© EuroFootball.com
The coach of the Japanese national team, Brazilian Zico, on Monday announced the delegation of 23 players who will travel to Germany for the World Cup starting in less than a month.
As expected, the Japanese lineup includes well-known European players such as Hidetoshi Nakata, Junichi Inamoto, and Shunsuke Nakamura. All of these Japanese players spent this season in the UK representing "Bolton," "West Brom," and "Celtic" respectively.
The only surprise in the experienced Japanese team is the young striker Maki, who replaced Tatsuhiko Kubo, who has more international competition experience. Also included in the team's application for the World Cup is striker Atsushi Yanagisawa, who is currently injured along with "Hamburg" player Naohiro Takahara but should recover in time for the start of the competition.
After taking over as the head coach of the Japanese national team from Frenchman Philippe Troussier, Zico faced criticism, but now assures fans that in Germany they will see top-level football from the Japanese team.
Japan will begin their World Cup campaign in Group F alongside the national teams of Australia, Croatia, and Brazil. Their first match will be against the Australian national team on June 12.
Japanese national team lineup:
Goalkeepers: Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Jubilo Iwata), Yoichi Doi (FC Tokyo), Seigo Narazaki (Nagoya Grampus Eight)
Defenders: Tsuneyasu Miyamoto (Gamba Osaka), Alex (Urawa Reds), Yuji Nakazawa (Yokohama F-Marinos), Makoto Tanaka (Jubilo Iwata), Akira Kaji (Gamba Osaka), Keisuke Tsuboi (Urawa Reds), Yuichi Komano (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Koji Nakata (Basel)
Midfielders: Hidetoshi Nakata (Bolton), Shunsuke Nakamura (Celtic), Shinji Ono (Urawa Reds), Junichi Inamoto (West Bromwich Albion), Takashi Fukunishi (Jubilo Iwata), Mitsuo Ogasawara (Kashima Antlers), Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka)
Forwards: Atsushi Yanagisawa (Kashima Antlers), Naohiro Takahara (Hamburger), Masashi Oguro (Grenoble), Keiji Tamada (Nagoya Grampus Eight), Seiichiro Maki (JEF United Chiba)
