The Japanese national football team drew one-on-one against Vietnam on the night of the 29th and finished the World Cup Asian final qualifying with 7 wins, 2 losses and 1 draw.


The final Asian qualifying round that started last September.

The Japanese national team suffered two losses in the first three games and was forced into a “cliff” situation.


One of the points that I was able to rewind from there was the three midfield players who continued to be appointed from the middle.

Formation change with "cliff"

Round 4 of the final Asian qualifying round last October.

Japan national team coach Hajime Moriyasu decided to change the formation in the match against Australia, which was forced into a situation of 1 win and 2 losses.



Until then, the formation was "4-2-3-1" with 4 defenders, 5 midfielders including 2 voluntaries, and 1 frontline, 4 defenders, 3 midfielders, and 3 fronts. I changed it to "4-3-3".

Wataru Endo, Hidemasa Morita, and Ao Tanaka were in charge of the middle stage.

Why did you change the formation?



Director Moriyasu


"I heard that the conditions of Morita and Tanaka are very good. It seems that the formation change is the first, but the formation has changed by using two people who are in good condition."



It was revealed that the result of using two players, Morita and Tanaka, in the starting lineup at the same time with Endo from the 4th round led to the change to "4-3-3".

Three people move to offense and defense Japan's "4-3-3"

Endo, Morita, and Tanaka are players who are good at playing in defensive voluntary.



Basically, Endo enters a defensive position called "anchor", and Morita and Tanaka stand near the front as so-called "inside halves", but depending on the situation, three people It has played an effective role in offense and defense while changing positions in a fluid manner.



In defense, all three are willing to play steadily, such as side-back players going up to fill the empty space to participate in the attack, and hitting the opponent's body aiming at the counter to delay the attack. There were many scenes where the buds of the pinch were picked in advance.


As a result, the goal of the five games started by all three players was only "1".

In the attack, Tanaka scored the first goal against Australia in October, and Morita scored the first goal in the penalty area in the match against Australia on the 24th of this month.

It can be said that the fact that the three people were able to demonstrate their strength in the formation of "4-3-3" was the key to Japan's rebound.

Three people who deepen their confidence

Each of the three felt that the cooperation had deepened as they followed the match.

Endo


"The biggest feature is that you can play to some extent no matter who or where you do it by changing positions. You go forward to harass your opponent, (Tanaka) Ao comes behind, and that kind of change in position But it's good to be able to do it without any discomfort. "

Morita


: "There is also Endo, who has a strong defense, behind him, and Tanaka, who has a similar sense of defense, can play while complementing each other. You can put it down and go to the ball. You can fully demonstrate the strengths of the current three people. "

Tanaka


"You can not only steal the ball yourself, but you can also let another player take it by turning the right and letting the opponent go to the left. It is very possible to cooperate without using words. Good benefits "

"Fight wisely like Japan"

In 2018, Moriyasu said that the coach of the Canadian national team who had played against him had pointed out that "it is better for Japan to fight more fluidly" and "fighting fluidly while taking an intermediate position". I felt that was a weapon of Japan. My opponent hates Japan's mobility. I felt once again that I was strong. "

The fact that the three midfielders embodied the attitude of "fighting wisely like Japan" that Director Moriyasu usually says saved Japan from the cliffs and led to his seventh consecutive World Cup appearance.