Germany not a concern for Japan’s Moriyasu

Japan head coach Hajime Moriyasu has said his side’s opening game at the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 against four-time champions Germany will not be a do-or-die clash as the Samurai Blue attempt to break new ground at the global showpiece.The Japanese will be appearing at their seventh consecutive FIFA World Cup Finals having first qualified for the competition in France in 1998, with Moriyasu guiding his team to second place in their group behind Saudi Arabia to qualify for Qatar 2022.And although the draw has not been kind to the four-time AFC Asian Cup winners, Moriyasu is refusing to train his gaze too intently on the task his team will face against Hansi Flick’s team on November 23."The first game is very important, but the result of the first game isn’t everything,” Moriyasu told the-AFC.com in an exclusive interview. "We need to focus on each match as it comes and my job is to manage and stabilise the team so it doesn’t get affected by each result.”The Japanese have been handed a stiff challenge in the opening phase of the competition with the Samurai Blue facing the Germans before taking on Costa Rica and 2010 FIFA World Cup winners Spain in Group E.But four years after agonisingly missing out on a quarter-final berth with a late 3-2 loss against Belgium in Russia, Moriyasu is setting his sights high despite the challenges that lie ahead."Not only myself, but the players have carried the pain from Russia for the past four years,” said Moriyasu, who replaced Akira Nishino at the helm after the 2018 Finals. "If our players can perform to their potential and leave everything on the pitch, I think the results will come."For this to happen, I know I have to manage and take care of the team thoroughly.”Moriyasu will lead his squad into their final preparation game on Thursday when the Japanese take on Canada in Dubai and, with many of players joining the squad after an arduous start to the season in Europe, fatigue and injuries could be an issue.The Japanese have already lost Yuta Nakayama from the squad originally named by Moriyasu, who has called up Shuto Machino (pictured below) as a replacement for the left-back."There is always a risk of injury so it does worry me, but on the other hand the players are playing at the top level until right before the World Cup so I feel itis not only a disadvantage,” he said."Our aim (for the Canada game) is to check each player’s physical condition and to reverify our team concept.”The game against Canada will be Japan’s first since drawing 0-0 with Ecuador in Germany in late September, with Moriyasu picking the players he believes will best represent the country at the FIFA World Cup.That task, he says, was the biggest challenge he has faced in the lead-up to the finals."We had way over 26 great players to choose from, so it is a big responsibility for me and I spent a huge amount of time and consideration,” he said.The 1992 AFC Asian Cup-winning midfielder is about to find out if the squad he has selected is able to deliver on the greatest stage of all.