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Japan target world cup quarter finals

Article Published: Tuesday 17 June 2008

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2010 Football World cup squads

Japan coach Takeshi Okada has won the backing of the powerful head of the Japanese FA to steer the side into the 2010 World Cup finals where they are targeting at least the quarter-finals.

After saving his neck by ensuring Japan made the final Asian qualifying round, Okada can now look forward to booking a place in South Africa.

"I am convinced we can have full trust in coach Okada and go through the final round," Japan Football Association president Saburo Kawabuchi said, according to sports dailies Tuesday.

"We are still only 50-60 percent complete, but we are on course to fight the rest of the world. Our first goal is to make the World Cup finals. Then we will aim to clear the group stage and reach the last-eight."

Japan, under Brazilian coach Zico, failed to make it out of the group stages at the last World Cup in Germany.

First up, Japan have a score to settle with Bahrain on Sunday.

Japan hosts the Gulf side, who upset them 1-0 at home last March to put Okada's job on the line, in their last Group Two qualifier in Saitama.

"The coach feels like redeeming himself and fans have expectations," said Kawabuchi.

"We must hammer down Bahrain completely because we may possibly be bunched in the same group with them in the final round. Let them realise they can't match us."

Both Japan and Bahrain secured a berth in the final phase of qualifying last Saturday. Japan blanked Thailand 3-0 in Bangkok while Bahrain drew with Oman 1-1 at home. Bahrain have 11 points to Japan's 10.

Okada's squad played a cautiously defensive game in their defeat to Bahrain in March, but they have since found an attacking rhythm focused around Celtic's Shunsuke Nakamura and their other Europe-based players.

The squad battered Oman 3-0 at home and drew 1-1 in the return before the decisive win in Bangkok, which boosted Okada, who guided Japan into a winless World Cup finals debut in 1998 in his first stint as national coach.

"To put it bluntly, I heard Okada lacked charisma at the beginning.

He probably restrained himself in respect for his predecessor," Kawabuchi added, referring to former coach Ivica Osim.

"But the defeat to Bahrain pulled him through. He got his own style and the team's mood has turned more tense than Osim's in a positive sense."

For the Bahrain match, Okada has called up J-League Hiroshima striker Hisato Sato. Keisuke Honda, a midfielder for Dutch side VVV Venlo, and Gamba Osaka defender Michihiro Yasuda return to international duty.

But the coach dropped injured FC Tokyo defender Yuto Nagatomo and Cerezo Osaka midfielder Shinji Kagawa.

Squad: Goalkeepers: Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Jubilo Iwata), Seigo Narazaki (Nagoya Grampus), Eiji Kawashima (Kawasaki Frontale)

Defenders: Shuhei Terada (Kawasaki Frontale), Yuji Nakazawa (Yokohama Marinos), Kazumichi Takagi (Shimizu S-Pulse), Marcus Tulio Tanaka (Urawa Reds), Yuichi Komano (Jubilo Iwata), Yusuke Igawa (Kawasaki Frontale), Michihiro Yasuda (Gamba Osaka), Atsuto Uchida (Kashima Antlers)

Midfielders: Shunsuke Nakamura (Celtic/SCO), Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), Daisuke Matsui (Saint Etienne/FRA), Keita Suzuki (Urawa Reds), Koji Yamase (Yokohama Marinos), Yasuyuki Konno (FC Tokyo), Makoto Hasebe (VfL Wolfsburg/GER), Keisuke Honda (VVV Venlo/NED)

Forwards: Keiji Tamada (Nagoya Grampus), Seiichiro Maki (JEF United Chiba), Hisato Sato (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Yoshito Okubo (Vissel Kobe), Kisho Yano (Albirex Niigata)

Sapa-AFP - Worldcupweb.com  




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