Takehiro Tomiyasu is one of the top players in the Japanese team, but has only played a supporting role so far. Nevertheless, he was crucial for success at the World Cup – and it should be even more so in the round of 16 against Croatia.
Without a doubt, Japan is one of the big surprises of the World Cup in Qatar. With victories against Germany and Spain (each 2-1), the Asians prevailed as the first place in the difficult Group E – and had a decisive man who was actually hardly on the pitch. But that will now change.
Tomiyasu still without a starting eleven due to injury
Takehiro Tomiyasu traveled to Qatar with a hamstring problem and has yet to make a start. The full-back was from Premier League-Leaders Arsenal FC firmly planned there. Why? The 24-year-old showed that in the short time he was deployed. He came on as a second-half substitute against Germany and was the initiator of the turnaround, against Spain he neutralized the strong left side of the Iberians in the last 20 minutes.
Tomiyasu is fit in time for the knockout phase
In the round of 16 on Monday (December 5th, 2022, 4 p.m., live radio report and ticker at sportschau.de) against Croatia, Tomiyasu will be in even greater demand. Regular centre-back Ko Itakura is suspended on a yellow card and the team’s real superstar is likely to replace him. Just in time for this occasion, Tomiyasu has confirmed that he is 100 percent fit again – and made it clear that he and his team will go into the game with great ambition.
Minimum target quarterfinals
“I’m happy that we got through the group stage. But our goal is to reach the quarter-finals, so we have to win again. We’ll do what we have to do on the pitch“, promised Tomiyasu, who however also warned about the Croatian strength: “They have a lot of quality in the middle, especially the three midfielders, so obviously it won’t be an easy game. But we have enough quality to beat them. The most important thing is to believe in ourselves.“
So far, Japan has made the most of it
And the Japanese have been doing that since the sense of achievement in the group phase at the latest. Coach Hajime Moriyasu’s team impresses with its great team spirit and can always strengthen the team from the substitutes’ bench – as has been the case with Tomiyasu. Above all, Japan is already a world champion when it comes to efficiency, against Spain there was a win with 17.7 percent ball possession – never before had a successful World Cup team so little.
Tomiyasu is used to Arsenal winning
Going forward, Tomiyasu will be a crucial factor in whether Japan will remain successful. He doesn’t really know any other feeling this year than that of a winner. He made 17 competitive appearances for Arsenal in the first half of the season, winning 14, drawing two and losing just one. His personal road to success should continue against Croatia.