Coach Hajime Moriyasu, who leads the Japanese national soccer team, said he felt responsible for the results of the Asian Cup’s poor performance and expressed his intention to accept all the results.
Japanese media “Spokini Annex” reported on the 5th (Korea Standard Time), “In response to some voices calling for dismissal, Moriyasu expressed his intention to accept all responsibilities.”
The Japanese national soccer team returned to Japan after finishing the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Qatar. Some European players headed straight for their teams, and only Moriyasu and some players arrived at the airport.
According to the media, Moriyasu drew attention at the airport, saying, “If there are voices asking for responsibility because I set my goal of winning, I am also prepared.”
The Japanese national soccer team entered Qatar with an ambitious goal of winning the Asian Cup.
Japan was a strong contender to win the title at this year’s event, surpassing its rival South Korea. First, FIFA ranked 17th, the highest among the 24 teams that participated in the event, and 20 of the 26 players who could register for the entry were European players, boasting a luxurious list.
Moreover, he displayed impressive performance in A-match before the event. Including the closed exhibition match against Jordan on June 9, he won all 10 matches and scored 45 points and lost six points ahead of the opening of the Asian Games. He also displayed this performance only with Asian teams. In September last year, he flew to Europe and smashed Germany 4-1 at home against the German team, before winning the match 4-2 against Turkiye in Belgium.
Ahead of the opening of the tournament, Japan, which was praised as the best squad ever along with the A-match winning streak, sought to win the Asian Cup for the first time in 13 years since winning the Qatar tournament in 2011, but the result was a elimination from the quarterfinals.
Contrary to expectations, Japan did not have a smooth start in the group league. Although the team won 4-2, it allowed two goals against Vietnam, and lost against Iraq 1-2. Japan, which advanced to the round of 16 by ranking second in its group by winning its third match against Indonesia, advanced to the quarterfinals by defeating Bahrain 3-1.
In the quarterfinals, Japan met Iran, ranked 21st in the FIFA rankings. The two teams had a fierce match throughout the match, and while the score was maintained at 1-1, they had to leave Qatar as Go Itakura (Borussia Mönchengladbach) gave away a penalty kick in the extra time of the second half.
When Japan failed to advance to the semifinals, contrary to expectations, some insisted that Moriyasu, who was eliminated in the quarterfinals with good players, should be replaced.
Moriyasu’s reaction to his fans’ captaincy was calm. After returning to Japan after the Asian Cup, Moriyasu said, “I always find what I thought was the best, and I have no regrets because both the players and staff worked hard 100 percent for the game 헤라카지노도메인,” adding, “I accept all the results and evaluations.”
Regarding fans’ demand for dismissal, he said, “I want to take it seriously. It’s a world where results are everything, so we have to take strict evaluations naturally because we didn’t get results.”
“I’m determined to be fired every game, so I think about doing what I can every time and then moving forward,” he said, adding, “If there are voices asking for responsibility because I set my goal of winning, I’m also preparing.”
Meanwhile, contrary to fans’ demands, the Japan Football Association (JFA) reportedly has no intention of defeating Moriyasu with the Asian Cup performance. When asked whether he was considering replacing Moriyasu after the quarterfinals against Iran, JFA President Kozo Dajima clearly drew the line, saying, “I don’t think at all.”