Japan has now qualified for five consecutive World Cups and in the last competition managed to reach the Round of 16. Recent years have seen the team move to the lead in Asian football and they are the reigning AFC Asian Cup Champions. With their new found form the team will be determined to make it out of the Group Stage and prove themselves once again on the international stage.
Style
Coach Alberto Zaccheroni took over the team in 2010 and has brought variety to the team’s formation, they will often play in 3-4-3 or 4-2-3-1 formations. Over the last few years he has implemented a strong attacking style of play which has led to greater success on the international field. The team tries to dominate the tempo of play whilst maintaining a free-flowing form.
Strengths
During qualifying Japan scored an impressive 30% of its goals from headers. The majority of the airborne deliveries came from the wings which they utilised to score an impressive number of close range goals. The team is technically impressive and manages to retain possession of the ball regardless of their opponents.
Weaknesses
The team are not particularly strong scorers overall. The team only scored more than once in 36% of qualifying matches. Furthermore, as matches progressed the team seemed to get weaker with very few goals coming late in games. The team also struggles at the back with defence and often found it difficult to keep opponents out of the six-yard box.
World Cup Group Stage
- Côte D’ivoire vs. Japan – Sunday, 15 June 2014, Match Preview
- Japan vs. Greece – Thursday, 19 June 2014 Match Preview
- Japan vs Colombia – Tuesday, 24 June 2014, Match Preview
