Tue. 27 October

U-15 Japan National Team had its second day of their tour of France, and they had training sessions in both morning and afternoon.

From the morning warming-up session, all players looked very concentrated; they might be inspired by watching the French Ligue 1 match that took place on the previous day. In the session of 4-on-4 + 2 free players, they chose to use wet natural turf expecting rainy weather on the match day. In the situation where wider vision, pass accuracy and quicker decisions are required, the players gradually got familiar with the pitch condition and started intensive competition amongst themselves.

In the sessions such as 4-on-4 and 5-on-5, which they used to do repeatedly in their training for the AFC U-16 Championship India 2016 Qualifiers, the players particularly checked their tactics to break through opponents’ defence lines and some movements that improve shot accuracy.

In the afternoon, they spent most of their time on making effective crosses/defending crosses and set plays. For offence, the players were demanded to make good crosses and to strike the crosses with excellent timing. For defence, they responded well to the team’s coaching staffs’ demands by defending dangerous spots and by pushing up the defence line as quickly as possible.

In the set play training, HAMANO Yukiya goalkeeper coach of Japan National Team and U-18 Japan National Team, told them the importance of making quick decisions and communications to avoid any disadvantageous situations in number of defenders. At the end of the day, they had a 9-on-9 practice match using two thirds of the pitch.

Tomorrow, the Val-de-Marne U-16 International Friendly Tournament 2015 will open and "00JAPAN" is facing U-15 England National Team.

* "00 JAPAN" is the nickname of the U-15 Japan National Team that consists of members who were born after 2000.

Players' Comments

MF  KATSURA Rikuto (Sanfrecce Hiroshima Junior Youth)
In the AFC U-16 Championship 2016 Qualifiers, I strongly felt the unity of the team. We could make the most of our strength as a team since all of us had such a strong will to go through the qualifier. In this tour, I want to feel in which level we are before going to the AFC U-16 Championship 2016 by playing against strong countries.

I personally play in the different position from that of my local team, so I tried to have good communication with my teammates especially for positioning and combination, and I have had productive training so far. Tomorrow, I want to contribute to the team, making use of my advantage, mobility for the victory.

MF  SUZUKI Toichi (Cerezo Osaka U-15)
Yesterday we watched the Ligue 1 match and watching the play of world’s top players was very provocative for me. In this tournament, I want to do my best and to see how much my advantages like dribbling can compete with the foreign players who are physically fitter than us.

Today, I made many mistakes and caused a crunch moment but I could still steal the ball back and intercept with a good timing, so there are some positive outcomes. Team’s atmosphere is very good, so we will definitely win this important first match.

DF  NOZUE Satoru (JFA Academy Fukushima U15)
My current issue is how much I can raise voice to support my teammates. Accurate coaching in a good timing does move the game so I have worked on this issue with responsibility. In this tour, I just want to show what I can do as much as possible and see how much I can compete with the world’s strong teams.

Today I found it difficult to adjust myself to the muddy pitch, so I want to keep working to be able to play consistently in any condition. Yesterday, I learned the importance of mentality or calmness that keeps a good play quality by watching the match of the Ligue 1 with a large audience. Tomorrow, we will cope well to get the victory.

Schedule

Note: The schedule is subject to change due to the team condition, etc. 

Val-de-Marne U-16 International Friendly Tournament

Four coutries of England, France, Netherlands and Japan will play a round-robin.