Good luck at the World Cup
(From The Japan Times May 18 issue)

W杯日本代表の世界4強への挑戦

National soccer team manager Takeshi Okada on May 10 announced the list of 23 players for the 2010 World Cup Finals in South Africa June 11 to July 11. It will be the Japanese team's fourth consecutive appearance in the World Cup since its debut in the 1998 finals in France.

At a news conference May 10, Mr. Okada said that his goal of making the team one of the top four in this year's finals "had not changed at all." He added, "I will do my best so that the players can give full play to their Japanese-like skills."

A difficult path is likely to await Mr. Okada, who hastily took over the job from Mr. Ivica Osim in December 2007 when the latter became ill. Japan will face Cameroon, the Netherlands and Denmark in Group E. The matches will be a tremendous challenge for Japan, which is ranked No. 45 in the world.

Mr. Okada's goal seems a bit too ambitious given the Japanese team's past World Cup performances. In the 1998 World Cup in France, the team, coached by Mr. Okada, lost all three of its matches. In the 2002 World Cup co-hosted by Japan and South Korea, Mr. Philippe Troussier succeeded in taking the team to the last 16. But the team suffered two defeats and one draw in the 2006 World Cup in Germany under Mr. Zico's management.

At the Beijing Olympic Games in 2008, the Japanese team, composed of players 23 years old or younger, lost all three of its matches in the group stage.

The general circumstances surrounding Japan's soccer are not rosy. The number of occasions in which players from Japan play for famous European clubs has declined. Japanese players' performances in international matches for young players are disappointing. Some Japanese clubs keep the salaries for players at a very low level, demoralizing them.

Japanese players must improve their ability to create more goal-scoring opportunities and stave off attacks by opponents. They also must get tough mentally so that they will not flinch when facing difficult situations. Win or lose, the national team must always play its best as dismal performances could cast a cloud over the future of Japanese soccer.

サッカー日本代表チームの岡田監督は、Ｗ杯南ア大会出場選手を発表した。

監督は引き続き「4強」の目標を掲げ、日本人らしいサッカーでベストを尽くすと語った。

オシム監督退任で緊急登板した岡田監督の道は険しい。日本が一次リーグで対戦するのは強豪国で、日本にとって大きな挑戦だ。日本チームの業績を考えると監督の目標は高すぎる。

サッカーを取り巻く環境はバラ色ではない。欧州の有名クラブでの日本人選手の活躍は減り、海外試合での若手日本人選手の活躍も芳しくない。低い給料で選手のやる気をそぐ日本のクラブもある。

日本チームは敏捷性強化で得点を増やし、相手の攻撃を避けるべきだ。難局にひるまない意志の強さも必要だ。日本のサッカーの将来にかけて惨敗は避けねばならない。