JAPAN SENDS WARNING SIGNAL TO GROUP B RIVALS

Japan have warned its group B rivals at next month’s Olympics in Beijing that they are not coming for a tea party when hostilities begin for the soccer gold of the quadrennial Games.
Although the Japanese have bucked the prevailing trend by not including a single over-age player in their squad , coach Yasuharu Sorimachi is in confident mood. This despite being denied the services of striker Yoshito Okubo and playmaker Yasuhito Endo, both in contention for the squad’s three available over-age berths, after the gifted duo were called up for senior national team duty.

Yet Sorimachi remains hopeful that his side will have a realistic chance of coming back from their trip across the Sea of Japan with a medal. And the Blue Samurai will have been buoyed by a 2-1 friendly win against Australia in Kobe on Thursday, which also served to dispel lingering doubts over the team’s alleged lack of firepower.
“I’ve chosen the strongest players available, with the aim of winning at the Olympics. It was hard to make this selection as the squad can only contain 18 players,” said Sorimachi, who has an enviable array of talent from which to choose his starting eleven.
One to watch out for on Chinese soil is first-choice keeper Shusaku Nishikawa. Dubbed the “Japanese Chilavert”, after the flamboyant Paraguayan shotstopper, Nishikawa is known for stepping up to fire in free-kicks awarded around the opposition’s box.

Another player likely to impress is Atsuto Uchida, the golden boy of J-League outfit Kashima Antlers, who has already turned out for the senior side. He is likely to be joined in the team by forward Takayuki Morimoto of Italian outfit Catania, whose classy finishing skills have already drawn comparisons with Brazil legend Ronaldo and Juventus’ David Trezeguet. Sorimachi can also call on Keisuke Honda who turns out for Dutch outfit VVV-Venlo, and has the potential to be one of the outstanding midfielders on show in Beijing. Honda’s deadly left-footed free kicks are reminiscent of dead-ball ace Nakamura, while his passing, vision and tactical nous have also been widely praised. I don’t just want to pass the ball, I want to set up goals

Japan midfielder Keisuke Honda sets out his ambitions for the Men’s Olympic Football Tournament “I hope we’ll score from moves that flow right through the team. I don’t just want to pass the ball, I want to set up goals,” said Honda, one of a number of players who gained great confidence from the Australia match. “I’m looking forward to the future, and I think the team will gel.”