{"id":3165,"date":"2022-11-27T07:16:47","date_gmt":"2022-11-26T20:46:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/?p=3165"},"modified":"2026-09-25T10:45:41","modified_gmt":"2026-09-25T01:15:41","slug":"match-preview-japan-vs-costa-rica","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/match-preview-japan-vs-costa-rica\/","title":{"rendered":"Match Preview: Japan vs Costa Rica"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wp-block-media-text alignwide is-vertically-aligned-center\" style=\"grid-template-columns:20% auto\"><figure class=\"wp-block-media-text__media\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1290\" height=\"391\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/SMC-Logo-and-Sub-Brand-Logos-SEP-01-22-V1_SMC-scaled.jpg?resize=1290%2C391&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-2761 size-full\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/SMC-Logo-and-Sub-Brand-Logos-SEP-01-22-V1_SMC-scaled.jpg?w=2560&amp;ssl=1 2560w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/SMC-Logo-and-Sub-Brand-Logos-SEP-01-22-V1_SMC-scaled.jpg?resize=300%2C91&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/SMC-Logo-and-Sub-Brand-Logos-SEP-01-22-V1_SMC-scaled.jpg?resize=1024%2C310&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/SMC-Logo-and-Sub-Brand-Logos-SEP-01-22-V1_SMC-scaled.jpg?resize=768%2C233&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/SMC-Logo-and-Sub-Brand-Logos-SEP-01-22-V1_SMC-scaled.jpg?resize=1536%2C465&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/09\/SMC-Logo-and-Sub-Brand-Logos-SEP-01-22-V1_SMC-scaled.jpg?resize=2048%2C620&amp;ssl=1 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1290px) 100vw, 1290px\" \/><\/figure><div class=\"wp-block-media-text__content\">\n<p style=\"font-size:clamp(14px, 0.875rem + ((1vw - 3.2px) * 0.234), 17px);\" class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>The Asian Game&#8217;s coverage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is proudly sponsored by SMC.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<div style=\"height:20px\" aria-hidden=\"true\" class=\"wp-block-spacer\"><\/div>\n\n\n\n<h3 id=\"after-the-high-of-beating-germany-2-1-earlier-in-the-week-japan-head-into-sunday-s-clash-with-costa-rica-knowing-that-a-win-would-take-them-a-huge-step-closer-towards-reaching-the-knockout-stages-for-the-second-straight-world-cup\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">After the high of beating Germany 2-1 earlier in the week, Japan head into Sunday\u2019s clash with Costa Rica knowing that a win would take them a huge step closer towards reaching the knockout stages for the second straight World Cup.<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Firm underdogs against the Germans and now strong favourites against Los Ticos, the question is how does that fit with the philosophy of coach Hajime Moriyasu who is far more comfortable with his back to the wall and the world against him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This match looms as a dangerous one for Japan for that reason, they simply don\u2019t often perform at their best in those matches where they\u2019re expected to dominate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">After Costa Rica 2022 became just the second side in more than half a century \u2013 after Costa Rica 1990 \u2013 to fail to record a single shot in a World Cup finals match in their 7-0 thrashing against Spain, Japanese hopes of success have been buoyed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Against Germany, it was a typical Moriyasu display with deep, compact, defensive blocks and the main threat coming on the break where he started \u2013 and replaced \u2013 pace and then more pace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That will almost certainly be the case next week against Spain once more but just how he approaches things here is a real point of contention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If Japan, against expectation, push too far forward and take more risks that then leaves their ageing defence open to real pressure in transition and you get a sense that something Moriyasu is desperate to avoid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">If so and Japan again play deeper then Costa Rica, even after that woeful opening, still have players that can hurt them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-x wp-block-embed-x\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"embed-x\"><blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\"><p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Hajime Moriyasu has struggled to win over fans of the Japan national team, but the Samurai Blue manager is deserving of more respect and showed once again in Wednesday\u2019s historic comeback win against Germany that he knows what he\u2019s doing&#8230; <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/IA37dg9dPb\">https:\/\/t.co\/IA37dg9dPb<\/a><\/p>&mdash; Sean Carroll (@seankyaroru) <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/seankyaroru\/status\/1596349464067076096?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">November 26, 2022<\/a><\/blockquote><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.x.