One day ahead of their group stage opener against Colombia at the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia, Coach NISHINO Akira of the SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) appeared in an official press conference at the match venue, Mordovia Arena, located in Saransk on Monday 18 June. The coach shared his aspiration as, “I want to give my players enough confidence so that we can sufficiently attempt our attacks.”

Japan, making its sixth consecutive, sixth overall World Cup appearance, has lost to Colombia four years ago in the previous World Cup in Brazil with a score of 1-4. Japan is ranked 61st in the FIFA Rankings, while Colombia sits at 16th.

After the sudden dismissal of his predecessor, Coach Nishino took over the helm in April, conducted a preparation camp in Seefeld, Austria, and took command in two international friendlies against Switzerland and Paraguay. Since entering their World Cup basecamp on the 13th, the team held numbers of training sessions behind closed doors, as they went through their strategies to prepare for the big match.

Coach Nishino shared his take on the upcoming match, “we must not play passive and just react to our opponent’s tempo. We must initiate the action. However, in order for us to do so, we must have the courage to induce the attacks from our defence. My job is to give the players enough confidence to make that happen.”

On this day, OKAZAKI Shinji (Leicester City Football Club) who has been training on a sperate menu since arriving to Kazan was seen joining the team’s official training session, and Coach Nishino made it clear that there will be no roster change for the World Cup. The team took the early portion of the training session, which was open to the media, to stretch and exchange passes while checking the pitch condition. The session was then closed to the media as the team went through their strategies.

The coach also mentioned regarding the earthquake that struck Osaka, Japan on this day, “we have players who has friends and family members affected by this incident. I am deeply concerned of the phycological affect on the players. I hope for an early recovery.”

When asked regarding the difference in experience compared to Colombia’s Coach José Pékerman, who has been in charge of the team since 2012, Coach Nishino shared his thoughts, “if we are worried about the time we are given to prepare, we cannot win.” While praising their current status, “we are confident in our preparation. I believe that the players can showcase a different possibility at the world stage.”

The coach made note on the Colombian ace, James Rodríguez, “he is an icon for Colombia. He can make plays and score goals. Its not someone’s responsibility to watch him, we must be alert and deal with him as a team. If we give him too much freedom, it will allow Colombia to exert their team style.”

Coach Pékerman on the other hand, shared his take on the match, “we have already forgotten about the last World Cup. Japan has many players with experience and their potential is quite high. Their team consists many high-quality players, but we are prepared for them.” The coach also mentioned that James Rodríguez may or may not play due to injury, and that they will wait for the results of the medical check, but still showed their confidence by stating, “in this World Cup, we would like to showcase how much the team has grown in this four years.”

HASEBE Makoto (Eintracht Frankfurt) described their opponents as, “Colombia is a very good team, and they are difficult to deal with. Their coach has been with the team for a long time and they are fully aware of what they want to do as a team.” While praising their opponents, he also stated regarding his team, “the players, coach, coaching staffs, everybody is in great condition, and we are all in this together.”

Japan will face Colombia in their first match of Group H at Mordovia Arena, Saransk. The match will kick-off at 15:00 local time on Tuesday 19 (21:00 Japan time on the same date).

Coaches' and Players' Comments

NISHINO Akira, Coach of SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team)
Ideally, we want to take the initiative and control the ball by creating the action from the beginning of the match, rather than just sitting back and react to our opponents, however, more than anything, we need to stop Colombia from constructing their rhythm through their attacks led by their organised teamwork and their key player, James Rodríguez. I don’t want to just demand my players for their defensive organisation and hard work, because we can possess the ball too. My job is to give them enough confidence to initiate the attacks from our ball possession. I will send out my players with an offensive approach in their mind. We have all the respect to our opponents, and we maybe forced to play defence for a long period of time, but I must grant my players with the idea to turn the table around.

FP #9 OKAZAKI Shinji (Leicester City Football Club)
I am fine to play tomorrow. I was able to go through the entire training session without any pain today. I will prepare myself so that I can be ready at any point. I was given a little break, but my condition has gotten better since playing in the Paraguay match. What I can do in the match is what matters, and I can’t just end it here. It’s how we can persist as a team while we are in the defensive end. When the team is struggling, I believe they need a player like myself, and I am confident to say that I have lived up to that expectation. This is when I have to showcase that the most.

FP #17 HASEBE Makoto (Eintracht Frankfurt)
In behalf of the team, I would like to express our sympathy and condolences to the victims of the earthquake. We are hoping the damage was limited as much as possible, and for an early recovery. We have players with family members affected by this earthquake, and we are hurt in many ways. We will support those members as a team. We have prepared ourselves so that we can get off to an excellent start tomorrow. The team is in great condition where the players can enter tomorrow’s match with confidence. Four years ago, we faced Colombia in the third match of the group stage where we had to take risks in order to advance to the next round. This time we are facing them in the first match, so our approach will be different. We will do our best to execute our game plan. We were fortunate to be given such wonderful environment to prepare ourselves ahead of this match and I am very confident with the team’s condition.

José Pékerman, Coach (Colombia National Team)
I feel very fortunate to be here. The team has rejuvenated since the Brazil World Cup and the players are more skilled. Some players may be feeling anxious, but the team is completely ready, and the experienced players can help out the younger players. Japan is a tough opponent. Despite the recent change in their head coach, the team has experimented with many systems and many of their players has gone through a great season in great leagues, providing new energy into the team. In a way they have integrated experienced players with younger players is similar with our team. The opponents maybe strong, but we would like to start off the World Cup with a great result.

Schedule

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

2018 FIFA World Cup Russia

Tournament Dates: 14 June - 15 July 2018

Group stage
1st Match Tue. 19 June Kickoff at 15:00 vs Colombia National Team (Mordovia Arena)
(21:00 Japan time)
2nd Match Sun. 24 June Kickoff at 20:00 vs Senegal National Team (Ekaterinburg Arena)
(Mon. 25 June, 0:00 Japan time)
3rd Match Thu. 28 June Kickoff at 17:00 vs Poland National Team (Volgograd Arena)
(23:00 Japan time)

For more information