Before Japan and Croatia face off in the first round of the final tournament of the World Cup Qatar tournament, Mr. Mikić, who was originally from Croatia and used to play in the J. While looking forward to the victory of , he also sent an ale to the Japanese national team, saying, "Japan should wait patiently for an opportunity."
Michael Mikic joined J-League side Sanfrecce Hiroshima in 2009 and played for 9 seasons, then retired after playing for Shonan Bellmare.
He is currently coaching a team in Croatia's neighbor Slovenia.
In an interview in Zagreb, Croatia on the 4th, Mikić said, "For me, Japan has a special presence. I'm really happy that Japan beat Germany and Spain." I was there.
When he was at Sanfrecce Hiroshima at the same time, he was the head coach of the Japanese national team, Moriyasu. Japan didn't play well in the first half against Spain and Germany, but we changed the system and won.
As for the Japanese player he is paying particular attention to, Kaoru Mitoma, who assisted the winning goal against Spain, was highly praised, saying, "He is a new type of star who has both speed and technique."
Mr. Mikic expressed confidence that the Croatian national team is a team with a high degree of perfection that combines young players and veterans. However, in this match, my heart is with the national team," he said, expressing his concern for Japan, where he spent many years.
After that, when asked for advice on how to win against the Japanese national team, he said, "Be patient and wait for your chance. Be patient and wait and switch between offense and defense quickly."