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Japan's soccer players too respectful, need to be more vicious, says coach

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actually, they first need to lose their inordinate interest in their hair-dos.

9 ( +12 / -3 )

There is a big difference between a league manager and an international manager. League managers see their players daily and can mold them to the managers vision. International managers must understand their players strengths and get the best out of them as they are. I think what Japan football really needs right now is a Japanese manager. Someone who has managed and won in the J league would be a good start.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

Hmmm. Urging japanese to be more vicious has rarely worked out....

6 ( +8 / -2 )

I see your point bububu but as you say club and NT coach are 2 completely different jobs. Knowing the domestic league is a plus but understanding world football and how to tactically get the best out of your players in a few days is imo more important. Plus quite a few J players are based overseas. As good as the J league is you need to play/coach at a much higher level to be competitive on the world stage.

Agree with what Halhilodzic says although it probably got lost in translation. Nations like Japan or Oz for example are a bit naive at international level and probably don't milk free kicks or penalties the same way euro or south american teams do. They also have to learn to play the ref better.

3 ( +4 / -1 )

So viciousness will turn the Japanese soccer team into better players?

Do people think of soccer as being a vicious sport?

Maybe the coach should think of another word.

3 ( +5 / -2 )

I remembered Okada having a few losses too during the Kirin Cup many years ago and people booed him and were begging for him to get fired. He takes them pretty far into the World Cup then of course people cry for him not to leave. Okada actually had a better team too with Japan's best players in their primes.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

No, people call it the beautiful game, based on the Brazillian ethos of having racial harmony by avoiding vicious hits on opponents. Lesser talented players who act viciously get consigned to history's dustbin. Does anyone actually remember who collided with Neymar to take him out of the 2014 World Cup? Compare that with how many millions of fans respect Neymar after cleanly leading Brazil in the Olympics.

-5 ( +2 / -7 )

"Agree with what Halhilodzic says although it probably got lost in translation. Nations like Japan or Oz for example are a bit naive at international level and probably don't milk free kicks or penalties the same way euro or south american teams do. They also have to learn to play the ref better."

I don't know about Australia. I watched the fantastic Tim Cahill for many years and he was very familiar with the dark arts - - he's conned quite a few refs in his time.

For sheer nastiness and thuggery on the pitch, Kevin Muscat takes some beating.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

For sheer nastiness and thuggery on the pitch, Kevin Muscat takes some beating.

Arg... even as a Aussie, I don't like this guy. He was the thug's thug. We don't need that in the game.

I don't think "vicious" is quite the word. Halilhodzic did say "more street-smart", which I think is more accurate. The Japanese team has great technical skill, but it doesn't take much for stronger teams to push them off the ball or to dominate them physically. If the Japanese team can learn to mix it physically, to push the edges of the rules a little more, I think they'll do so much better. I can't help but to remember how the Japanese rugby team beat South Africa. If the football team could show that level of fight, they'd dominate Asia and give the big teams pause for thought.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Some ways to cultivate a winning mentality is by enhancing your confidence, learning to cope with stress, remain appropriately activated and be highly motivated. In other words you become a winner by developing your mental game as much as you do your physical strength, skill, and prowess. Also having confidence in your abilities, being able to avoid distractions, and having social support and good relationships with your coach can lead to better performance.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@jimizo as a french-australian I very much remember kevin muscat, almost broke dugarry's leg in a friendly before the 1998 wc!

I think what Halhilodzic means, and what I definitely mean, is that new football nations like oz or japan are often naive and get outsmarted by more cunning nations. Remember Grosso's penalty in the 2006 wc (italy v oz)? Then Oz coach Guus Hiddink, commentators, players etc felt oz got beaten by Italy's craftiness rather than a truly superior opponent. I think teams like Japan or Oz (or england to some extent) are tactically weaker and struggle to keep a 1-0 advantage. I think it's what Vahid means (i may be wrong) but 'vicious' also have this meaning in french i.e crafty, sneaky, cunning etc.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@stormcrow

He just means they should cheat more; obviously he can't say that, so has to pare it another way. With the way the game is officiated at present football is, unfortunately, a sport in which it pays to cheat. Though I do agree that vicious isn't the best way to put it either.

@torafusutorasan

the Brazillian ethos of having racial harmony by avoiding vicious hits on opponents.

You're joking, right? Avoiding vicious hits - like Leonardo breaking a defender's cheekbone with his elbow?! Brazil as dirty as anyone; it's all beautiful football while they're winning, but watch them in a tight game and they can often be outrageous.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@ Goldorak

I think teams like Japan or Oz (or england to some extent) are tactically weaker and struggle to keep a 1-0 advantage. I think it's what Vahid means (i may be wrong) but 'vicious' also have this meaning in french i.e crafty, sneaky, cunning etc.

Very well said, agreed. In a way however, I hope the two teams I support - Aus and Japan - never do stoop to the sneaky stuff to milk penalties,diving, etc. I doubt I would support a team that played like that, even if they wore my national colours.

I very much remember kevin muscat, almost broke dugarry's leg in a friendly before the 1998 wc!

I remember it very well too - Muscat was an absolute maniac on the pitch for both club and country, and his career was rubbed out for a similar horror tackle that badly injured an opponent. Funnily enough apparently a real nice guy off the pitch!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

maybe he needs to look into the Japanese culture to find his answers.....stop imposing his values on the team...

1 ( +1 / -0 )

What an idiotic thing for Halhilodzic to say. Sportsmanship is supremely important.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

What an idiotic thing for Halhilodzic to say. Sportsmanship is supremely important.

Then I guess the amount of contact you have with top tier football is extremely limited because all winning teams know how to show grit and borderline viciousness as long as the main driving force behind that is the hatred of defeat. Vahid's main point is spot on though: unless the team shows more grit and dumps the "good guy" tag, it cannot hope to win. Some might call me old school, but players like Roy Keane, Patrick Vieira and Lothar Matthaüs epitomize what I expect to find in players who hate losing more than anything. I want Japan to develop players with that kind of killer mentality - true warriors.

No, people call it the beautiful game, based on the Brazillian ethos of having racial harmony by avoiding vicious hits on opponents. Lesser talented players who act viciously get consigned to history's dustbin. Does anyone actually remember who collided with Neymar to take him out of the 2014 World Cup? Compare that with how many millions of fans respect Neymar after cleanly leading Brazil in the Olympics.

Who cares? The only thing I remember from 2014 is that Germany took the game straight into Brazil's faces and showed no mercy to the home nation by scoring 7 goals. If you want to show respect for the game, then you give it all like a madman for 90 minutes and play as if the score was still 0-0. Would you prefer to see Japan have that lone star on top of their badge while playing a gritty/ugly game and yet being recognized in history books as a winner (like West Germany 1974), or would you prefer to see Japan play a clean game while being known as losers at the very end of the day?

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Maybe he meant the players need to be more aggressive not vicious.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

As a marginal observer, I don't care much what happens to soccer. Just pointing out that there is a high road, 'the beautiful game' philosophy, or the vicious and violent low road. Egregious hits, abuse of players and officials, dumb hooliganism, etc. Are not good for the sport. We already have MMA for the violence addicts.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Fire him. Find normal minded 'festoon before a payer get killed at a game.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

He has a point, but it's hard to be "vicious" and passionate about international matches when the players only play together once a month. Even the big Euro teams lack any sort of passion in their matches yet they perform fine

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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