On July 24 of the current year Javier Aguirre was selected as the new coach of the Japanese national football team as he replaced Alberto Zaccheroni who decided to resign and retire after the 2014 World Cup was over.
The Mexican coach said that a new era for the Japanese squad will begin under his guidance as he wants to give all of his players a fresh start and a new chance for them to make their presence be felt in the team and earn their spot in his starting lineup.
“This is a brand new start and if I talk about one player then I have to talk about all 23. Whether they are young, veterans, first-timers, have played before, play here or abroad – all the players will be starting from zero.”
“I want a team that can keep possession more than their opponents, can attack but also maintain balance. We will start with training but it won’t be easy. I want them to use space, keep hold of the ball and be an intelligent team,” he added.
Japan has played 2 friendly matches since the conclusion of the 2014 World Cup with Javier Aguirre taking charge of the squad but still has not managed to claim a victory as they suffered a 2-0 defeat over Uruguay and 4 days later had to settle with a 2-2 draw with Venezuela.
In the upcoming month of October, Japan will be facing off with Jamaica and later with Brazil on international friendly matches. All of these friendly games serve as preparation for the tournaments that Japan is going to be participating in within the next months.
Javier Aguirre signed a 2 year long deal with the Japanese national side and these matches are the ideal scenario for the Mexican coach to try out new formations and combination of players before Japan begins playing with their upcoming competitions.