Archives for July 2018

The Japan Football Association (JFA) said on Thursday that national team coach Akira Nishino will step down when his term ends at the end of July.

“We will not ask Nishino to stay on the job but hope he will continue to make a contribution to Japanese football in other forms,” said JFA President Kozo Tashima at a press conference after the national team returned from Russia.

Nishino, who also appeared at the press conference, thanked his team, saying that he hopes Japan could break the cycle of reaching the World Cup round of 16 every eight years (in 2002, 2010, 2018) and make a breakthrough at Qatar 2022, reports Xinhua news agency.

Nishino took up the job after the JFA abruptly fired former head coach Vahid Halilhodzic in April, citing lack of trust and communication between Halilhodzic and his team members.

Under Nishino’s reins, the Samurai Blue reached the World Cup round of 16 for the first time since the 2010 tournament in South Africa but were knocked out after a 2-3 defeat to Belgium.

Former FC Barcelona left-winger Luis Garcia Sanz feels that Spain’s elimination from the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia did not signify the death knell for possession-based football, although he stressed the need to have a Plan B.

“Spain’s participation was nothing to write home about,” he said of Spain’s loss on penalties to hosts Russia in the round of 16.

Spain pummelled Argentina 6-1 in an international friendly four months ago, but Garcia said that result was “deceiving”.

“In March, you saw a team that controlled every situation, but Argentina left space open and Spain did well. Here we realized that result was deceiving,” he told EFE on Wednesday in an event organised by FIFA.

“We blindly thought we were going to win easily by always having the ball and with our quality up front, but the other teams also know how to play. Iran, Morocco and Russia are difficult teams,” he noted.

The Spanish side was “handcuffed in every match” because the other “teams lock down defensively and it’s tough to play; it’s a shame. We won (the 2010 World Cup in South Africa), but it’s not easy,” Garcia, who represented Spain from 2005 to 2008, said.

The 40-year-old, who has also represented Atletico Madrid and Liverpool, added that the last-minute decision to name then-director of soccer Fernando Hierro as Spain’s interim head coach (in place of Julen Lopetegui, who was sacked after negotiating a deal to coach Real Madrid) was not a factor is Spain’s upset loss.

“We knew Hierro, and he’s been with the team for a long time, and when the referee blows the whistle you put these situations behind you,” Garcia said.

Joachim Loew’s fighting spirit seems to have returned only a few days after Germany’s disastrous group stage exit at the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

After the 58-year-old’s decision to continue as national coach, he announced he would present a “rescue plan” for the struggling international heavyweight to secure future success.

The 2014 World Cup winning coach announced he is working on a new strategy ahead of Germany’s match against France in the newly-formed Nations League on September 6, reports Xinhua news agency.

Said to be abandoning possession-based football, loew promised in an official statement to be made by the German Football Association (DFB) “to organise the relaunch” of the team with “full commitment”. He also spoke about a “new German team” and “significant changes.”

“Joachim Loew and I feel a lot of energy to set sail and shape a new era for German football,” the German team’s general manager Oliver Bierhoff said.

Despite the relief of the DFB president Reinhard Grindel about Loew’s decision, the coach remains under heavy fire from the media, former internationals and fans. The Die Welt newspaper said “heads will have to roll” indicating that Loew will have to do without several of his World Cup-winning heroes.

The paper said he missed the chance to rejuvenate the team and assumed many of his established performers will have to be discarded. Kicker football magazine told its readers that “Loew has to deliver quickly” and that there will be no trial period. Loew will have to develop a new structure wrote the weekly news-magazine Der Spiegel.

Loew will have to reinvent himself as a coach to avoid further disappointment. While the general public remains suspicious when it comes to Loew’s next steps, the coach said it will take a few weeks to present a plan.

Rumors mentioned changes in Loew’s coaching staff and a possible return of former sports director Hans-Dieter Flick. The pundits and the media don’t expect a new German football revolution like the one Loew and former German national coach Juergen Klinsmann initiated in 2004.

“What we need is new inspiration and the opportunity to discuss things much more openly than in the last (few) years,” former international Thomas Berthold said on German television.

Former national coach Hans-Hubert Vogts demanded a change in the team’s tactical approach. The time of endless passing and possession is over said Vogts who won the European Championship in 1996. Argentina, Spain, and Germany have failed with that style. Vogts demanded that German football needs to modernize.

Vogts said he supports Loew’s decision to continue and is convinced the coach knows how to handle pressure. However, Loew is not the only one to blame for the poor World Cup campaign.

According to rumors, Loew is thinking about changing Germany’s style significantly. He told Bierhoff that the 2018 World Cup will prove that possession-oriented teams will not be successful in the future.

In other words, “Tiki-Taka” is dead. Loew also informed the general manager that the reigning world champions will have to follow the example of France, Brazil, and England and design the future without too much ball-possession and endless passing situations.

Loew is expected to talk to several of his aged performers over the next weeks and tell some of them they are no longer needed in the national team.

Brazil were put through their paces on the training field here Wednesday, two days after overcoming Mexico in a 2-0 victory that secured the South Americans a spot in the FIFA World Cup quarter-finals.

Once again, David Lucca da Silva Santos, son of star forward Neymar Jr, watched from the sidelines of the practice ground at Brazil’s World Cup headquarters, reported Efe.

At six years old, his youth means he is not likely to play any role against Belgium in the quarterfinal match at the Kazan Arena on Friday.

His father, Neymar, opened the scoring against an on-form Mexico on Monday, a lead solidified later by Liverpool man Roberto Firmino.

Brazil remains hot favourites to win the World Cup in Russia, but Belgium present arguably their biggest hurdle yet.