North and Central American World Cup finally begins!　Round 1 [Ironclad Netherlands] World’s Best Center Backs

Round 1: Netherlands (FIFA Ranking #7)
Broadcast date and time: June 15, 5:00 a.m. – NHK, BSP4K

Player to watch] Filsil van Dijk (34)
The world’s best center back who unites the traditional Orange Army

The Dutch national team is known in some circles of European soccer as the “bridesmaids’ supporting cast. Although a powerful nation that has participated in the past 11 World Cups, finishing as runner-up three times and in the top four twice, they have never won a championship. This is the reason why they are called the “supporting cast.

However, the Dutch team in this tournament is different. Their greatest weapon is their defense. A record 15 players from the English Premier League, the world’s highest level, have been selected for the tournament. Considering that only three players were selected for the previous tournament in Qatar, this is a big leap forward. And nearly half of them (seven) play as defenders in the Premier League.

The key man is van Dijk, 34, who is at the heart of the defense and captain of both the prestigious Liverpool team and the national team. He is strong in the air and is one of the best center backs in the world, having allowed only two dribbles in the Premier League this season and ranking first among all players in the number of “clearances,” a measure of the number of times a pinch has been avoided.

On the left flank, Nathan Ake (31) of Manchester City, the most prolific winner of the Premier League in the last 10 years, is the best defender in the world. The individual abilities of the defenders are extremely high.

In attack, their “absolute height” makes them a threat to Japan. In fact, the Netherlands has the world’s tallest average height, averaging a surprising 184 cm for men only. Denzel Denfries (30), a 188 cm tall right-sided defender, is a symbol of this strength. A member of Italian champions Inter Milan, he is extremely strong in aerial duels, a trait that makes him a valuable attacking option for the national team. He can be quite troublesome on the power play, pushing him high and sending cross-balls from the left flank for him to head against.

So, is Japan’s chances of victory slim? There is encouraging data. Since Ronald Koeman (63) took over as coach in 2011, the Netherlands has never beaten a team ranked within the top 25 in FIFA (Japan is ranked 18th in FIFA).

Furthermore, they are not good at the 3-4-3 formation that Japan uses. They conceded only four goals in their eight World Cup qualifying games, all of which came against a 3-4-3 team. Japan’s front line is lined up with five players, with both wingers going up when attacking, while the Dutch have only four players at the back of the line. This makes it easy for mismatches to occur in the areas close to the goal, and the Dutch have yet to find the best solution to deal with this.

The Absence of Mitake Becomes a Strength

Kubo Takefusa (25), a 173-centimeter tall player who plays in the second row right shadow position, is a key player for Japan. Kubo’s speedy dribbling is an effective weapon. Kubo and Ritsu Doan (27), who will partner on the right side, will look to exploit mismatches in the opposing defense.

There is also a countermeasure to the attack using their height. They can use defensive players such as Hiroki Ito (27) and Junnosuke Suzuki (22) on the outside left to cover for them. This was originally Kaoru Mitoma’s (29) position, but as we all know, he was not selected for the national team due to injury. Hopefully, this will be the result of his injury.

As this is the first match of the tournament, both teams are likely to play cautiously. Even though there is a lack of coordination, the Netherlands, with their world-class defensive abilities, will not allow them to score goals easily. Even if Japan’s attack, led by Kubo, is effective, it will surely be a closely contested game, with a single goal at stake. The ideal score would be a 1-0 win.

Can Moriyasu Japan, considered the strongest team in history, really move Japanese soccer history? This match will surely be a touchstone for them.

From the June 19, 2026 issue of FRIDAY