Both games at Saitama Stadium

Goalkeepers:
Higashiguchi (Gamba), Nishikawa (Reds) Kawashima (Dundee Utd/Scotland), Hayashi (Tosu)

Defence

H.Sakai (Hannover 96/Germany), G.Sakai (Hamburg/Germany), Nagatomo (Inter/Italy), Fujiharu (Gamba), Yoshida (Southampton/England), Makino (Reds), Morishige (FC Tokyo), Shoji (Antlers)

Midfield

Hasebe (Frankfurt/Germany), Yamaguchi (Hannover 96), Kashiwagi (Reds), Haraguchi (Hertha Berlin), Kagawa (Dortmund/Germany), Kiyotake (Hannover 96)

Forwards

Okazaki (Leicester/England), Honda (Milan/Italy), Kobayashi (Frontale), Usami (Gamba), Kanazaki (Antlers), 194cm HavenaarMike (Den Haag/Holland)

SAMURAI BLUE（日本代表）

対アフガニスタン代表 【3/24】

対シリア代表 【3/29】

GK
川島　永嗣　ｶﾜｼﾏ ｴｲｼﾞ（ダンディー・ユナイテッド/スコットランド）
東口　順昭　ﾋｶﾞｼｸﾞﾁ ﾏｻｱｷ（ガンバ大阪）
西川　周作　ﾆｼｶﾜ ｼｭｳｻｸ（浦和レッズ）
林　彰洋　ﾊﾔｼ ｱｷﾋﾛ（サガン鳥栖）

DF
長友　佑都　ﾅｶﾞﾄﾓ ﾕｳﾄ（インテル・ミラノ/イタリア）
槙野　智章　ﾏｷﾉ ﾄﾓｱｷ（浦和レッズ）
森重　真人　ﾓﾘｼｹﾞ ﾏｻﾄ（FC東京）
吉田　麻也　ﾖｼﾀﾞ ﾏﾔ（サウサンプトン/イングランド）
藤春　廣輝　ﾌｼﾞﾊﾙ ﾋﾛｷ（ガンバ大阪）
酒井　宏樹　ｻｶｲ ﾋﾛｷ（ハノーファー96/ドイツ）
酒井　高徳　ｻｶｲ ｺﾞｳﾄｸ（ハンブルガーSV/ドイツ）
昌子　源　ｼｮｳｼﾞ ｹﾞﾝ（鹿島アントラーズ）

MF
長谷部　誠　ﾊｾﾍﾞ ﾏｺﾄ（アイントラハト・フランクフルト/ドイツ）
柏木　陽介　ｶｼﾜｷﾞ ﾖｳｽｹ（浦和レッズ）
香川　真司　ｶｶﾞﾜ ｼﾝｼﾞ（ボルシア・ドルトムント/ドイツ）
清武　弘嗣　ｷﾖﾀｹ ﾋﾛｼ（ハノーファー96/ドイツ）
山口　蛍　ﾔﾏｸﾞﾁ ﾎﾀﾙ（ハノーファー96/ドイツ）
原口　元気　ﾊﾗｸﾞﾁ ｹﾞﾝｷ（ヘルタ・ベルリン/ドイツ）

FW
岡崎　慎司　ｵｶｻﾞｷ ｼﾝｼﾞ（レスター・シティー/イングランド）
本田　圭佑　ﾎﾝﾀﾞ ｹｲｽｹ（ACミラン/イタリア）
ハーフナー・マイク　ﾊｰﾌﾅｰ ﾏｲｸ（ADOデン・ハーグ/オランダ）
小林　悠　ｺﾊﾞﾔｼ ﾕｳ（川崎フロンターレ）
金崎　夢生　ｶﾅｻﾞｷ ﾑｳ（鹿島アントラーズ）
宇佐美　貴史　ｳｻﾐ ﾀｶｼ（ガンバ大阪）

Stuart Smith and Jon Steele guested to talk about Japan’s friendlies against Jamaica and Brazil (to 15:00), and their bread and butter, J2, as the races to make (at the top) and avoid (at the bottom) the playoffs really heat up with six games to go (to 1:01:20).
We finish off the episode with a check on J3.

https://archive.org/details/TheJ-talkPodcast-JapanJ2J3

France took a corner late on, the ball broke free and centre back Konno sprinted up the field. As he approached the penalty area, on his right wing was left back Nagatomo, in front of him was right back Uchida! He slipped the ball outside to Nagatomo who pinged it across the goal into a crowd of players when all were expecting/hoping for the killer shot. But in that crowd was Kagawa, who finished smartly, falling as he connected with the low volley, and Japan took the game!

The result was excellent, some of the performance not so excellent, especially the 1st half, but any win against a top-ranked team can only bring more confidence to the team, and the squad.

Analyzing individual games it’s hard to point out any particular times when a Japanese player had a problem – which doesn’t say too much for the French team – but also, it’s hard to pick out any individual brilliance to comment on, apart from Kawashima, in the Japan goal, who did pull off a couple of smart saves in the closing minutes before Japan took the lead.

Sakai did enough at right back for us to not notice he wasn’t Uchida. Endo was his usual calm and collected self, spraying passes all over, while he also got in a couple of biting tackles when needed – he ended the game with the captain’s armband, after Hasebe went off – a fitting way to mark his record-equaling 122nd appearance for the Samurai Blue. Hasebe was as reliable as ever, but when replaced by Hosogai it was the right timing – if he doesn’t get to play more, or get a quick transfer, Hosogai may be getting that starting place soon.

Nagatomo beat the French right side with ease often enough, but his crosses came to nothing. On the right Sakai was less conspicuous in attacking mode. Nakamura, Kagawa and Kiyotake were up and down the field, working hard, but also creating space for each other and confident in the pass.

In central defence, Yoshida and Konno put nary a foot (or head) wrong, although the French attack could have done better with the possession they had, but forwards who can’t finish are the product of, among other things, defenders doing their jobs.

Zaccheroni gave Inui some time on the field late on, and the ex-Cerezo man – teaming up with Kagawa (and Kiyotake also in on the Cerezo connection) again – showed flashes of why he should be considered for selection again soon.

So, no individual brilliance, perhaps, from Japan, but a decent all-round performance in the end, and a win for Les Bleus Samourais!

Bring on Brazil!

Japan starting XI (4-2-3-1)

GK Kawashima
DF (R to L) H. HasebSakai, Yoshida, Konno, Nagatomo
DMF Endo,Hasabe
OMF (R to L) Kiyotake, Nakamura, Kagawa
FW 194cm Havenaar Mike

GK Kawashima Nishikawa, Gonda DF Komano, Kurihara, Tokunaga, Inoha, Nagatomo, Makino, Uchida, Sakai MF – Nakamura (Kengo), Hasebe, Honda, Hosogai, Takahashi, Aria Jasuru Hasegawa FW – Maeda, Okazaki, Morimoto, Kagawa, Haraguchi, Miyaichi

GK – 川島永嗣, 西川周作, 権田修 ＤＦ- 駒野友一, 栗原勇蔵, 徳永悠平, 伊野波雅彦, 長友佑都, 槙野智章, 内田篤人, 酒井宏樹 ＭＦ- 中村憲剛, 長谷部誠, 本田圭佑, 細貝萌, 高橋秀人, 長谷川アーリアジャスール ＦＷ – 前田遼一, 岡崎慎司, 森本貴幸, 香川真司, 原口元気, 宮市亮