Japan’s National Team started a training camp on 7th April in Chiba.

All twenty three players invited for this short 3-day camp are from J-League clubs. The roster includes seven players selected for the first time such as Shiotani Tsukasa of Sanfrecce Hiroshima who have scored four goals in six matches, DF Shoji Gen of league-leading Kashima Antlers, and FW Kawamata Kengo of Niigata Albirex. (FW Ishihara Naoki of Sanfrecce Hiroshima, who replaced injured Kawasaki Frontale FW Kobayashi Yu, also received the first invitation of his career.)

Although more than half of players have past national team experience, the roster still has many fresh faces considering even most of those returning players have five caps or less. More familiar faces in the national team uniform including those playing for overseas clubs weren’t invited this time.

This camp is the last opportunity for the national team to meet before 12th May, the date when the final roster for FIFA World Cup Brazil in June is scheduled to be announced.

Japan’s boss Alberto Zaccheroni is looking at this camp as a good chance to closely watch skills, play styles and personalities and gather information on the players he has interests in. For the players, this is their last opportunity to show off their skills to be selected to the team.

Zaccheroni says “I want players to aggressively show what they have for these three days. I am looking forward to these guys getting selected to the final roster for the world cup.” Rise of good players are always appreciated as the team can’t avoid all injuries and suspensions due to accumulation of yellow cards during the tournament.

In the first practice, FW Minamino Takumi of Cerezo Osaka practiced separately because of the leg injury he suffered in the J-league game on the previous day, but other players finished a good practice including passing and setting up attacks.

Zaccheroni was actively involved by not only watching his players closely and talking his team concept to them but sometimes providing passes himself and using variety of gestures to giving directions to players.

The camp continues until 9th September, as the practice match is scheduled on the last day.

Players' Comments

Shiotani Tsukasa (Sanfrecce Hiroshima)
At first I didn’t know what to do because it is different from my club, but I tried and learned new things from time to time and managed to keep up with the team. They all are players I usually play against and I know them well, so it was easy to get along and I think I started OK. I am good at defending one on one, and if I can show that I can play not just centre back but also side back, it will be a good selling point. I want to show my strength such as my speed and physical strength to get selected to the team, and then I want to understand the national team’s plays as well. I have been doing well in the J-league games (scoring four goals) and I think that’s why I was invited. So I want to show the good momentum I have now. Every player plays at a very high level, so I want to work hard day in and day out to seize this good opportunity.

Toyoda Yohei (Sagan Tosu)
There are new players joining the East Asian Cup roster and the first day finished with new feeling. The practice itself was not very different from the fundamentals of the coach’s plays that we did for the East Asian Cup, but it was good that we could do that again. To get selected to the final roster for the world cup, I want to do my best to show what I can do and leave no regrets during this short camp. My defence is my strength, but I also need to score goals as a forward. (Toyoda scored a goal in the J-league game on the previous day.) I am very sharp now in terms of scoring, so I have got to keep it going.

Kawamata Kengo (Albirex Niigata)
Forwards are evaluated by the number of goals. To get the goals, I also need to work on my post plays, how to receive passes and defending. The coach gave me advice on various ways to direct my body, and some of them were very new to me. Maybe I have done those things like positioning myself to have both the ball and goal in my vision but I haven’t paid too much attention to something like that. I have watched him on TV and I thought he is very passionate, but I want to have more of his advice and get better. I don’t think too much about future and I want to take one day at a time. I want to do my best by working on things just in front of me.

Yamashita Tatsuya (Cerezo Osaka)
I was nervous but I am enjoying this camp so far. They ask a lot from players like how to receive passes and when and how to start rushing, and there are so much to learn. It was exciting. (Speaking of Zaccheroni’s tactics,) Everyone has to keep moving. Even a centre back never stops his feet. The advice was very detailed for example on positions and angles when we receive and make a pass. Those things will be my asset in my football career. I always try to check the ball early as a defender, and my height is my strength in set-pieces, so I will make sure that I will show them.