On Sunday 19 August, the Nadeshiko Japan (Japan Women's National Team) held their first team training session in three days, following their match against Thailand on Thursday 16.

After the team spent some time on warm ups, they went over the combinations in their attacks where two, three players were getting involved. They were then seen playing 7 vs 7 with a free player, followed by a 3 vs 3 in front of the goal, and concluded the 90-minute session with an 8 vs 8 scrimmage with higher intensity.

The coaches told the players to, “Reset their movements after they were not utilised in the on-going play.” In order to showcase the Nadeshiko style where they utilise various options in their attacks, players off the ball must get themselves involved in the team’s play as much as possible. When a player attempts to get involved with the ball and doesn’t get utilised, then the player must reset their movements so that they can make themselves available for the next attack. This circulation of players allows Japan to produce attacks with multiple layers, however it requires the players to be fully aware of their current surroundings as well as the concentration and endurance to keep their movements for the entire 90 minutes of the match.

Since the Asian Games has officially begun, many matches and competitions of other sports has taken its place. After finishing their morning training session, the players spent their afternoon by watching the match of the Japan Women’s Sepak Takraw team. The players shared their joy as well as to gain inspiration from their fellow Team Japan members.

Nadeshiko Japan will face the Vietnam Women’s National Team on Tuesday 21 August at 17:00 Japan time in their second match of the Asian Games.

Players’ Comments

GK #18 YAMASHITA Ayaka (Nippon TV Beleza)
I thought that we could have performed better against Thailand. Despite the bad pitch condition, we could have possessed the ball more to keep the opponents from creating opportunities. In our next match against Vietnam, we must focus on forcing turnovers at a high position, while keeping a high alert against the opponent’s speedy players. In terms of offence, we must have a clear plan to attack. Spending our time at the athletes’ village, we see many other athletes with great physiques, and it made me realise how important it is to build your body at a daily basis. Today, I was given the opportunity to watch Sepak Takraw for the first time, but it made me think how popular women’s football has become over the years and how fortunate we are to play in the current environment. We must play hard and earn good results so that the future women’s football players can play under an even better environment.

DF #17 KUNITAKE Aimi (Nojima Stella Kanagawa Sagamihara)
I did not have the opportunity to play in our match against Thailand, but I was watching the match from the bench while thinking how I would play if I was on the pitch. The Asian teams features many different aspects compared to the teams we faced during our USA tour. The Asian teams plays much more persistently, and their play style is much different from teams like Brazil. If I am given the chance to play against Vietnam, I will emphasis on communicating with my teammates, respond quickly in one-on-one situations, apply strong pressure to the opponents, fight hard to win each ball, and defend tenaciously. As a team, we must score goals and win with a clean sheet. This is my first time participating in the Asian Games, but after watching many athletes from different countries and sports, it really made me think of the difference in physiques. I was also given the opportunity to watch Sepak Takraw for the first time today. The Asian Games has given me the opportunity to see many sports I will never see otherwise, and its been such a precious experience for me.

Schedule

*Local Time
*The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, the weather, etc.

The 18th Asian Games 2018 Jakarta Palembang

Tournament Dates:Sat. 18 August - Sun. 2 September 2018

【Women's】Group Stage
1st Match Thu. 16 August 20:30 [Japan Time] vs Thailand
2nd Match Tue. 21 August 17:00 [Japan Time] vs Vietnam

Tournament Information