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Kyogo Furuhashi, a forward for Celtic, and Yuya Osako, a striker for Vissel Kobe, were not included in Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu’s 26-man team for the FIFA World Cup, announced on Tuesday.
In Qatar, the Japanese team will face Germany, Costa Rica, and Spain in Group E; Moriyasu has set his sights on the quarterfinals despite Japan’s previous lack of success in the World Cup.
Moriyasu prefers players with a more burning ambition
During a press conference in Tokyo, Moriyasu stated that the team’s objective is to make it to the semifinals, which they recognize will be a difficult task. At the same press conference, he revealed his team for Japan’s seventh appearance in the tournament.
Despite Furuhashi’s strong play up front for Celtic, Moriyasu has decided to bench him, and Osako’s return to the J1 League has been hampered by fitness issues, despite being a fixture in Moriyasu’s lineup.
Union Berlin midfielder Genki Haraguchi, who participated in the previous World Cup and played a significant role in the Asian qualifiers, was also left off the roster.
Moriyasu says that while it was possible to go with more experienced players like Osako and Furuhashi, the team finally gambled on rookies because they were more motivated to win the WorldCup22. He added that he would’ve wanted to have taken both teams’ stars to the World Cup to show off their talents in a fight.
Japan’s squad has been named
Yuki Soma, a winger for Nagoya Grampus, and Takuma Asano, a forward for Bochum, were two of the more surprising additions to a roster that also includes captain Maya Yoshida, defender Takehiro Tomiyasu of Arsenal, and forward Takefusa Kubo of Real Sociedad.
While many of you are already acquainted with the World Cup betting odds 2022 already, here is the full roster of Japan’s squad for the World Cup 2022 in case you missed it.
Goalkeepers: Shuichi Gonda, Daniel Schmidt, Eiji Kawashima
Defenders: Hiroki Sakai, Miki Yamane, Shogo Taniguchi, Ko Itakura, Takehiro Tomiyasu, Maya Yoshida, Hiroki Ito, Yuto Nagatomo, Yuta Nakayama
Midfielders: Junya Ito, Ritsu Doan, Wataru Endo, Hidemasa Morita, Ao Tanaka, Daichi Kamada, Takefusa Kubo, Takumi Minamino, Kaoru Mitoma, Gaku Shibasaki, Yuki Soma
Forwards: Daizen Maeda , Ayase Ueda, Takuma Asano
Will Japan have enough firepower at the World Cup?
Unless any of the 26 players designated by coach Hajime Moriyasu are injured between now and their campaign opening against Germany on November 23, they are the guys who will be suiting up for the Samurai Blue in Russia.
The withdrawals of Osako and Kyogo from Moriyasu’s roster, as is customary once squads are selected for a major event, sparked immediate controversy. Fans are eager to witness the two, especially Kyogo Furuhashi, at the World Cup 2022 livestream when Japan kicks off the tournament in November.
It is natural that their exclusion has left fans bewildered and frustrated, given both were shaping up as two of Japan’s greatest bets for goals at the World Cup. There might be less scrutiny of Moriyasu’s roster selections if he had more or at least similarly strong candidates to lead Japan.
Many supporters are wondering where Japan will get their goals from if they are going to upset either Germany or Spain, or perhaps Costa Rica, and make it into the World Cup’s knockout phase.
As an excuse, Minamino tends to play better for his country than his club, and both wingers, Junya Ito and Ritsu Doan will be dangerous. Expect to find the best World Cup bet offers for Japan when they make their first World Cup 2022 appearance against Germany at the Khalifa International Stadium.
Final thoughts
Japan made it to the round of 16 at the last World Cup despite having few alternatives in the attacking third, but that team also boasted veterans like Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa.
It’s possible that four years later, the Samurai Blue still have enough firepower to advance past the group stage at the World Cup. However, it is currently hard to imagine that they wouldn’t have had a stronger chance if players like Furuhashi and Osako had traveled to Qatar.
Japan kicks off its might on November 23 against Germany. Check out our full World Cup 2022 fixtures Singapore time schedule.