Japan's coach: "Mr. Troussier understands us very well."

Appearing at a press conference in Doha, Qatar, on the afternoon of January 13th, coach Hajime Moriyasu began by saying: "Recently, Japan experienced a devastating earthquake. If we play well, it could be a remedy for those affected by the natural disaster."

Japanese fans have high expectations of us. The whole team will do their best; the Japanese national team is going into the 2023 Asian Cup with only one goal: to win. Of course, we will have to strategize on a match-by-match basis."

Hajime Moriyasu affirms his determination to win the 2023 Asian Cup with Japan (Photo: AP).

Regarding the injury to striker Kaoru Mitoma and the possibility of the Brighton star missing the match against Vietnam, coach Moriyasu revealed: "He wants to play, but we have to see how things develop."

Regarding the Japanese national team's frequent training sessions in the hot midday sun of 10-11 am in Qatar, the Japanese strategist said: "When we train at that time, the time we finish is also around the time we warm up for the next match."

Those are good training conditions and times. Moreover, we have time to rest in the evening afterward."

Finally, coach Hajime Moriyasu commented on his colleague Philippe Troussier, who has made many contributions to Japanese football: "Mr. Troussier is a former Japanese coach from 1998-2002, so he understands our football."

But we also have an understanding of the Vietnamese team. We will play a balanced game. The Japanese team has 7 matches, and if we reach the end of the tournament, of course we will consider how to use our players in each match."

Japan brought to the 2023 Asian Cup a squad with as many as 21 players currently playing in Europe (Photo: AP).

Liverpool's star midfielder, Wataru Endo, shared in a press conference: "We are working hard every day to win the 2023 Asian Cup. Japan has just experienced an earthquake. Therefore, the whole team wants to share that with our fans back home through our performance in this tournament."

At 6:30 PM on January 14th, the Vietnamese national team will play their opening match in Group D of the 2023 Asian Cup against Japan at the Al Thumama Stadium (Qatar). This is the same opponent that Coach Park Hang Seo's Vietnamese team lost to 0-1 in the quarter-finals of the 2019 Asian Cup in the UAE.

Before entering the 2023 Asian Cup, the Vietnamese national team played only one friendly match on January 9th and lost to Kyrgyzstan 1-2. Meanwhile, Japan showed formidable strength by winning against Thailand 5-0 and Jordan 6-1.

Coach Philippe Troussier had a successful period leading the Japanese national team from 1998 to 2002. He guided the "Samurai Blue" to their first-ever qualification for the knockout stage at the 2002 World Cup, helped Japan win the 2000 Asian Cup, and finish as runners-up in the 2001 Confederations Cup.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/the-thao/hlv-nhat-ban-ong-troussier-hieu-rat-ro-chung-toi-20240113155209507.htm