In his latest column for The Sporting News, former J.League star and England striker Jay Bothroyd reflects on the end of Japan's World Cup adventure, and gives his marks for the Samurai Blue's campaign in Qatar.
A few days on from the heartbreaking defeat on penalties to Croatia, I've got mixed emotions about Japan's World Cup campaign.
If you'd asked me at the beginning of the tournament what I expected, I would have been happy with this outcome. And the wins over Germany and Spain unquestionably showed Japan as a football nation taking leaps and bounds forwards.
But seeing Hajime Moriyasu's team selection, and the way he went about things in the Croatia game, I can't help but feel disappointed. They could have gone another step further.
Japan were so good in the first 20 minutes against Germany and the way they finished that game. It was the same in the second half against Spain. I didn't see any of that against Croatia.
I saw them being very cautious in their play. They didn't go out there and try to win it in the first minute. You look at Croatia and they're an ageing team. If you put them under real pressure from the beginning, by the end of the game they'll be tired.
Kaoru Mitoma and Takuma Asano were on the bench again. Had they started, Japan would have won that game.
When I think about the team selection and how the tactics never really changed during the tournament — the changes Moriyasu made were more just about a boost of energy and more quality from the players who came on — I start to wonder, were players chosen because it could be there last World Cup?
Even when I was playing in the J.League, I felt that sometimes players played and got new contracts not because they earned them or were good enough, but because of what they had done previously for the club, or because they were a big part of the dressing room. Of course, you want good characters in your dressing room, but they still have to be top footballers, too.
As a footballer, you always have to update your resume, and managers should always choose the best person for the job right now, not based on what they once were.
Having spent six years of my life in the country, Japan are the team I want to do well after England. To be honest, right now I feel like I do when England lose. It just seems like a massive missed opportunity, and it could have been something really special for Japanese and Asian football.
Nevertheless, there are still plenty of moments for fans to look back on fondly. Japan could now be facing a bit of a rebuild before the 2026 tournament, so it's important to cherish the best things they did in Qatar. Here are my 2022 World Cup 'awards' for the Samurai Blue.
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