New era Nadeshiko finding its feet at India 2022

Reigning champions Nadeshiko Japan have advanced to the semi-finals of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup with an impressive 7-0 win over Thailand. They go on to face China PR in Pune on Thursday. Progression to this stage also enables qualification to the FIFA Women's World Cup Australia and New Zealand 2023.

Nadeshiko cruised through their first two group-stage matches against Myanmar and Vietnam with 5-0 and 3-0 wins respectively. A 1-1 draw against South Korea was enough to seal top spot, with a goal difference advantage favoring Japan.

Despite dominant displays in their first two matches, a labored performance against South Korea has left a lot to be desired by a side aiming for a third straight title. With a total of seven points, Japan have the lowest tally of all group stage first-placed finishers, behind China PR and Australia on nine each.

The 2011 world champions were dealt an early blow at India 2022 when ace forward Mana Iwabuchi (Arsenal) contracted COVID and was subsequently sidelined for the group stages. Fortunately Iwabuchi was asymptomatic and has since rejoined the squad, appearing on the bench against South Korea.

Iwabuchi went on to start Nadeshiko's quarter-final match against Thailand where she notably had a penalty kick saved before setting up Yuika Sugasawa's (Urawa Reds Ladies) opening goal. The Arsenal forward was brought off at half-time with the game seemingly tied up for Japan and they went on to see out the game comfortably against fairly manageable opponents.

A new approach for a new Nadeshiko

Long-term Nadeshiko fans will have also noticed a significant deviance in the style of play the current side seems to have adopted for this tournament. Traditionally Japan are characterized by their quick passing, sharp moving ‘positional-play’ focused approach. Whilst the blueprint for retaining possession by keeping the ball moving remains in place, Nadeshiko has been far from incisive with their passing combinations and linkup play.

In many ways, the somewhat slow start can be attributed to head coach Futoshi Ikeda’s inclination towards fresh talent. Midfielders Fuka Nagano, Honoka Hayashi and Yui Narumiya, along with forward Riko Ueki, all played under Ikeda at U-20 level. They have enjoyed significant game time thus far at India 2022.

Ikeda has also selected vastly different starting lineups for all three group stage matches. Only captain Saki Kumagai (Bayern Munich) and dynamic right-back Risa Shimizu (Tokyo Verdy Beleza) have started each game. Combine this with a severely hindered pre-tournament preparation period and one can easily understand how and why team cohesion may appear to be lacking.

Yui Hasegawa (West Ham United) has arguably been Nadeshiko’s stand out player, scoring one and assisting two of Japan’s nine group stage goals. She plays as a roaming advanced playmaker and is able to beat opponents with both her dynamic dribbling and incisive passing. She is relentless in chasing down opponents and her energy levels are seemingly limitless.

It should also be noted that this Japan side is able to transition from defense to attack, and vice-versa, in a highly organized fashion. This has often enabled them to recover possession quickly with 52% of all successful tackles being made in the opponent’s half. Positional awareness appears to be a trait that transcends generations of Nadeshiko team cycles.

Ikeda’s approach to India 2022 seems to be of an experimental nature, testing various personnel combinations and goal scoring ideas. No more is this evident than in the variation of goals scored so far. Just one has come through the traditional method of incisive passing through the middle in Yui Hasegawa’s first against Myanmar. Others have been instances of individual creativity or crosses from wide areas.

Ikeda has been absolute in his praise for his players who critics claim have lacked resolve and appear disjointed in this new setup.

"Every player is important to me. We play as one group. Every single player showed a good performance when they were on the pitch. So every player has impressed me"

Futoshi Ikeda speaker with an official publication

Undeniably Japan’s group stage opposition are of a significantly lower standard to the former world champions and Ikeda has been afforded time to tinker. Gradually he has dripped into the new talent and a comparison of abilities can now be made.

From there Ikeda is expected to arrive with his best system and move forward with a preferred starting squad. The return of key player Mana Iwabuchi adds a further dynamic that will only further enhance Japan’s attacking output.

Arsenal WFC v 1899 Hoffenheim: Group C - UEFA Women's Champions League

The optimist would expect that Ikeda is yet to play his best cards. That the group stages of this tournament are often used to trial various tactical variances and the best should be preserved for stiffer opposition in the later stages. How he might fare against such opposition, however, remains to be seen.

Indeed, his remit is not only reclaim Nadeshiko' reputation as a global footballing powerhouse at India 2022, but also at major tournaments further down the line.