Japan manager Takeshi Okada has backed midfield playmaker Shunsuke
Nakamura to regain form and help the national team meet its goal of
reaching the 2010 World Cup semifinals.
Japan has a difficult draw for the World Cup, facing tough
first-round opponents in the Netherlands, Cameroon and Denmark, yet
Okada has set the lofty goal of a position in the final four.
Nakamura, the most renowned of Japanese players after his
spells in Italy and with Celtic in Scotland, had struggled since
switching to Spanish side Espanyol this season. He is yet to score
in ten appearances.
"He (Nakamura) made this decision before the World Cup to go
to Spain and there was a certain amount of risk involved," Okada
said Thursday.
"However, when I consider his decision I actually admire him
deeply for it. He will not take the easy option; he will always try
to find the more challenging choice."
Okada, who also coached Japan in the 1998 tournament, praised
the level of African teams, saying that while they aren't quite at
level of top contenders Spain and Brazil, " they definitely have
potential to aim at being No. 1 in the world."
