Spanish Media Analysis of Japan’s U Team: No Superstars, Strength Lies in Teamwork; European-Based Players Show Strong Performance

On August 2 local time, Spain will face Japan in the quarterfinals of the Paris Olympic men’s football tournament held in Lyon. Spanish newspaper AS conducted an analysis of Japan’s U23 national team.

Spain achieved a strong start in Group C of the group stage with consecutive victories in their first two matches. However, they made significant changes to their lineup in the final round against Egypt, resulting in a 1-2 loss and advancing only as the second-placed team in the group. They will now face Japan, who topped Group D with three straight wins, in the knockout stage.

AS highly praised Japan’s U23 head coach, Go Oiwa: “He has accumulated rich experience both as a player and a coach and is very familiar with Japanese domestic players.”

The newspaper then analyzed the Japanese players: “Japan does not have any undisputed star players; their strength lies in their teamwork rather than individual ability. In such a team, Jaryu Fujita, as the leader and captain of the team, stands out even more for his leadership role after being named the best player in the previous U23 Asian Cup.”

The report also noted: “Shota Fujio, Junnosuke Taguchi, and Rien Yamamoto each scored two goals, sharing the goal-scoring duties. Meanwhile, ShinDa Hosoya scored one goal in the last group match against Israel. However, it was Koiki Saito who created scoring opportunities, combining well with teammates on the left flank and providing two assists, making him the top assist provider.”

Finally, the report concluded: “Notably, both Taguchi and Saito, who are among the top scorers and assist providers, play in Europe. They previously played together for Sparta Rotterdam in the Dutch league (last season).”