Japanese club captain Mikiya Eto and coach Ryo Tokushige said that to progress in the World Cup, the country will have to adopt aggressive football. He emphasized the need to quickly switch from defense to attack and create a better football culture from the J1 League down to the lower level.
FC Baleine Shimonoseki captain Mikiya Eto and head coach Reo Tokushige have said aggressive football, the ability to switch easily between defense and attack and an improved football culture from the top-flight Football League J1 to the lower levels of Japanese football are key to leading the country to the FIFA World Cup.
Ato and Tokushige spoke to ANI after a thrilling penalty win over Punjab FC’s youth team during the Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL) Japan Exposure Tour this week. As part of the tour, Punjab FC, along with Bengaluru FC and FC Goa, are experiencing high-level youth/club football after finishing top-3 in the 2025-26 RFDL season. FC Bellin Shimonoseki plays in the Chugoku Soccer League, the country’s fifth-tier football league.
For Japan, despite all the stars and skill sets coming to their country from different parts of the world and multiple world champion nations bringing their brand of football to the Asian nation, getting past the FIFA World Cup Round of 16 hurdle remains a challenge. Even during this edition, they could not reach the quarter-finals and were eliminated in the round of 32 after losing to Brazil. After finishing in the pre-quarters in the two editions prior to the current edition, Japan’s football continues to strive for collective improvement, while humbly accepting the challenge of competing against more physical and explosive players.
What does Japan need to advance in the World Cup?
Captain Ato emphasized on defense-attack transition
Speaking to ANI, captain Ato said that Japanese football is more defensive, and the team needs to improve its ability to switch between defense and attack. “Possession was low because the opponent was Brazil; Japanese football is more defensive. Defensive football is fine, but how to transition quickly to attack is very important. Figuring out how Japan as a team can become more offensive than defensive is one of the aspects where the country is trying to improve,” he said.
Coach expressed the need for better football culture
On the other hand, coach Tokushige said there is a need for a strong football culture from top-flight J1 down to its lower levels and youth football. “There are a lot of factors that can help improve a country’s football. But we need to develop a better footballing culture from J1 to the lower categories and youth football,” the coach said.
Impressed by the agility and speed of Punjab FC
After the win, captain Eto’o praised the “very good agility”, pace and physicality shown by Punjab FC. “That’s why, to be honest, we struggled against them during the match,” he said.
The club’s ‘Play for All’ philosophy
Captain Ato and coach Tokushige also talked about the club’s philosophy in terms of coaching, playing and other aspects.
Captain Ato highlighted the ‘play for everyone’ approach, saying, “Our philosophy is to impress and break through to all the players. That means playing for everyone. We have struggles, and we want to overcome them with the fight that comes from each member.”
Coach Tokushige highlighted that the most important aspect for players, especially the youth, is to create challenges for opponents when defending and attacking and to recover quickly when they make mistakes. He was also impressed by some of Punjab FC’s players, saying, “They have a lot of good players, especially number seven and number nineteen (jersey numbers). Also, the goalkeeper was very good.”
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)