The Fruit of Solidarity and Athlete Regeneration in “Samurai Blue”

AFP/KHALED DESOUKI

Iran\'s defender Morteza Pouraliganji (L) vies for the ball with Japan\'s forward Yuya Osako during the 2019 AFC Asian Cup semi-final football match between Iran and Japan at the Hazza Bin Zayed Stadium in Abu Dhabi on January 28, 2019.

ABU DHABI, MONDAY -- Japan’s national soccer team, popularly known as “Samurai Blue”, has been unstoppable since the 2018 Russia World Cup. The team, adept in athlete regeneration and known for its strong solidarity, has advanced to the 2019 AFC Asian Cup finals after defeating fan favorite Iran 3-0 in the semifinals at the Hazza bin Sayed stadium in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE), on Monday (28/1/2019).

Japan is just one step away from clinching its fifth AFC title and furthering its status as Asia’s soccer champion. With its four titles, Japan is now the most successful team in the Asian Cup. In the finals on Friday (1/2), it will face the winner of the Qatar-UAE semifinal, which will be held this Tuesday.

Japan, in fact, was not among the favorites to win the 17th AFC Asian Cup. This has not been the same Samurai Blue that got into the Round of 16 at the latest World Cup. At the time, Japan was the only Asian team in the top 16 and got so close to defeating the world’s No. 1 national soccer team Belgium with its roster of top players, including Eden Hazard and Kevin de Bruyne.

After the World Cup, the Samurai Blue transformed itself. In the name of regeneration, coach Akhiri Nishino, 63, chose to resign. The brave move was soon followed by the team’s senior players, including Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki.

Nishino gave his position to his assistant Hajime Moriyasu. Despite a change of coach and players, however, the team’s DNA that always prioritizes discipline, collectivism and hard work remains.

This discipline and spirit of solidarity, for instance, was visible in the match’s first half. All of Japan’s players, from its strikers to its defenders, work together to strengthen its defense against the assaults of Iranian players.

Iran was seen as a potential victor because of its several advantages, including the presence of the Iranian Messi, Sardar Azmoun. Their coach Carlos Queiroz is also famed for his wealth of World Cup experience and had his 100th match with Iran in the semifinal in Abu Dhabi.

Moriyasu, who coached Japan’s U-23 team at the 2018 Asian Games, once said he would rather play pragmatically and get weak wins to reach the finals -- something that Japan last achieved in 2011. “We are neither perfect nor ripe,” he said modestly as quoted by Fox Sports.

Japan responded calmly to Iran’s numerous assaults and this was most apparent in defender and team captain Maya Yoshida, who has years of experience in the

English Premier League. The team refused to panic under immense pressure and, instead, tried to turn the opponent’s lapses of watchfulness into opportunities. It was such a strategy that the team tried to implement in Russia, especially when it almost sent Belgium home in the Round-of-16 match.

Thus, the Samurai Blue players coldly use their rivals’ weaknesses to their advantage. Winger Takumi Minamino, for instance, remained focused and got straight back up without care after he was subjected to a foul by the opposing team’s player in the 55th minute. As the Iranian defenders lost their concentration and were focused exclusively on the referee following the incident, Minamino kept on running and provided a powerful assist to striker Yuya Osako.

The resulting goal crushed Iran’s spirit. Its players were flustered on why the referee did not blow his whistle when one of them fouled Minamino. Nevertheless, the goal showed that Japan was a highly focused team. In the second half, the team scored two more goals.

In an interview in Bogor after the 2018 Asian Games, Moriyasu reaffirmed his soccer philosophy: trophies are never the ultimate goal. “The most important thing is that the team continues to develop itself, both technically and psychologically, from matches to matches,” he said after South Korea bested Japan in the 2018 Asian Games soccer finals.

In less than six months after the defeat, Moriyasu and Japan’s new team will get their second chance to win a trophy. The team is now much more mature than it was in the Asian Games. They have yet to suffer a single defeat in the 2019 Asian Cup. Come next Friday, they will have a huge chance to prove once again that they are truly the best in Asia. (JON)