Moriyasu praises “Takumi Minamino, No. 10” and what should we think of him?

The World Cup came to an end with Argentina’s victory. The final, said to be the best in history, was, of course, the best in history, and the battles in the last eight and beyond were hot and high-level, making Japan’s elimination from the last 16 seem justified. In particular, Croatia, whom Japan defeated, showed a completely different gear in their quarterfinal match against Brazil than they did against Japan. There is still a gap between Japan and the rest of the world, and what we witnessed was not a new landscape, but the same ground as before. The wall that seemed surmountable in just a few more minutes is higher than we imagined, and we still have to challenge it with sincerity.

I wanted to go over the barrier of the last 16 with him because he is Moriyasu’s coach.”

The team defeated Germany and Spain, two countries that had previously won the tournament, in the first round, and also received the final result from FIFA, which placed them ninth overall. It was a commendable performance. However, looking back at the Japan match, there are many questions that remain. For example, against Croatia, the team failed to hold onto the ball even when it was thrown in at times when they needed to defend, reminding us of the importance of Yuya Osako, and when the game went into extra time and the team seemed to be struggling for a replacement card, Genki Haraguchi and Reo Hatate would have solved the problem. Furthermore, the presence of Takumi Minamino, the No. 10, has to be questioned once again, having played only 58 minutes in total in the three World Cup games, excluding the match against Spain.

The final decider against Croatia was a penalty shootout, and it has been widely reported that Minamino was chosen as the first player to take part in the shootout. The order was decided by a run-off system, and Minamino raised his hand to be the first to take a kick, but missed the kick. Minamino and Kaoru Mitoma, who also missed the kick, cried.

In the locker room after the game, Yuto Nagatomo told the players, “Take it to the next future. There is no problem.” “Go home with your face up. You have courage, seriously. I can’t kick. I can’t kick. He was shown in the JFATV video saying, “That was a lot of fun.” He looked as if he had taken on all the responsibility for failing in the penalty shootout, a battle in which only the kicker and goalkeeper were present, and he passed by the mixed zone after the game without uttering a word.

In an interview the next day, Hajime Moriyasu told him, “Thank you for kicking first. I know it’s been a tough role for you in this tournament, but thank you for supporting the team without a single look of disgust on your face,” he said. He apologized for taking him off.

He also explained that there was a time when Minamino was struggling to win opportunities at Liverpool, yet he continued to be called up to the national team for four years, saying, “If a player is not called up to the national team because he is not able to challenge for a big club and play in the games, there will be players who cannot challenge for a big club. That is why I am grateful to coach Moriyasu, and because of him I wanted to overcome the barrier of the best 16 together with him.

It is a beautiful story about the relationship between the ace number 10, who tried to live up to expectations until the very end, and the commander, who supported him with his manly spirit until the very end. However, it should have been discussed more constructively. Minamino has played in 15 league games for Monaco since the summer, starting five and playing four in the middle of the park. In total, he played only 332 minutes. His one goal and two assists in these short appearances show that he is still a competitive player, but that still does not defend his poor form in this tournament.

If this were just this season, it would be fine, but this was at Monaco, the club he moved to in search of an opportunity after missing games at his former club, Liverpool. For example, in 38 Premier League games for Liverpool, he has started (one full game) and made 10 appearances, scoring three goals and providing one assist, but only playing 176 minutes in total. Although he scored 10 goals in all competitions, including domestic cup competitions and the European Champions League, it was still too short a total. But his appearances were still too short, and there must have been a good reason for him to be selected for the national team.

However, he is probably the most disappointed about his performance in this tournament.

I feel very disappointed,” he said. I feel very frustrated. I need to improve both individually and as a team. I will never forget this frustration,” he said in a TV interview.

The World Cup is held once every four years. No matter how well the team did at the start-up stage, or how well they supported the team in the qualifying rounds, it will be a different level of difficulty to get them in shape for the tournament. Therefore, it is one way of thinking to value the ability to adjust to the competition, and if the team is judged on the basis of their achievements, that should be presented and discussed as a value.

The players seemed to be full of frustration after the Croatia game and the next day. Considering that in past tournaments, when Japan lost in the last 16, there was a sense of satisfaction in the air, it was clear how close Japan had come. For that reason, I feel that the failed penalty kick, the tears, and the episode of No. 10 should not be reduced to a pretty story.