Confederations Cup Team Preview: Japan
The Confederations Cup is the Champions League of nations. A place where champions from every continent go head-to-head to test their mettle against the best from around the world. After winning the AFC Asian Cup 2011, Japan booked its place into the tournament for the fifth time. They reach the tournament by qualifying as the champions of Asia and also being the first team to secure qualification from the Asian Confederation to the World Cup 2014. Here is an analysis of the Japanese contingent as they travel to Brazil to have a shot at a cup that has eluded Asians ever since its commencement in 1992.
The Squad
The 23 man squad as named by coach Alberto Zaccheroni for the tournament on 5th June 2013, is as below:
Goalkeepers:
Eiji Kawashima (Standard Liege), Shusaku Nishikawa (Sanfrecce Hiroshima), Shuichi Gonda (FC Tokyo).
Defenders:
Yasuyuki Konno (Gamba Osaka), Yuzo Kurihara (Yokohama F Marinos), Masahiko Inoha (Jubilo Iwata), Yuto Nagatomo (Inter Milan), Atsuto Uchida (Schalke), Maya Yoshida (Southampton), Hiroki Sakai (Hannover), Gotoku Sakai (Stuttgart).
Midfielders:
Yasuhito Endo (Gamba), Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), Makoto Hasebe (Wolfsburg), Hajime Hosogai (Hertha Berlin), Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscow), Hideto Takahashi (FC Tokyo).
Forwards:
Ryoichi Maeda (Jubilo), Shinji Okazaki (Stuttgart), Mike Havenaar (Vitesse Arnhem), Takashi Inui (Eintracht Frankfurt), Shinji Kagawa (Manchester United), Hiroshi Kiyotake (Nuremburg).
Form: Results for the last 5 outings
| Team Played | Venue | Result | Score |
| Lativia | Kobe, Japan | Win | 3-0 |
| Canada | Doha, Qatar | Win | 2-1 |
| Jordan | Amman, Jordan | Lost | 1-2 |
| Bulgaria | Aichi, Japan | Lost | 0-2 |
| Australia | Saitama, Japan | Draw | 1-1 |
The Guiding light: Alberto Zaccheroni
The Italian has been with the Japanese national side since 2010. He has the credit of successfully managing top flight Serie A sides including likes of Lazio, Inter Milan, Juventus, Udinese and AC Milan, with whom he won the Scudetto in 1999. From the historic debut 1-0 victory over a distraught Argentina side, there has been no turning back for him. In 2011 AFC Asian Cup, he brought together a organised Japanese side to compete in the tournament. Having won 2 out of 3 group matches, and ousted host Qatar and a formidable South Korea side to defeat Australia in the finals and qualify for the Confederations Cup. Since his reign, Japan have been the AFC Team of the year.
For this tournament, Zaccheroni has put together the right mix of experience in the squad with the inclusion of the Japanese legend and free kick taker Yasuhito Endo and defender Konno, despite their club, Gamba Osaka, being relegated this season. He has kept in mind the defensive weakness and has moulded to squad in its best attacking shape and the team now relies on quick counter attacks and push down the middle. The team boasts of young blood in Kagawa, Yoshida, Uchida and Inui, all of whom have playing careers in European first division sides. Besides, the ever scoring Keisuke Honda has always been the one to watch out for in major competitions and has been effectively deployed in scoring positions by Zaccheroni.