We Are The Reds

The big one coming up this Saturday (for me at least, Sunday morning for most of you).

It is being reported that Kagawa will be absent from both the final and possibly the rest of the Bundesliga season due to a broken foot he received in the semi-final. A blow to Japan indeed but also Asian football as Kagawa has been a real standard bearer in Europe this season. Hopefully it isn't that bad, I love watching him celebrate goals in front of the yellow wall.

Honda will need to step up.

Despite their loss of Kagawa, I still don't like our chances against them.

Hasebe has been excellent throughout the tournament and even got himself on the scoresheet in that 5-0 thumping of Saudi Arabia, so I think we really need to isolate him in the game. Maeda and Oka-chan haven't been as free-scoring as a lot of people probably predicted (not that Okazaki has had nearly as much of a chance), so that's one relative benefit, but not one I'm counting on necessarily staying that way.


Unless we're fortunate enough to face a team that just collapses, like Uzbekistan did the other night, there's a very good chance we'll go through Hell. Ognenovski will need to unleash the beast and Carney will have to wisen up in defence.


But hey, if it goes to penalties, it'll probably be the most amazing penalty shootout ever. Schwarzer and Kawashima both have great records in those situations.

Nagatomo has been looking very good

Carney will have to wisen up in defence.

He is easily the weakest point of our defence - and no doubt Japan will know this.

I fully expect us to get absolutely raped down their right hand side.

Carney will have to wisen up in defence.

He is easily the weakest point of our defence - and no doubt Japan will know this.

I fully expect us to get absolutely raped down their right hand side.

To be fair he's looked a lot better with Mckay though he still doesn't have that defender's instinct of ensuring the ball is safe. He still has a tendency to play with the ball and be a bit casual on top of the box.

I think we will do better than expected.

We are starting to look/play/think like a "German National team".

Excellent keeper, rock solid in defense, workmanlike in midfield and ruthless in front of goal.

(What were we saying about national stereotypes and generalizations in another thread? )

He is easily the weakest point of our defence - and no doubt Japan will know this.

I fully expect us to get absolutely raped down their right hand side.

Yep, I can see Honda attacking the channel between Ognenovski and Carney consistently, trying to pull Carney off the touchline and exploiting Og's pace.

Should be a hell of a ride though, expecting both teams to attack with pace and hammer the flanks consistently.

It comes down to this. Read the play before it happens. Most Japanese players are very technical, so close them down early and don't be afraid to play the tough football. Japanese players are a little lightweight in comparison to Australian footballers, and the Aussies can use this to their advantage.

Their centreback pairing is also a concern for them. That will mean Cahill and Kewell coming in more directly and Ogre at set pieces. Uchida & Nagatomo will make sure there isn't much space for crosses into the box.

Really looking forward to this match, not only for the fact that it is the final but also because it is between two teams that are beginning to build a strong rivalry in international football. In my experience a quick browse through the comments on any Australia vs Japan video on youtube will show up plenty of abuse from keyboard warriors on both sides of the fence (more than usual anyway).

The fact that a lot of the international media (that I have noticed) have written us off the whole tournament (I love hearing people with foreign accents say that we played poorly and got lucky, should have scored more, a better team (japan/korea) would have ran rings around them etc., "Uzbekistan should win comfortably" was my favourite.) should be a big incentive to shut everyone up, including knockers back home.

Big contrast in styles of play between the two teams, the national stereotypes are quite apt for this matchup. Physical, defensive counterattack vs speed, passing and technicality. The possession stats will be interesting, but as Australia and AU have shown, it doesnt necessarily reflect on the scoreboard.