Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jiangyin: Despite registering an impressive three wins from their three AFC U23 Championship 2018 group stage games, Japan's Takahiro Yanagi believes his team are still developing as they head into the quarter-finals.
Tuesday's 3-1 win over DPR Korea reinforced Japan's position at the top of Group B, and with Friday's last eight clash against Group A runners-up Uzbekistan looming large, the FC Tokyo favourite is confident that his side will continue to grow under the watchful eye of head coach Hajime Moriyasu.
“I think our team can play with a high level of concentration from the start of the match to the very end.
“Even when we changed our starting lineups in the match against DPR Korea, we could still play the way the coach has briefed us. I believe we are developing as a team.”
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Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jiangyin: Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu believes that his team still have room to grow, despite having a near perfect record in their AFC U23 Championship 2018 Group B campaign.
The young Samurai Blue have only conceded one goal, through DPR Korea’s Kim Yu-song’s strike from the centre of the box in the 52nd minute on Tuesday, and Moriyasu admits that it was an unexpected goal which gave them a shock.
“DPR Korea are a strong team, with some players playing for the national team, so we didn’t expect to have that scare,” said the former Sanfrecce Hiroshima coach.
“We were leading by two goals before they (DPR Korea) scored, but things like this happen in football where we could face difficult times.
“When DPR Korea came at us, we made some errors, but we ended up scoring another.”
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jiangyin: Defending champions Japan will face Uzbekistan in the AFC U23 Championship quarter-finals on Friday, but despite the pressure of being titleholders, head coach Hajime Moriyasu has every confidence in his team.
“Although Japan won the title in the previous edition, there is no pressure, on me or the team,” expressed the former Sanfrecce Hiroshima coach.
“Of course we are here for the win, but what's most important is that my players show their individual qualities and what they can do on the pitch.”
Japan topped Group B with three wins from their three games, and conceded only one goal on their way to the final eight.
Moriyasu admits, however, that their match against Uzbekistan will be different from those they played in the group stage, and that games will only get more challenging as the tournament progresses.
“Playing in an international tournament, all the teams we will face in the knockout stage are strong.
“We don’t want to dwell on the past too much. We must focus our attention on what we can do against Uzbekistan.
Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Jiangyin: Japan are slowly but surely making their way towards defending their AFC U23 Championship title, having claimed top spot in Group B after a 3-1 win over DPR Korea on Tuesday, but Koji Mioyshi wants them to be viewed as fresh contenders.
Japan beat Korea Republic 3-2 in the final of the 2016 edition to claim their first title, but the 20-year-old revealed that there is no pressure on the team and revealed what is most important to him as the skipper is to uphold the pride and achievements of his seniors.
“I don’t think there’s any pressure to defend the title, but we know that Japan were champions in the previous edition, so we want to behave as champions,” said Miyoshi.
“But honestly, I think we are challengers, rather than the title defenders. And as challengers, we want to win the title.”