Coach Moriyasu: 'Troussier understands Japan very well'

Qatar At a press conference on the afternoon of January 13, coach Hajime Moriyasu once again mentioned Philippe Troussier as an advantage for Vietnam before the opening match of the 2023 Asian Cup.

"Troussier is the former head coach of the Japanese national team, so he knows us very well," Moriyasu said before the match at Al Thumama Stadium about his predecessor who led Japan for four years, from 1998 to 2002. At that time, Troussier impressed by teaching the Japanese players the European style of football, leading them to the quarter-finals of the 2000 Sydney Olympics, winning the Asian Cup and passing the group stage of the 2002 World Cup.

However, Moriyasu is confident that he understands Vietnam well after many confrontations and with the current quality of players, Japan can aim for the final match to return to the Asian Cup throne. "We want to win. But of course, the goal is to solve each match," he said. "Japanese fans have high expectations for the team. Recently, the country experienced an earthquake disaster. If we play well, it can be a remedy for those who suffered natural disasters."

This was shared by defensive midfielder Wataru Endo. He said that the Japanese players are working hard every day to aim for the championship, and at the same time want to play well to share with their compatriots who have just experienced an earthquake in Japan.

Coach Hajime Moriyasu at a press conference in Doha, Qatar on January 13, before the Japan - Vietnam match in the first match of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup. Photo: Lam Thoa — Coach Hajime Moriyasu at a press conference in Doha, Qatar on January 13, before the Japan - Vietnam match in the first match of Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup. Photo: *Lam Thoa*

Of the 26 Japanese players coming to Qatar, 20 are playing in Europe, all famous such as Ko Itakura (Borussia Monchengladbach), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Wataru Endo (Liverpool) or Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal)...

Kaoru Mitoma, who is shining in the Premier League with Brighton, has not been able to train normally. Coach Moriyasu said that Mitoma wants to play, but the coaching staff needs to consider carefully before deciding whether he can participate in the Vietnam match or not.

Even without Mitoma, coach Moriyasu probably won't have a headache because he has a deep, quality and high-performing squad. Japan is on a 10-match winning streak before the 2023 Asian Cup. In particular, they always score many goals even though their opponents are all strong, such as defeating Germany 4-1, Turkey 4-2, Syria 5-0 or Jordan 6-1...

Eurosport has just announced its predictions for the 11 best players of the 2023 Asian Cup, including five Japanese players. Opta 's supercomputer also predicts that coach Moriyasu's team has the best chance of winning the championship, with 24.6%.

Historically, Japan has the most achievements at the Asian Cup with four championships. On the FIFA rankings, they also have the highest rank, ranked 17th - 77 places higher than Vietnam. The "Samurai Blue" has never lost to Vietnam at the national team level, with four wins and one draw.

Lam Thoa

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