DOHA (Kyodo) — Hajime Moriyasu has overseen a generational change in his time managing the Samurai Blue, resulting in a fresh-faced group of players representing Japan at the 2022 World Cup.
At 39, goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima is the elder statesman of the squad featuring eight players over 30, but it would be a mistake to presume he has transitioned to only a mentorship role at his fourth World Cup.
The Strasbourg stopper bristled at the notion that he might be in Qatar primarily to provide a veteran presence in the dressing room when the subject was raised at Japan’s camp on Sunday.
“I have experience from the last three World Cups. I am trying to do my best as a player, I am not just trying to help the young players,” he said.
“But, after I have made all my efforts to show myself on the pitch, of course I can give some advice to the younger players. But I am trying to be like other players and to be competitive and try to bring this group to a higher level by having a competitive attitude.”
His insistence that he is leading by example is understandable, given Japan’s No. 1 goalkeeper spot is seemingly up for grabs.
Moriyasu has given no clear indication whether Kawashima, Sint-Truiden’s Daniel Schmidt or Shimizu S-Pulse’s Shuichi Gonda will be named when the starting lineup for Japan’s World Cup opener against Germany is announced on Tuesday.
Kawashima appears to be the outsider in that three-way race based on recent selections, but if he is picked, his leadership to an incoming generation with relatively few international caps is likely to have been a factor.
“Mostly we (have been) building this team in a long-term (way) and now the coach decided to change the generation from the experienced players,” Kawashima said. “It has been different, but we have more young potential in the squad, so I think we can show something different than previous World Cups.”
One of the standard-bearers for the new crop in Japan’s 26-man squad is Kaoru Mitoma, although the Brighton & Hove Albion player pushes back on the label of “young.”
“Everybody does not know my age, because my age is 25, not young,” he said on Monday. “But Japan has great younger players, for example, Ritsu (Doan) and Takefusa (Kubo).”
“We have a good balance between young and senior players. We have to be more energetic and young players have to show a lot of good spirit. I will do my best for the team.”
For Kawashima, Japan’s injection of Europe-based players like Mitoma from the Premier League, 24-year-old Doan with Freiburg in the German Bundesliga and Kubo, 21, with Real Sociedad in Spain’s La Liga, gives the national team a new self- assurance.
“I think it is a big difference,” he said. “For example, in 2010 we had four players who played in Europe. Today, it is the standard that we play in Europe, in the Champions League.”
“Also some players play in big clubs like Arsenal, in the Premier League, Bundesliga, that is standard for us. So, this experience brings us more experience for the national team…I think it is a good thing for us.”
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