DPA/Itu, Brazil


World Cup history is full of players who arrived at the tournament on a high after brilliant domestic seasons but then never reached the same heights for their country. Japan’s hopes in Brazil rest on the reverse happening to their two star players Keisuke Honda and Shinji Kagawa.
Japan coach Alberto Zaccheroni said he hoped the AC Milan midfielder Honda’s season would peak in Brazil and after a similarly miserable last nine months at Manchester United, the dream for the Blue Samurai is that the same happens to Kagawa.
Both Honda and Kagawa have a flair for firsts. Honda was the first Japanese player to play in the quarter-finals of the Champions League when he made it to the last eight of the tournament in 2010 with CSKA Moscow. He also scored the goal that put them there so becoming the first Japanese player to score in the knock-out stages of the competition.
Later in 2010 he scored the goal that gave Japan their first ever World Cup Finals win on foreign soil in a 1-0 victory over Cameroon.
Kagawa is another who has led Japanese football at home and abroad in recent years. He was the first Japanese player to get a winner’s medal in the English Premier League in 2013 with Manchester United.
In his first season under Sir Alex Ferguson he had also become the first Japanese player to score a hat-trick in England in a 4-0 home win over Norwich City.
But both players’ fortunes have soured this season, adversely affected by changes of manager. Honda moved to Milan in January from CSKA Moscow and was given the number 10 shirt but the idea that he would be central to Massimiliano Allegri’s plans meant nothing when Allegri was sacked the same month to be replaced by Clarence Seedorf.
Kagawa’s mentor at United had been Sir Alex Ferguson. His move to Old Trafford was sealed after Ferguson flew out to Berlin to watch the midfielder star in Borussia Dortmund’s German Cup final win over Bayern Munich in 2012. But Ferguson’s replacement David Moyes appeared to have none of the faith in his ability shown by his predecessor.
Both Kagawa and Honda are now on their third managers after Louis van Gaal replaced Moyes at United and Filippo Inzaghi replaced Seedorf.  What better way to impress their new coaches for next season than with good World Cup showings.
“I am hoping Honda will peak for us. Milan is a big club and they had a change of coach; they are unsettled internally and that has made it a difficult season for him,” Japan coach Zaccheroni said Tuesday.
Zaccheroni knows Milan well having coached the club between 1998 and 2001 and he added: “He [Honda] is a clever person both on and off the pitch and has the personality to deal with the situation. I am sure he will get stronger with each game we play here.”
Honda has never been given the chance to fill the number 10 spot presented to him in January as he was forced out wide with Kaka preferred in a central role under Seedorf.
Likewise Kagawa, despite having shone under Juergen Klopp in the number 10 role at Dortmund, has been used wide by Manchester United to allow Wayne Rooney to play in his favoured central role.
Both men have been shadows of their former selves since their latest moves, shunted out of position, forgotten men at big clubs. At the Blue Samurai’s Itu training camp they are the star attractions once more. Psychologically they will be lifted; now Zaccheroni hopes they can lift Japan.