Greenlander Nils Nielsen is set to embark on his first major outing as Nadeshiko Japan manager with a star-studded array of technical talent at hand.
But can the two-time AFC Women’s Asian Cup winners go the distance in Australia and add a third trophy to the cabinet?
It all came to cruel end in Pune four years ago. Then manager Futoshi Ikeda saw his side exit the tournament in the semi-finals after losing to eventual champions China via a grueling penalty shootout. That edition of the competition also served as Ikeda’s maiden voyage as Nadeshiko boss.
Fast forward to the present day and the next in line to take the helm is eager to win hearts by returning the 2011 world champions to winning ways. Nielsen, who as former Technical Director of Manchester City Women had a hand in the clubs signing of midfield maestro Yui Hasegawa, considered squad selection for the tournament a difficult task, but one he relished.
“Of course it wasn’t an easy to decision to make, but it’s been possible for us to select players that have shown to be in-form over the past month,” he said at the JFA’s squad selection press conference held earlier in February.
“I am happy that we have so many good players that we can actually do it like that and I really feel that no matter what the opponents come up with we will have the answers within the squad that we picked.”
And a mere glance at Nielsen’s selection suggests that ultimate glory is the prime objective. Along with star-player Hasegawa, familiar faces such as prolific centre forward Mina Tanaka and veteran defender Saki Kumagai are all present and correct, while proven youngsters like Maya Hijikata and WE League MVP Yuzuki Yamamoto are to make their first major tournament outings with the senior squad.
But squad selection was not based on attributes alone, as Nielsen indicated when discussing his tactical approach.
“It will be different for each player, it depends on how they come in to the tournament,” he explained.
“Some of them have been training specifically for this tournament while some of them are in the middle of their season and will need to rest a bit first. Those players don’t need conditioning; they need to get ready for the games.
“But some of them are not in season and they need to work a bit more physically so that is the challenge for us as technical staff.”
Having a collection of players based far and wide speaks to the current tide of the Japanese game. The last time the Nadeshiko lifted the trophy in 2018 just four players were based away from Japanese shores. This time around just four are based domestically with the rest playing their club football in the big leagues of Europe and the United States.
Japan is placed in Group C alongside Chinese Taipei, India and Vietnam. While Nielsen seeks to instill confidence in Japan’s chances of going the distance in the tournament, he does so with a hint of caution.
In particular he keeps a keen eye on potential latter stage opposition that are likely to ask real questions of this Japan side.
Host nation Australia will enjoy a strong home support along with a squad capable of winning the tournament. Reigning champions China have proven their mental resilience time and again in knockout competition and they too will pose a real threat to Japan should they meet in the later rounds.
There is no question that Japan are genuine title contenders, on paper. But past tournaments do suggest that this band of highly technical talent might lack the mettle for those tight all-or-nothing encounters.
An extra-time loss to the USA saw them exit the Olympic competition at Paris 2024, while a missed penalty against Sweden at the 2023 Women’s World Cup saw them leave at the quarter-final stage.
At India 2022 they lost to China in the semi-final on penalties, and Nielsen himself laid witness in-person to Urawa Reds Ladies’ AFC Women’s Champions League quarter-final exit to Wuhan Jiangda, also on penalties.
The question now centres less on how to assemble this squad of highly capable players and more on how experience gained in recent years is able play into the psyche of the squad, and to what degree players are able to harness it in the difficult moments.
Should Japan solve this conundrum then they may well find themselves on a path to glory that extends beyond Australia 2026.
Listen to Episode 266 of The Asian Game Podcast as we discuss the upcoming AFC Women’s Asian Cup