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/div>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Much will hinge here on the initial tactical setup and the patience that will be needed if they are struggling to find clear openings, as was the case against the Germans, whilst Moriyasu may also be tempted to debate starting with the 3-4-2-1 that they used in the second half comeback against Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There may be the temptation to make some rotational changes to preserve players for the Spain clash whilst Takehiro Tomiyasu, Hidemasa Morita, Kaoru Mitoma and now Hiroki Sakai also all remain under fitness clouds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"players-to-watch\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">PLAYERS TO WATCH<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>AO TANAKA<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 With Morita dealing with ongoing fitness issues it\u2019s likely that Tanaka lines up alongside Wataru Endo in central midfield and in a match where more creative central midfielders are needed that may have been the case regardless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That should see more positive forward play with Japan likely to look and break the Costa Rican lines centrally where the German-based player could be a key part of that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em><strong>TAKUMA ASANO<\/strong> <\/em>\u2013 Having gone from surprise squad inclusion to matchwinner against the might of Germany, the 28-year-old could be in line for a start here after his star turn off the bench in the first game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Much of Moriyasu\u2019s approach is based on blinding pace on the wings and in the central striking role to provide pressure when out of possession and a direct route when with the ball and it was a simple lofted ball over the top that Asano raced on to finish off the Germans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"833\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Asano.jpeg?resize=1024%2C833&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-3108\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Asano.jpeg?resize=1024%2C833&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Asano.jpeg?resize=300%2C244&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Asano.jpeg?resize=768%2C624&amp;ssl=1 768w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Asano.jpeg?resize=1536%2C1249&amp;ssl=1 1536w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.theasiangame.net\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/Asano.jpeg?w=1728&amp;ssl=1 1728w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>KAORU MITOMA<\/em><\/strong> \u2013 Having entered the tournament a touch off full fitness the Brighton man was introduced in the second half against Germany in a deep role that saw him flirt between a left fullback and a wingback position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As impressive as he is, and was, in going forward if he\u2019s viewed as the cover for veteran Yuto Nagatomo at the tournament then positional issues in defence that arose against Germany could be an area of concern for Japan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"what-they-said\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">WHAT THEY SAID<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Hajime Moriyasu &#8211; Japan coach<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cCosta Rica have high physical performance and can play in an organised manner and they are a good team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWhen we move from the attack to defence, we would like to do it quickly. However, we would like to hold the ball and control the game, that&#8217;s what we are trying in practice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cSometimes that is difficult to do when you are playing someone strong, but we would like to hold the ball as much as possible and also control the game.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h4 id=\"predictions\" class=\"wp-block-heading\">PREDICTIONS<\/h4>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Scott McIntyre<\/em><\/strong><br>Japan 0-1 Costa Rica<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Michael Church<\/em><\/strong><br>Japan 3-0 Costa Rica<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Paul Williams<\/em><\/strong><br>Japan 2\u20130 Costa Rica<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong><em>Martin Lowe<\/em><\/strong><br>Japan 3\u20131 Costa Rica<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><em>Listen to The Asian Game Podcast&#8217;s &#8216;<strong>Doha Daily<\/strong>&#8216; live from Qatar 2022<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Embed Player\" style=\"border:none\" src=\"https:\/\/play.libsyn.com\/embed\/episode\/id\/25134753\/height\/128\/theme\/modern\/size\/standard\/thumbnail\/yes\/custom-color\/fbb33c\/time-start\/00:00:00\/playlist-height\/200\/direction\/backward\/download\/yes\" height=\"128\" width=\"100%\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"\" webkitallowfullscreen=\"true\" mozallowfullscreen=\"true\" oallowfullscreen=\"true\" msallowfullscreen=\"true\"><\/iframe>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Asian Game&#8217;s coverage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is proudly sponsored by SMC. After the high of beating Germany 2-1 earlier in the week, Japan head into Sunday\u2019s clash with Costa Rica knowing that a win would take them a huge step closer towards reaching the knockout stages for the second straight [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":3167,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"nf_dc_page":"","_gspb_post_css":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[94,15,512,314],"class_list":["post-3165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-analysis","tag-fifa-world-cup","tag-japan","tag-national-teams","tag-qatar-2022"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v28.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Match Preview: Japan vs Costa Rica - The Asian Game<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.theasiangame.net\/ro\/match-preview-japan-vs-costa-rica\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"ro_RO\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Match Preview: Japan vs Costa Rica - The Asian Game\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"The Asian Game&#8217;s coverage of the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 is proudly sponsored by SMC. 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