Honda, Kagawa picked for World Cup qualifier against Australia

SmithinJapan, Honda scored 2 goals in 4 games for Japan in the last World Cup. You claim he didn't score a single goal in the last Asian Cup, but he did. He has also scored goals for Japan during the final round of WC qualifiers, including a hat trick.

What time is the game...?

smithinjapan MAY. 24, 2013 - 09:19AM JST Mistake to pick the former -- the guy who can never score in WC and whines about how he should be in Europe and not Russia, but I guess the media is still hoping their golden boy can deliver.

HONDA is an influential PLAYER for JAPAN. He has scored winners. and HE CAN NEVER SCORE in WC? You MUST BE KIDDING. HE HAD SCORED WINNERS in the WORLD CUP of 2010. And he has been a BRILLIANT player in the RUSSIAN LEAGUE as well. And yeah HE MUST PLAY in a BETTER LEAGUE than the LOW level of RUSSIAN LEAGUE...

ultradarkmelvin

Re: the Bundesliga, two great teams don't make a great league. Same goes for La Liga.

smithinjapan and nandakandamanda...

Well I dont know if you guyz have notived it or not, When Honda plays, he influnces the team so mostly when he plays Japan wins crucial matches. It is not necessary for a player to score everytime, he can also help by creating goals. When Honda plays, he mostly assists goals as well. The team plays better...I do follow Japanese team and i do know what you are saying when you say about the HYPE before the game. But well he has scored some awesome goals in crucial matches and hence the hype and pressure....

I think Japan has enough players playing in Europe and if they can get together well, they will do good. And probably beat Australia this week. But looking at Kagawa and Honda, who both havent done as much as they were expected to this season, beating Australia will be TOUGH. Just hope they play well.

And well i say it again, Honda and Kagawa are both very influential players who not just score but help the team immensely ...

pasanawa, all those capital letters makes your post harder to read, but who wants to listen to shouting? I just cross the street and walk away.

I am guessing that you think Honda is actually very good, and smith's post has somehow got under your skin.

pasanawa, I agree. I always enjoy watching Kagawa, Honda and Nagatomo play.

I have to say though that the crowds get whipped up over Honda and he acts a bit like a Japanese David Beckham, but the hard statistics do not always back up his reputation. The team may simply benefit psychologically from just having him there though.

@c1400

The TV programme starts at 6. 30, so it's probably a 7.00 kick-off.

Honda and Kagawa; what contrasting personalities and levels of maturity...

Japan got a bunch of players in the Bundes Liga and they know what they say, it´s currently the best league in Europe.

Well, Japan is real good at have wonderful soccer minds in weak bodies, both Hideo and Kagawa, are by far some of the best players out of Japan to date, and yet, let's face it, their bodies couldn't cash the check their minds wrote. their bodies broke down close to thier 3,4,5th year, because they couldnt handle a punishing season in those top tier leagues. Honda is an enigma. i think he would rise to the occasion if it was given to him, And he has a stong physique, to battle in the premiere league,however Japan's media, and europe always goes with the Kagawa, nagatomo because he has the better looks. i say who cares, It's the pitch that counts, and they need to sell seats, so when it's all over and those two are all broken down, and Honda has recovered as he always does, we'll see how things go then, at any rate their all millionares anyways, I'm sure there not whinning to much, and if they are , they can always whipe they're eyes with thousand dollar bills for comfort. Peace.

Mistake to pick the former -- the guy who can never score in WC and whines about how he should be in Europe and not Russia, but I guess the media is still hoping their golden boy can deliver.

pasenawa: Honda is a hack, and a crybaby to boot. I didn't say he "CAN NEVER SCORE (sic) in WC", I said he didn't deliver as the media said he would in the last WC. Let me SAVE you the TROUBLE of WATCHING the GAMES and JUST give you the MEDIA coverage. IMAGINE an ANNOUNCER:

ANNOUNCER: "HONDA KEISUKUE!!! HONDA KEISUKE!!! (silence when he misses the net by a mile). HONDA KEISUKE, HONDA KEISUKE!!! (more silence when he misses again). HONDA KEISUKE HONDA KEISUKE!! (misses again)."

The point is, in tournaments like the WC and Asian WC the media likes to decide who is MVP before it happens, and despite the fact Honda never scored a single goal in the last Asian Cup he was given MVP as the media Golden Boy regardless of the fact many of his teammates did WAY better. When Kagawa went to Europe Honda whined about how HE should be in Europe as well, despite a much poorer performance. He actually feels, and so do many Japanese thanks to the media, that he is automatically entitled to it. He sucks, compared to many of his teammates, but he still manages to hog the the headlines for reasons unknown. In that he joins Ishikawa, Fujihara, and other Japanese picks that have failed to live up to the excessive media hype.