Vahid Halilhodzic reckons the Japan squad has to be rebuilt and for that, there is some time needed, but, he is very happy with the talent that he has found in his ranks.
According to Halilhodzic, he is excited to work with the Japanese guys as they are hard working individuals and they go about everything in a much disciplined way.
Halilhodzic has recently been named as the Samurai Blues boss. He has replaced Javier Aguirre who was thrown out because of match fixing allegations.
The 62-year Yugoslavian landed in Tokyo last week and is at his work already.
He has to pick his players for the Tunisia game which is not that far away and so, he has been watching a few games of the Japanese League.
Yesterday, he was among the spectators watching the game between Tokyo and Yokohama.
Halilhodzic looked impressed with a few players post that game, but, he has sent a clear message outside that there is a lot of refining to be done to this team and thus, nobody should expect immediate results.
Speaking to the media, Halilhodzic said, “Japan is not going to perform like top teams all of a sudden. But, the good thing is that there is enough potential. A bit of time, a bit of patience and this team will be on track I am sure.”
When asked how he sees this new assignment that he has taken in his hands, the manager said “I have been given the responsibility and I will try my best to make sure I live up to everybody’s expectations.”
“I love Japanese culture and that is why I took this offer. The guys over here are so polite and hard working. It will be really good working with them.”