Doubts over competitiveness of Asia teams -- except Japan -- remain for World Cup

Japan had earlier sealed its place in much more impressive style and looks like the only realistic Asian threat to the big teams in Brazil.

If Japan is considered a "realistic threat" then what constitutes a "threat"? If Japan had beaten or at least tied Italy maybe it would have made people sit up more and take notice, but yet somehow during the match with Italy the Italian team seemed to be playing down to the Japanese and only turned it up a notch when things started going against them.

It's a fair comment, but in Australia's case you have to look at the campaign within a bigger picture, and that is that the country has had an uncomfortable relationship with Football for a long time. Xenophobic, 'traditionalist' Australians considered it an migrant sport and treated it with distain, discrimination and neglect - as some kind of threat to their native sports, right up until very recently. Until 7 years ago, Australia had only ever appeared in 1 World Cup. The structure and development at a junior and grass roots level simply didn't exist. World Cup qualification was through Oceania, where they mostly played on cow paddocks in the Pacific and then a cut throat sudden death fixture against professional, experienced Footballing nations like Argentina and Uruguay was also no arena for development and success. That has all changed with WC qualification in 2006 and the move into Asia, but the development of the next generation of Australian footballers hasn't yet delivered the guys needed to take football in Australia to the next level - you need longer than 7 years to do that. The most important thing is that qualification for Brazil will keep that momentum up.

@ Yubaru.

I disagree on your assessment of Japan's performance against the Italians. Japan dominated the game for long periods, and their quick, incisive passing left the Italian midfield clueless for most of the game. The squad has immense potential. Their performance against Italy made a lot of people sit up and take notice. I do concede though that Japan is defensively suspect. If they manage to overcome their defensive frailties (which are still not overwhelming) and take their chances more in front of goal, there is not doubt that this Japanese team constitutes a threat.

Also I believe you are doing a great disservice to Endo, Honda and Kagawa by saying Italians stepped it up when they needed to. They didn't step up, instead Japan's defensive demons reared their ugly heads.

As for the article, it's probably spot on to say that Japan is Asia's best hope of getting a QF or SF berth at the 2014 WC. Here's to hoping the Samurai Blue go far in the tournament and make their country proud.

Tamarama,

Very sound analysis of football in Australia.... it will take another 10 - 15 years before the fruits of the changes to the Asia region pay off for Australia...hopefully by that time, the resistance of vested interests (such as the selfish AFL) will have been turned around and people will see the benefit of holding a world cup in Australia. The main thing is to be at the WC even though I don't see the current team progressing past the group stage...

Japan’s ability to mix it with the world’s best was shown at the Confederations Cup on Wednesday when it controlled play for long periods against Italy and led 2-0 before ultimately losing 4-3,

Any team can play well and score goals. Winning is what is important though. Throwing away a 2-0 lead is worse than just losing 2-0 to begin with.

Japan are the best team in Asia at the moment though.

Interesting about soccer in Oz didn't realize it had a stigmatized past!

I'd see Oz kind of like Japan was BEFORE the J-league, before that you rarely heard the word soccer, Japan has come a long way but still has far to go, hopefully they will do ok but I aint betting the house on it

japan has great passing and team work but has always had a problem finishing.

@ Tamaram,

Very insightful analysis.

I guess unlike other nations who have adopted Soccer (Football) as a national support, Australia has a number of alternative football codes which are usually considered (locally) of a greater priority; NRL, AFL and Rugby Union.

After watching the Australia V Japan game, I wouldn't be jumping to the conclusion that Japan was somehow ahead of the rest of Asia even if they are the "best" in Asia.

Cheers, David.

@Yubaru

"the Italian team seemed to be playing down to the Japanese"

The Italian played down to the Japanese ?

Either you didn't watch the game or you are clueless about soccer.

nostromo

I don't see the current team progressing past the group stage...

I agree with you. In fact, I can see it getting ugly, depending on the draw.

GW

Soccer has been a really interesting barometer of where Australia is as a nation over the years in terms of it's self perspective, it's migration policies, it's place in the world and it's maturity as a nation as it comes to terms with the reality of it as a truly multicultural nation in the modern era. Despite an almost institutional resistance to the progress of the World Game in Australia, it's had a hard core group of people championing it's cause as well as the ground level popularity that has continued to swell through the years. It's a sad story at times, but it's starting to blossom into something really worth celebrating.

"Threat"!!@ LOL!

Sorry, but this is nothing short of bias. Japan qualified easily because of the teams they played in the qualifiers, lost to Brazil and Italy (despite doing well in the latter), and only tied with Australia after being given a penalty shot chance. True that other teams are not doing well, but saying Japan is a 'threat' is a little premature. I hope for the sake of the sport and competition Japan plays like it did against Italy, and SK and Australia (and Iran, for that matter) pick up their game when the real deal rolls around.

Japan a threat? Almost spat out my coffee. Get serious. Japan may be a threat to Asian clubs but no one in South America, Africa or Europe is worried about them. Clear fact.

To put it in reasonable perspective - if Japan can avoid a nasty group they are in with a decent shout of reaching the last 16. Any team who draws Japan in the last 16 will regard it as 'could have been much worse'.

Japan is no "threat". Stop overreacting!!

Japan a threat? Almost spat out my coffee. Get serious. Japan may be a threat to Asian clubs but no one in South America, Africa or Europe is worried about them. Clear fact.

At the last World Cup, Japan beat African and European teams, and lost on PKs to a South American team in the round of 16. Clear fact.

Italy often plays down to its opponents and ends up with a result. But this time they were really in trouble, which is why they had to change players already in the first half. Also many of Italy's players have said that Japan should have won the match.

