Japanese coach: 'Vietnam is very formidable'

Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu is wary of Vietnam - the first opponent at the 2023 Asian Cup and led by former Japan coach Philippe Troussier.

Coach Moriyasu led Japan to a 5-0 defeat of Thailand in a friendly match this afternoon, January 1, at the National Stadium of Japan. At the post-match press conference, he said that despite the big win, Thailand caused many difficulties because coach Masatada Ishii knew Japan too well, and warned that this could happen again in the match against Vietnam on January 14.

"Coach Philippe Troussier is very knowledgeable about Japanese football," said Moriyasu, adding that looking at what Troussier is doing, he thinks there is a good combination of experienced pillars with young players and turning Vietnam into a strong team.

The Japanese head coach commented: "Vietnam is trying different tactics compared to when Mr. Troussier was leading Japan. Therefore, I think Vietnam is a very formidable opponent and the upcoming confrontation will be a difficult battle."

Japan are unbeaten against Vietnam, with four wins and one draw. Their most recent match ended in a 1-1 draw in the final round of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, but Japan were already through. At the Asian Cup, Japan beat Vietnam 4-1 in the group stage in 2007 and 1-0 in the quarter-finals in 2019.

Coach Philippe Troussier helped Japan win the 2000 Asian Cup. Photo: AFC

Coach Moriyasu affirmed that he respects Troussier as a senior in the national team, but is also eager to compete in Qatar. Japan is ready to overcome all countermeasures of Vietnam to aim for victory and further, the championship of the 2023 Asian Cup.

"I still regret not winning the 2019 Asian Cup," said Mr. Moriyasu. "To win the World Cup, we definitely had to win the Asian championship."

The last time Japan won the Asian Cup was in 2011. Before that, the team won three times in 1992, 2000 and 2004, in which 2000 was led by coach Philippe Troussier.

After the victory over Thailand, Japan also finalized the list of 26 players for the 2023 Asian Cup with many stars such as Takehiro Tomiyasu, Takefusa Kubo and Kaoru Mitoma. The team will move to Qatar for training on the night of January 4 but will be without many players playing in Europe because the FIFA days have not yet come. The closed match against Jordan on January 9 is Japan's last rehearsal before entering the tournament.

Hieu Luong

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