Nagatomo: China’s Team is Stronger Than Oman Was Back Then; Their Targeted Tactics Will Be Troublesome for Japan

The Japanese national team has already begun preparations for the upcoming Asian qualifiers of the World Cup, which will feature 18 teams. They are set to face the Chinese team on September 5th and then Bahrain on September 11th.

Veteran player Yuto Nagatomo said in an interview, “In the past two World Cup qualifiers, the Japanese team suffered defeats in their first matches. Coach Makoto Hasebe and I plan to share this ‘dark history’ with the younger players to serve as a cautionary tale.”

Although the first match will be played at home and the Chinese team appears less powerful on paper compared to the Japanese team, the lesson that overconfidence leads to defeat has kept Nagatomo on edge. A journalist directly asked Nagatomo, “Do you think there was some underestimation of opponents in the past two World Cup qualifiers?”

Nagatomo answered seriously, “There indeed was some underestimation. While we all understand that the final stage of the matches will be very tough, there’s always a bit of relaxation. For example, we might have easily passed through previous qualifiers or thought that we could win Asian matches with our usual performance, these thoughts can plant seeds of trouble. Additionally, many players in the team play in Europe, they may be busy with transfers or their playing time may not be sufficient leading to unstable form. Therefore, the first match is really hard to win. I’ve experienced losing the first match twice myself, so this time we must remain highly vigilant and remind the young players not to take things lightly.”

Nagatomo particularly mentioned China’s head coach Ivanković, stating that this is what the Japanese team needs to be most wary of. “Honestly speaking, when Ivanković coached the Omani team in the last World Cup qualifier, he devised a very effective tactic against us. I believe that the players of the Chinese team and their organizational capabilities are stronger than those of the Omani team back then. If they also prepare tactics specifically against us, it will indeed be very troublesome, and this is what worries me the most.”

In response, the Japanese publication Soccer Digest commented, how will Nagatomo use his experience from two failures to guide the young players? Let’s wait and see.