Japan football team plays in a style of ill repute: No guile or honor against Poland
Sawako Uchida and Lee Jay Walker
Modern Tokyo Times
The Japan football team shamed itself at the 2018 World Cup being played in the Russian Federation. All the foundations of obtaining 4 points out of 6 by playing with heart against Colombia and Senegal respectively went down the pan. Instead, the most baffling management decision was rewarded by Japan playing in a style of ill repute. However, is this what Japan wants?
Indeed, for all lovers of football, it is clear that they hope that Japan will be eliminated by Belgium in the knock out stage. Equally important, for all the Japanese football fans that have traveled to support their national team, then is this what they want? This applies to the coach playing a weakened team based on arrogance – and simply not being good enough – and then who adopts a policy of settling to lose 1-0 by Poland in the hope that Colombia beats Senegal?
The last part of the game wasn’t football in the real sense; it was about a team that had lost all sense of attacking purpose. Hence, Japan just passed the ball and defended a 1-0 loss at all costs. In other words, boos from the crowd and bringing the game into ill repute counted for nothing. However, does the World Cup need such a baffling and cowardly performance?
Akira Nishino, the coach of Japan, said, “it was a very tough decision.”
Nishino continues, “We did not go for victory but we just relied on the other match… That was slightly regrettable but I suppose at that point I didn’t have any other plans.”
Yes, the coach of Japan who played a weakened team, and who then refused to bring on players who could have salvaged his earlier mistake, had no other plan but to defend a 1-0 defeat. This ridiculous farce happened based on his lack of ambition and being uncreative. Therefore, just like another infamous game in 1982 between Austria and West Germany, Japan now belongs to bringing the game of football into ill repute.
Nishino says, “I am really not happy about how we played but… we wanted to go through to the round of 16 and we have, and that is the only salvation that I get.”
Leon Osman, a former player for Everton, uttered on BBC Two, “That was embarrassing the way the teams went about that final 10 minutes. It was everything we don’t want to see in the World Cup. It turned into a farce.”
Michael O’Neill, the football manager of Northern Ireland, said on BBC Two, “I developed a soft spot for Japan, but I hope they get battered in the next round.”
Terry Butcher, the former captain of England, uttered, “It’s been a marvelous World Cup. It’s just been a bit tainted by Poland and Japan doing that.”
On a day of most likely celebration for Japan, the coach destroyed everything from the start by resting six players. The rest is history, and this applies to the adoption of tactics that were reminiscent of 1982, even if the circumstances were different. Therefore, for all lovers of football, the overwhelming majority will be hoping that Japan is knocked out of the next stage – this isn’t based on the players of Japan – but on the disgraceful decisions made by the coach of this nation.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44649668
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