FRANCE 98 – Japan – Nakata: “It's important not to concede goals in the match against Argentina”

Yoshikatsu KAWAGUCHI (20)

JAPAN (from Group H)’s first choice goalkeeper speaks about taking part in the World Cup :

“My personal goal is to express myself fully on the field. I will try to be courageous and aggressive. As a team we hope to advance to the second round and play as many games as possible. ARGENTINA are ex-champions, big favourites and a great team. CROATIA have highly talented players who can devastate the opposition, whilst JAMAICA boast great physical power. The World Cup is a great event, highly regarded throughout the world.

Hidetoshi NAKATA (8) – midfielder

The World Cup is, like any world championship, a stage on which to perform. It is also a place to compare my own performance at world level. It is important for our team to win the World Cup, but the most important thing is for me to prepare myself and do my best. Of course I want to advance to the second round, but I would rather concentrate on each match without thinking ahead. As for our opponents, I can’t estimate their level of performance until we play against them, so I won’t build them up too much and just try to do my best. But I think it is important not to concede goals in the match against ARGENTINA. In my free time, I either read books or use my notebook computer for a change of air.