Pukman @ WinK: the community that time didn't forget

Japan played another World Cup qualifier last Thursday, this time at home against Uzbekistan. It was a very disappointing match. The coach, Takeshi Okada, used a similar system to the one he used in the previous friendly match against the United Arab Emirates. Just as in that match, the match ended in a draw (1-1). I have often heard that Japan is not traditionally very good at playing with one striker, and this match (and the previous one) appeared to confirm that, with scoring chances being few and far between.

Okada is traditionally known as a defensive coach, but the ways in which Japan concedes goals suggests that the defensive aspects are not going so well. It would seem unrealistic to expect Japan to keep a clean sheet, so wins are going to depend on scoring two or more goals on a regular basis. And that, it seems to me, depends on having two strikers. The evidence of the last two matches suggests that Koroki is the only really aggressive striker they have available.