ETO SCOUTING REPORT: JAPAN
El Tri will conclude its International friendlies on Tuesday as it faces Japan. Japan is currently ranked 27th in the world. El Tri has a winning history against the Samurai Blue, winning four of their five games against them, only dropping their inaugural meeting in 1996. It’s worth noting that Japan will not feature any local players, fielding only players playing in leagues outside of the Asian country.
The Japanese team is currently in the middle of a tactical change. Head Coach Hajime Moriyasu, coach of both the senior and U-23 Olympic squads, is looking to implement new tactics. Moriyasu took over the squad on August 1, 2018, almost a month after losing to Belgium in the 2018 World Cup. Since then, he has amassed 21 wins, 5 draws, and 5 losses in 31 games, with 58 goals in favor and 24 goals against. He has a 68 winning percentage and has been solid in his last six games, winning four, losing 1, and drawing one with a goal differential of 9-2.
Japan shocked the world in 2018 with their high pressure, possession-based 4-2-3-1. Still, Moriyasu is now attempting to implement a 3-4-2-1 formation that he deployed in the East Asia Football Championship Group Stage and against Panama. At times, he will revert to the 4-2-3-1 as he did against Cameroon and the Ivory Coast.
In the 4-2-3-1, Japan relies heavily on its CDM and CM play. Their CDM will drop between the CB’s while the fullbacks shoot up the wings. The CM then moves into open spaces to try and create multiple triangles to pass the ball. Upfront, their LW usually stays wide, hugging the line, while their RW cuts inside, their front four continuously shift, which makes it very difficult to mark them. Their lack of an adequate striker has made getting more players in the box a necessity.
Moriyasu’s 3-4-2-1 formation looks to combat their lack of strikers by placing their best three players in attack simultaneously. This formation also makes the transition from defense to attack quicker. Instead of using his fullbacks in his backline, he uses them as midfielders, which have resulted in Hiroki Sakai an RB by trait to lead the team in assists. The CDM still drops to form a backline of four when defending, and the midfield three pressure the ball to create turnovers. This allows his three attackers to stay high ready for a long ball. His attackers are his three most explosive players in Liverpool’s Takumi Minamino, Koji Miyoshi, and their new gem, 19-year-old Villareal winger Takefusa Kubo. Minamino plays as a false 9 and drops to link play while Kubo and Miyoshi make runs inside, and his converted fullbacks attack the wings.
As in their game with South Korea, positional discipline and alertness will be a must for Tata’s team. Mexico’s trident of Corona, Jimenez, and Lozano will also have to be on their game to attack Japan’s less mobile backline. Wing play will be crucial as Tata’s men will have to keep Japan’s converted fullbacks busy. All in all, this will be another good test for El Tri, I predict another Mexico victory 2-1.
