Japan need reality checks: coach-in-waiting Osim
Ivica Osim, who looks set to become Japan’s new coach, has told the Asian champions to be more realistic as they struggle to recover from a disastrous World Cup under Brazilian legend Zico.
“The Japanese are mistaken to believe that they are in the company of the world’s top teams,” the former Yugoslavia coach said. “They may be so in the economical and political fields but not in football.”
Osim, who piloted the former Yugoslavia to the quarterfinals of the 1990 World Cup in Italy, was speaking with Japanese media on Sunday as he continued ironing out a deal to guide Japan toward the 2010 finals in South Africa.
“There is too wide a gap between what the Japanese national team can do and what they want to do in football,” said Osim, who has won plaudits in Japan for raising JEF United Chiba into title contention from the bottom of the J-League since becoming their coach in 2003. Chiba won the J-League Cup last year.
The 65-year-old tactician said the Japanese people might be disappointed that their “Blue Samurai” bowed out in the first round after losing to Australia and five-time champions Brazil and drawing with Croatia.
“But they should feel lucky just to have been able to play there at the current level,” he said.
“Other nations have steadily gained strength. Even in Asia, there are fewer and fewer countries which Japan can feel certain to beat. Football in the world is ever developing,” Osim said.
Japan’s physical shortcomings, which are hard to overcome, were not necessarily the most crucial factor, he said.
“Even if you select young and tall players, it doesn’t always work,” said Osim, who has boosted Chiba with a game focused on “thinking and running.”
“It will be important to call up members who can give full play to the mental and physical characteristics of the Japanese,” he added, weeks before Japan open their Asian Cup defence against Yemen at home on August 16.
“It is not a job that can be done in a day.”
His remarks may be seen as a slap in Zico’s face as the Brazilian had vowed to take the three-time Asian Cup winners into the World Cup second round, as his predecessor Frenchman Philippe Troussier did in 2002 on home turf.
In 2002, Japan lost to Turkey in a last-16 match after emerging from a relatively easy group with Belgium, Russia and Tunisia.
Zico, 53, who competed in three World Cups as a star but never won the title, had allowed his players to express themselves on the pitch, in a departure from Troussier’s emphasis on tactics and formalities.
He even said Japan, which made their World Cup finals debut with three straight losses in 1998, could reach the semi-finals as “nothing is impossible in football.”
But Zico’s critics had warned that the Japanese, viewed as physical under dogs in general to European and South American players, were not ready for his strategy which may befit teams with extremely high individual skills.
“If Japan want to become the world champions, they should turn to a different coach,” Osim said. “It is important to look at the reality.”
Source:Soccer News
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