Japanese Expert Analysis of National Football Team’s Crushing Defeat: Chinese Team Lacked Pressure and Defensive Persistence; Ivan’s Tactics Are Outdated

Following Japan’s 7-0 victory over the Chinese team, Japanese football expert Mori Kuniaki pointed out that the reason for China’s heavy defeat was insufficient tactical response and a virtually non-existent wing defense.

The Japanese expert noted that the Chinese team was clearly unprepared to deal with Japan’s 3-4-2-1 formation. After the draw results for the final round of the qualifiers were announced, it could be considered a good choice for Japan to play against China in their first match. This is because in the opening games of the final stage qualifiers in the past two tournaments, Japan failed to win, which was seen as a ‘stumbling block.’ Observing the recent performance of the Chinese team, it was found that their defense was relatively weak and easier to breach compared to teams from West Asia. Even so, frankly speaking, the 7-0 scoreline was unexpected; no one anticipated such a large margin of victory for Japan.

The Japanese expert pointed out that the performance of the Chinese team was disappointing. They hardly applied effective pressure, allowing technical players like Suga Daizen and Kubo Takefusa to receive the ball comfortably and perform freely. The Chinese team did not adopt a conservative strategy and struggled to resist the attacks of Minamino Takumi and Ueda Ayase within the penalty area.

The 3-4-2-1 formation used by Japan seemed to be an unexpected move that caught the Chinese team off guard, leading to a complete breakdown of their wing defense. Despite changing formations to a 4-4-2 at halftime after trailing by two goals and then adjusting to a 5-3-2, everything was too late, and they continued to concede goals.

In terms of offense, the Chinese team failed to even exploit the height advantage of their defenders. They should have played the ball to the 186 cm tall forward Zhang Yuning, but the passes were repeatedly cleared by the 177 cm tall Morita Eiji, creating an awkward situation.

In contrast, during Japan’s corner kick attack, Endo Gaku was left unmarked and scored the first goal. In this process, Doi Kosuke, who is 190 cm tall and skilled at heading, was also left unmarked.

In the opening game of the previous Asian final stage qualifier, Ivanković led Oman to defeat Japan, making him a focal point again this time, but his tactics seem to have fallen behind the times.

“What’s wrong with the Chinese team?” Their poor performance raises questions.