Japan coach Okada relying on Honda for World Cup

Japan coach Takeshi Okada said Monday he had full confidence in CSKA Moscow midfielder Keisuke Honda as the key man to help realise his dream of a semi-final spot at the World Cup.

“I have tremendously great expectations of Honda,” Okada said as he named his final 23-man squad which contained no surprises, except the return of former main goalkeeper Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi as a substitute.

Honda, 23, who moved to Moscow from Dutch side VVV Venlo in January, has emerged as a new hope for goal-shy Japan with his free-kick wizardry which helped CSKA reach the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals for the first time.

“As he has grown, our team has a much greater possibility in terms of scoring. In this sense, I expect him to lead us in scoring,” the coach said.

Okada, who guided Japan to a winless World Cup finals debut at France 1998 in his first stint as national coach, has set his target in South Africa as a last-four berth, a goal widely seen as unrealistic.

“I have not changed my goal at all,” he said. “With these 23 players, I believe we can make it happen.”

But his dream has been increasingly seen as impossible after the Blue Samurai finished third at the East Asian championships in February and lost 3-0 to a second-string Serbia in a home friendly last month.

It sparked public and media demands for his dismissal.

Okada’s line-up includes other Europe-based players — Wolfsburg midfielder Makoto Hasebe, Grenoble midfielder Daisuke Matsui and Catania striker Takayuki Morimoto — to face Cameroon, the Netherlands and Denmark in Group E.

It also features former Celtic star Shunsuke Nakamura and a few others who have recently returned to J-League clubs from Europe to earn playing time.

Nakamura, who will turn 32 next month, rejoined his old J-League side Yokohama Marinos in February after struggling for six months at Espanyol following his much touted transfer from the former Scottish champions.

Okada is also looking to Morimoto to provide the former Asian champions with badly-needed firepower as they prepare to battle physically stronger teams in their fourth World Cup appearance.

“Morimoto has physical toughness and holds back nothing in front of goal,” Okada said of the crew-cut striker who has scored 13 goals for the Serie-A side since mid-2006. “He is a player with a very great impact on our team.”

Okada’s defensive line is led by seasoned J-League hard-men centre backs Yuji Nakazawa and Brazilian-born Marcus Tulio Tanaka.

Japan will face Cameroon in their World Cup opener on June 14 in Bloemfontein.

“We will stick to our weapon that is our set play and and we must go out with fast attacks a number of times,” Okada said.

“It is not easy to break down the walls of Cameroon, the Netherlands and Denmark at present. So what I have in mind is fast attacks after stealing the ball up front.”

Japan’s best-ever World Cup was a last-16 spot at the 2002 edition it co-hosted with South Korea. But Okada believed Japan had the tenacity to go further.

“Japan keep on challenging like swarming flies, if you excuse my expression, and have a great work rate. We are also fast in switching between offensive and defensive and well organised,” he said. “Those are our strengths.”