The day after the major sporting setback at the World Cup, Japan’s head coach Hajime Moriyasu only gathered a small group of players for training in Doha. One day after the 1-0 defeat by Costa Rica, Daichi Kamada and Co. had to deal with frustration and recover.
With the defeat against the outsiders, the chances of the Japanese to reach the round of 16 in the strong group with the former world champions Spain and Germany have drastically worsened. “We tried changes, even after half-time, but it didn’t work,” said captain Maya Yoshida.
At the training ground of the football club Al Sadd SC, the mood was correspondingly subdued. To be sure of being in the round of 16, you need a win against Spain on Thursday (8:00 p.m. / MagentaTV).
Coach Moriyasu has been criticized in the local media for changing his winning team from the 2-1 win against Germany to five positions. Among other things, the coach rebuilt the entire offensive and once again dispensed with Arsenal’s central defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, whose substitution against the DFB-Elf brought the turning point. The Japanese showed a weak performance, especially in attack.