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| Credit - Photo by Michael Steele/Getty Images |
Costa Rica's tenacious defense with five backs could not be broken until the end. Four days after scoring the big gold star against Germany, Moriyasu Japan was aiming for the first consecutive victory in Japan's history in the World Cup group stage, but they were defeated 0-1 after scoring one chance in the final stages of the match.
At the beginning of the first half, which started with 4-2-3-1, Ritsu Doan and others who were performing well created chances. They stagnated after that but changed their rhythm with a change to 3-4-2-1 towards the end of the first half. However, the goal was far away until the end. One of Moriyasu Japan's longstanding issues is the inability to break down opponents who are drawn. That is the impression that appeared in the match against Costa Rica. Of course, it is said that the team was aware that the first goal was to win, and that there was no choice but to draw. That's why he may have avoided receiving a counter by aiming for an unreasonable vertical pass.
However, especially in the first half, there are many side passes or back passes, and the tempo of the attack does not increase. In front of Costa Rica's defense, passing passes continued like "stopping at each station", and the game developed without sharpness. Ritsu Doan, who scored the equalizing goal against Germany and grabbed the starter, also points out that point. “I didn’t get a vertical pass. Even if I did, there were many scenes where I lost after the vertical pass. It was good, but I lost it there. I got the impression that if I was exhausted because of the heat, I would continue to make mistakes.” path. Or it would have been the form of eating the opponent, creating a gap, and destroying it with a purpose.
Moriyasu Japan also tried to tackle this issue, adopting a 4-3-3 in the middle of the final qualifying round and taking on the challenge of active ball rotation. However, what this team is good at is quick attacks from the defense in the middle zone or high press. It is effective against strong opponents such as Germany, but to break down the opponent who was drawn There is a painful side. It would have been best to have a range of fighting styles, but it seems that the problem was left unsolved until the end. From the warm-up games in September, we chose a World Cup style of fighting with forwards who can press from the front line at the top. It was a natural decision. However, as I had a dream for the 4-3-3 system, I also felt a sense of loneliness in the performance against Costa Rica. I could have done more. The thought was nothing but vain.