against the New Zealand Women's National Team.

Following their international friendly match against the Nigeria Women's National Team on Thursday, the players were divided according to their playing time, as the starting members went through post-game recovery workouts, while others conducted drills using a ball. In the training session led by assistant coach MIYAMOTO Tomomi, FUJINO Aoba (Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza) and HAMANO Maika (INAC Kobe Leonessa), who both made their Nadeshiko Japan debut, and INOUE Ayaka (Omiya Ardija Ventus VENTUS) showed great enthusiasm on the pitch. Goalkeepers YAMASHITA Ayaka (INAC Kobe Leonessa) and TANAKA Momoko (Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza) were seen making great saves during the crossing and shooting drills, while UEKI Riko (Nippon TV Tokyo Verdy Beleza) showed off her ability to win aerial battels to strike strong headers.

In the afternoon, the team travelled to Nagano, where they will face the New Zealand Women's National Team in the MS＆AD CUP 2022, scheduled to take place on Sunday 9 October (14:55 kick-off) at Nagano U Stadium.

Players' Comments

DF #2 SHIMIZU Risa (West Ham United/England)
The system we used against Nigeria was something we have only started using since this camp started, so I personally felt we had a lot of work to do. It's difficult to get it right from the first match when you're changing formations, so after playing the first half and watching the second half from the bench, it was clear to me that there were a lot of things we need to adapt to. Knowing how our opponents are going to analyse us, it gives us an edge to have the option of playing either 4-4-2 or 3-4-3, depending on the situation, so I think this is a very positive challenge for the team. As I side-back, I am used to making plays to draw attention of the opponents to free up my teammates, but in this formation, I was getting freed up by my teammates instead, so it made me feel like we need to raise the quality of our plays both as a team and as an individual.

DF #4 KUMAGAI Saki (FC Bayern Munich/Germany)
There was no difference between the feeling I had during the match and the feeling I had after watching the match film, but one of the things that came up as we tried a new system was how do we advance our defence. In yesterday’s case, we weren’t sure if (SUGITA) Hina or (KITAMURA) Nanami was going to approach the ball in the left side, so those are the things we need to address and clarify as we move forward. In terms of our offence, we have more numbers in the midfield, which means that we can draw out the opposing side-backs and centre-backs more, setting up more opportunities for us to exploit the space behind them. In those situations, we need to press up and add more layers to our offence. This adds a new variation for the team, but we need to create more options. Although we don’t have much time to prepare, we need to do more in order to make this a viable option for us in the future.

MF #25 KOYAMA Shinomi (Cerezo Osaka Sakai Ladies)
It was my first match as a member of the Nadeshiko Japan, and the crowd at the stadium felt so loud. Wearing the uniform with the star on it, I was looking forward for the match. Although I didn’t get any minutes, watching (FUJINO) Aoba-san and (HAMANO) Maika was really inspirational, and it really made me want to play. I don’t know if I will play, and even if I do play, I don’t know how I would be used, but I am just focused on making a case for myself once I am given the opportunity. I also just want to enjoy the moment. While communicating with my teammates, how many sprints I can make between defence and offence is where I live and die, so I hope I can showcase what I am capable of doing.

MS＆AD CUP 2022

Fixture: Nadeshiko Japan vs New Zealand Women's National Team
Date: Sun. 9 October [14:55]
Venue: Nagano U Stadium (Nagano)
Tournament Information