Of course, none of that means anything unless they can keep up that intensity and fix the problems in defense. Hopefully they can play some more top teams away or on neutral ground in the next year instead of playing Latvia and Canada at home.

As usual, its safe to assume that these teams will all be back in Asia (or well, Australia) by the time the quarter finals are being played.

Oh well, at least they're guaranteed to go, I'd take that as an England supporter right now.

Being the best soccer team in Asia, is like being the best baseball team in Europe.

I have said it before and I'm happy to re-state it now, Japan have the capacity to go quite far in the tournament - quarters perhaps. They won't win, but then, nobody in their right mind should be expecting that anyway.

But those who pooh-pooh Asian football are also being silly and showing their ignorance.

In 2010 they did better than France, Nigeria, Greece, Slovenia, Serbia, Albania, Australia, Denmark, Cameroon, Italy, New Zealand, Ivory Coast, Switzerland, Honduras. They went out in the same round as United States, Slovakia, Chile, Mexico, Engerland, and Portugal.

They can easily repeat that feat this time around, and possibly do better.

Japan qualified easily because of the teams they played in the qualifiers

lol, yeah. Australia didn't have a problem... I heard that from Koreans but it doesn't change anything.

and only tied with Australia after being given a penalty shot chance.

You should watch the actual game to see that Japan outplayed Australia getting twice as much shots as they did and dominating throught the game...

True that other teams are not doing well, but saying Japan is a 'threat' is a little premature

It's not premature. It's a fact and Confederations Cup showed it.

if one wants good football, one only had to watch the European championship. too bad half of the teams have to stay at home during the world cup...

Tamarama - I understand your sentiments re soccers poor history in Australia, but slighting a nation because of it's adherence to other codes is a far stretch. Is USA xenophobic because it prefers American football to soccer? Is Canada for holding steadfastly onto Hockey as it's national sport instead of embracing "The World Game"? ETC ETC.

Australias history with Aust Rules football is well entrenched in society because of it's 150 year history and the chosen sport of the majority as a spectacle to follow. Rugby League has a similar background. Both codes are operations working in the hundreds of millions of dollars annually. As a viewing experience people like the physical contact nature of both sports and admire this toughness of elite athletes.

Soccer has made huge headways and real sports fans in Australia will watch and support any sport that meets the demands of excellence. I avidly follow a Rules team, an A-league team and can watch any top grade League game.

The fact is that soccer was simply a jonny-come-lately to the Aust football scene and now in the era of mega-corps controlling everything they have their time cut out getting a piece of the pie. If the Billions of dollars spent on Aust Rules and League was funnelled to soccer there would be no doubt as to the best team in Asia - but it's not going to happen in the foreseeable future as the locals just simply love the multi-faceted skills and the clash of bodies too much.

But with the gradual demise of Rugby Union ( NOT League) soccer will certainly establish a stronger hold in a sports crazy country which has 4 professional football codes.

browny

Is USA xenophobic because it prefers American football to soccer? Is Canada for holding steadfastly onto Hockey as it's national sport instead of embracing "The World Game"? ETC ETC.

I'm not talking about those places, so I wouldn't know. As for slighting the nation, I'm not really, those are just the facts of what has happened over time. It's no secret.

The fact is that soccer was simply a jonny-come-lately to the Aust football scene

Incorrect. The first games of soccer in Australia were played in the 1880's, as with the advent of Football Associations in several states. Large clubs were very well established by the 1950's - 65 odd years ago. Problem was, they were largely patronised by migrant communities and were marginalized as a result. I grew up playing Aussie Rules under the tutelage of a father who played the game at a high level himself, and remember very clearly that Soccer was presented as a game for 'poofters and wogs'. It's just the way it was.

Clearly Japan is the strongest Asian team. They even managed to get a draw against one of the weakest Australian teams in a decade at home thanks to a brain-fade hand ball right on full-time. That lucky draw at home shows that they are definitely a threat to the big guns of world football.

tamarama - thank you.

I don't dismiss your points at all. But even though soccer existed in Aust for a long time, it was never seriously more than a distraction to the majority. If it had been otherwise it would have commanded a larger % of the sport world.

As you suggested it was played initially by migrant communities - no surprise there, Australians & NZers play rugby in Japan, Americans play their Football in UK, Irish play Gaelic football on the continent etc, etc.

And yes while many Australians looked down on soccer as a "lesser import" played by foreigners, the soccer world did themselves no favours at all by basing many of their teams on ethnic lines hence alienating many others in the broader community. The Croats, the Greeks, the Brits, the Serbs, the Italians etc all had teams. My close school friend was from Cyprus and he played as did his father for the Cypriot team. I often visited the clubrooms with him and entered a foreign world. Sometimes we went to the Hellas clubroom with another friend and we entered the Greek world of ouzo, smoke and soccer. Unfortunately amidst all this cameraderie certain clubs (read ethnic groups) brought their historical garbage to the fore and expressed outright hatred at certain opponents based entirely on ethnicity.

Now modern soccer in Australia embraces all - as does Aust Rules - and it is a wonderful plus, but as I said Soccers late-coming to the world of Professionally Organized sport has seen it struggle to get the recognition it no doubt deserves. Just the financial pie in Aust is limited by demographics, so it faces a real challenge. As mentioned - I can't think of another country in the world that has 4 professional football codes.

@browny

I can't think of another country in the world that has 4 professional football codes.

Very minor point, but in the UK we have Union, League, Soccer and Gaelic.

Not that we ever win anything in any of them!

In the UK Union and League are both rugby,Gaelic is a cross between football and rugby.and the last time i was there we called it football (and still do unless it been taken over USA) not soccer.We do have 4 professional football codes though,they are the English,Scottish,Welsh and Irish FA's because they have their own set of codes and agendas