FIFA World Cup 2018 team analysis: Japan's problems back home could upset outing

Country: Japan

Placed in Group H also featuring Colombia, Poland and Senegal

Fixtures:

Japan vs Colombia, June 19, at 5.30 pm IST (Saransk)

Japan vs Senegal, June 24, at 8.30 pm IST (Ekaterinburg)

Japan vs Poland, June 28, at 7.30 pm IST (Volgograd)

FIFA ranking: 60

World Cup fixtures | Groups and points table

Poland | Senegal | Colombia" title="Group H analysis | Team-by-team analysis: Poland | Senegal | Colombia" />Group H analysis | Team-by-team analysis: Poland | Senegal | Colombia

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Have you collected any of these Japan stars yet?

Start your @OfficialPanini #WorldCup Digital Sticker Album here 👇https://t.co/OflXa0irp5#GotGotNeed pic.twitter.com/27oDxew7ha

— FIFA World Cup 🏆 (@FIFAWorldCup) May 24, 2018

Previous World Cup: 2014 (eliminated from Group C)

Best finish: Round of 16 in 2002, 2010

Star players: Shinji Kagawa (midfielder for Borussia Dortmund), Shinji Okazaki (striker for Leicester City), Keisuke Honda (midfielder for CF Pachuca), Maya Yoshida (defender for Southampton)

Coach: Akira Nishino

Japan final squad

#KeisukeHonda says "there is a sense of crisis" as #Japan lose 2-0 to #Ghana in final home #WorldCup warmup, a 3rd straight failure against teams not going to #Russia2018.#SamuraiBlue #本田圭佑https://t.co/cOIAwerzNA pic.twitter.com/m1dksVHDXG

— Kyodo News Sports (@kyodo_sports_en) May 31, 2018

Japan sealed their World Cup qualification by topping Group B ahead of Saudi Arabia and Australia.

But the news turned soar when the Japanese Football Association fired Bosnian coach Vahid Halilhodzic in April this year, just two months before the World Cup, over poor results against Mali (1-1 draw) and Ukraine (1-2 loss) in friendlies. Technical director Akira Nishino was elevated to the job but the former Japanese star could only spend one international break with the national team players. His first outing ended in a loss to Ghana, who did not even qualify for the World Cup.

Nishino lacks experience managing an international side, although he has guided Gamba Osaka to the AFC Champions League title in 2008. Yet, getting rid of a coach so close to the World Cup will definitely foil Japan's campaign in Russia.

As for the team, Japan boast of players who have impressed in European leagues like Shinji Kagawa, Shinji Okazaki and Keisuke Honda. However, with few international friendlies in their bag under the new coach, it's difficult for the Japanese to find coherance in their play.

Shunsuke Nakamura & Shinji Kagawa talking football is the best thing you will see today. The respect and admiration they have for each other is so beautiful. [YouTube] pic.twitter.com/29kY49ajqf

— Samiran Mishra (@scoutdesk) April 8, 2018

Okazaki is good in the air but still needs to prove himself as a Starting XI contender. Kagawa and Honda are technically gifted but ageing. The Japanese are good in their set-piece attacking and as witnessed by Yosuke Ideguchi's blistering strike against Australia in the World Cup qualifiers, they can be a threat from outside the D.

Japan will find Senegal to play a similar fast-attacking system but it remains to be seen if their strikers can be at the right spot at the right time.

Prediction: Poland and Colombia will be a handful for Japan. The game against Senegal, however, is up for grabs.

Mexico | Sweden | South Korea" title="Germany | Mexico | Sweden | South Korea" />Germany | Mexico | Sweden | South Korea

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