Japan's coach say team hasn't practised penalties

Who gave the guy the job?

Not that it will come to penalties but hey...you gotta prepare right?

I wouldn't let this dude run a pub team. Let alone the national.

No worries, the match won't go to penalties.

Getting the next excuse ready.

The expression on Honda's face might be a clue to the team's chances tonight. Nishino-san might lack the true spirit of Japan which is yamato damashi. Fighting is in our DNA so I am rooting for Samurai Blue!

Japan lost in 2010 at a shootout so it seems like it would make sense to practice it.

Gonna be trashed in regular time anyway...

Leaving jokes (or not) aside, that's poor management decision. Shooters have to train to feel confident what kind of shot and where they can make it. Keepers have to train, and study rival shooters if possible, so that they know where and when to jump. And the coach has to watch it all so he can decide the order in a possible penalty shootout.

I don't watch much soccer, I mean football. And, I don't know the game super well.

But, IIRC, aren't a fairly high percentage of matches decided on penalty kicks?

TokyoTT: "Nishino-san might lack the true spirit of Japan which is yamato damashi. Fighting is in our DNA so I am rooting for Samurai Blue!"

You realize that what they did in the game against Poland goes against everything you just claimed they are, right? They showed their "true spirit": a willingness to not move forward and pray for the best, despite saying they "would fight and aim to win". What was in their DNA was cowardice, not fight. Sorry, bud.

Belgian deserves to be favorite, but never rule out the Samurai Spirit! They will fight for every pass, possession and tackle. Belgians are going to have the fight of theyre life, if they think Samurai Blue will surrender they will regret it.Nishino san will have them ready for a street-fight.

Go Samurai Blue!! Keep Shocking the World!

They will fight for every pass, possession and tackle

Sounds exhausting. The team will be dead on its feet before half time.

Belgium are clear favourites for this, but they did choke in the Euros against a side which wasn’t in the same class on paper.

Forget the silly drivel about samurai spirit and other idiocy - the same people will be whining about the height advantage of the Belgians if Japan lose ( Japanese commentators are obsessed with the height of players ).

Japan need to be disciplined above anything else to have a chance here. Kawashima can’t afford another moment of madness and the defence needs to improve on the awful marking which allowed Poland to score.

Hope Japan and Mexico go through.

The expression on Honda's face might be a clue to the team's chances tonight.

You mean tomorrow night! Actually day after tomorrow at 03 AM to be exact!

Moderator: No, the game is early Tuesday morning Japan time.

Lol

like that will matter. Sounds like he's compensating for when Japan loses in a penalty shootout. It won't come to that though, Belgium will destroy them

Belgians are going to have the fight of theyre life, if they think Samurai Blue will surrender they will regret it.

you dont need to surrender to be utterly outplayed on the pitch.

Nishino san will have them ready for a street-fight.

street fight!?, wtf has that got to do with Soccer!?

Go Samurai Blue!! Keep Shocking the World!

what have they shocked the world with this tournament , other than playing for a loss last match!?

Ganbare Japan: "but never rule out the Samurai Spirit!"

Yeah! They might kick the ball around between them again, in shame, so they can lose the game again! Quite the spirit, eh? to be booed by the world. Haha.

"Go Samurai Blue!! Keep Shocking the World!"

With shame? That was the biggest shocker... "the people who clean up after themselves" not being able to play the game with skill, and instead hide behind a loss to move ahead. Most people still can't even bring themselves to talk about the game against Poland.

The 23 members of the JP worldcup team are currently playing as follows:

In Japan 8, Germany 7, France Spain England 2 each, Mexico Turkey 1 each

Good luck tonight

In the photo, the coach is seen to be telling Honda not to practise penalties.....

Ganbare Japan!Today 03:19 pm JST

....never rule out the Samurai Spirit! They will fight for every pass, possession and tackle"

Sounds like a cross between Winston Churchill and Knute Rockne......maybe they should win it for the Gipper as well?

There are a lot of gaijin in Japan who take great pleasure in watching Japan lose or predicting Japan will lose. This was going on long before the Poland farce. I don’t get this.

I just want to see teams from outside Europe and South America progress. On balance, I’d have preferred Senegal over Japan on the grounds that Senegal were better to watch.

The spiteful comments are as irritating as jingoistic clowns spouting gibberish.

After Korea threw out the last champion erverything seems possible in this worldcup.

The "samurai spirit" garbage has been exposed.

What Jimizo said. While I'm not planning on waving the hinomaru anytime soon, I cannot get the almost knee-jerk, pathological loathing on thread about soccer, as if Nishino and company just violated your daughters. Such displays are as ridiculous as the Abe touts.

Can the coach assamble all the internationals?

After their last match they still have a chance to lose with dignity in true "samurai spirit"

ill relish in their defeat

Whatever, samurai blue will forever be famous for that disgraceful game vs poland.

it'll be talked about for decades to come as an example of shameful and disgraceful behavior at a wirld cup.

Genjoy Hoddle also said the same about England not practising penalties. Compare with the other article about Gareth Southgate's scientific approach to the matter.

Frustrating for Japan.

You know Japan played a great game though everyone said they were going to get blown out. No sore loser here but England couldn't even score against Belgium and Belgium had a lot of their first squad not even starting.

Next World Cup, we will have fresh legs and hopefully a new goalkeeper to take over where Kawashima left off.

Heartbreaking!

Kind of like practicing golf, but not practicing putting. Makes no sense.

In any case it made no difference...last minute of that match was painful to say the least.