FRANCE 98 – General Media News Template

Japan’s World Cup footballers left Wednesday for their final camp training in Europe Wednesday boosted by the news that group rivals Croatia would be without ace striker Alen Boksic. After failing to win in four matches, Japan needed some good news. “I wish them all the best,” defender Yutaka Akita said with a lot irony after learning that Boksic, who plays for Italian club Lazio, would be a long term casualty after a knee operation. But assistant coach Takeshi Ono cautioned against any optimism over Croatia.

“They have a great depth of talent,” Ono said. “We cannot rejoice over the absence of a single player.” 

Head coach Takeshi Okada has set a target of one win, one loss and one draw from Group H to make the last 16.

With Argentina favourites to top the group, Okada sees fellow Cup newcomers Croatia as their main rivals for the second qualifying place. The group is made up two-time champions Argentina and Jamaica, another debutants beefed up by implants from England. The squad of 25, due to be cut down to 22 by June 2, were seen off by some 700 supporters at Tokyo’s Narita airport. The Japan Airlines jumbo jet had a giant sign on both sides of its rear fuselage, reading ” Ganbare (Hurrah), Japanese National Football Team!” .

The footballing samurai from J-League were to be treated in flight to Japan’s traditional culinary send off for soldiers going to war-a boiled sea bream and a bowl of rice topped off by a fried pork cutlet. The cutlet is called “katsu”, phonetically identical to a Japanese word meaning victory.

Japan will be based in Nyon in Switzerland before moving on to the French city of Aix-Les-Bains on June 5 before their World Cup debut against Argentina in Toulouse on June 14. They will have warm-up matches against Mexico on Sunday and Yugoslavia next week in Lausanne.

“I don’t feel particularly nervous. I will build a team which can fight Argentina with confidence,” the head coach told reporters. “Our goal is to break through the first round.” 

But Okada is highly optimistic following his team’s unconvincing record in the past three months. They have focused on building up a defensive shield with three backs but have shown an alarming lack of firepower up front.

Japan’s last four matches have seen them lose 2-0 at home to China, 2-1 in South Korea and in the Kirin Cup draw 1-1 with Paraguay and 0-0 against the Czech Republic.