by Jon Day
TOKYO, June 19 (Xinhua) -- The nation is on tenterhooks ahead of Japan's Samurai Blue's do-or-die clash against Greece in group C of the World Cup on Thursday at the Estadio das Dunas, in Natal, with fans and pundits split as to the outcome of a game that will likely see one of the teams returning home licking their wounds.
With Japan losing its opener 2-1 to Cote d'Ivoire and Greece getting thumped 3-0 by Colombia, both teams desperately need a win to stay in contention to qualify for the last 16 knockout stage of football's biggest international tournament.
But with Greece looking very patchy against a sharp Colombian side and Japan looking very lackluster against Cote d'Ivoire, fans and pundits here seem divided over the outcome, although, naturally, Japanese fans are hoping for the best and for Alberto Zaccheroni's Samurai Blue to give it everything they've got.
"There are a lot of positives to take from the game against Cote d'Ivoire and it seems as though the atmosphere among the players has turned from super-negative, to super-charged ahead of the game," said Tomoyuki Noda, a die-hard Japan fan and owner of one of Tokyo's most popular football bars.
"We've proven we can score goals going forward and Keisuke Honda's goal against Cote d'Ivoire is the perfect example of what Japan is capable of. We just need the whole team to follow suit and up the tempo and intensity of the game, and I think we can beat Greece," Noda said.
But for some football pundits, it's not as elementary for Japan. As well as below-par performances from some of Japan's key players like Manchester United's underused midfield-dynamo Shinji Kagawa against Cote d'Ivoire, with Kagawa himself saying he was disappointed at his game, and a mediocre effort by striker Yoshito Okubo, Zaccheroni's decision making was also called into question after the Cote d'Ivoire's game-changing introduction of veteran striker Didier Drogba in the second half went unanswered.
"Drogba changed the game and gave Cote d'Ivoire much more punch going forward and tactically Zaccheroni did nothing to address this and Japan lost their shape and conceded two goals that they shouldn't have," Sid Lloyd, Managing Director of Footy Japan, the largest joint operator of amateur international adult football leagues and children's football academies in Japan, told Xinhua.
"It's not all down to the manager, but the goals Japan conceded were almost carbon copies of each other, both coming from the flanks and both from headers that went unchallenged by Japan's defenders. Although Greece let in three against Colombia, they're capable of scoring goals, so Japan will have to attack and defend as a unit for the entire 90-minutes and not switch off," Lloyd said.
Zaccheroni has said he wants his men to be more aggressive and this will be of paramount importance against Greece who are both bigger and physically stronger than Japan on balance man for man. Japan were also criticized for being sluggish in the second half and not tracking back, which left gaps on the wings that Cote d'Ivoire duly exploited.
"Despite Honda having previously scored or assisted in four of Japan's last five goals at the World Cup and a lot of emphasis being put on other superstars like Kagawa, Japan can no longer rely on just individuals if they're to stay in this competition," Lloyd said.
"If they don't play as a team, it's game over. Literally," he said.
Japan and Greece have little experience of each other, having only played a single friendly that Japan won 2-1 back in 2005, but with Greece boasting players of the quality of Panagiotis Kone, who plays in Bologna in Serie A, and was a standout player among only a few against Colombia -- looking very capable of finding the back of the net on multiple occasions -- Japan will have to stay on their toes.
"Our fans cleaned the entire stadium at Recife after we lost to Cote d'Ivoire and while we might do this anyway, I'm sure the fans would be more motivated in their cleaning duties if we were to win," said Noda, half joking.
"We need to match the Greeks physically first and foremost and then look to get in behind their defenders. That's how we will win this match. And I do think we'll win this match. 2-0 is my prediction," Noda said.
Zaccheroni himself seems to have a good handle on the Greek team knowing that they are capable of defending well and soaking up pressure, and his seen solid performances in Japan's run-up to the World Cup.
Japan may also have experience on their side, having reached the last 16 at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa and having no trouble with the Asian qualifying rounds, finishing four points ahead of Australia at the top of their final-round group, to secure their fifth successive World Cup appearance.
Greece however, despite being former European champions, are seeking just their second World Cup victory of all-time, having walked away from Johannesburg with one win and never making it out of the group stages in their two previous appearances.
"If I had to give my prediction, it would be that I think Japan could edge past Greece, but only if they find their previous form. I've not been impressed by their performances in their tune-up games before they arrived in Brazil, but I've seen the squad develop and mature over the past couple of years and know what they are ultimately capable of."
"If they give absolutely 100 percent in all departments, create and take their chances, then on their day, Japan are probably the better team and could put one or two past Greece. 2-1 to Japan, if I were to put money on it," Lloyd concluded.
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