At this point it's clear he lacks self-objectivity.
Moriyasu Hajime, head coach of the Japan national soccer team, said in a New Year's interview that he is confident of winning the 2026 CONCACAF World Cup. Japan will face the Netherlands, Tunisia and the winner of the European play-off (Ukraine, Poland, Albania, Sweden) at the CONCACAF World Cup.
Although Japan was drawn into the "group of death," it still exudes confidence, saying "the World Cup goal is to win." That is because they have the experience of finishing first in their group at the last Qatar World Cup after beating Spain and Germany 2-1 in succession.
If Japan advances to the round of 32 as the runner-up of its group, there is a very high probability it will meet Brazil, likely to finish first in group C. If Japan pulls off the miracle of beating the Netherlands, it would likely meet Morocco, the probable second-place team in group C, in the round of 32. From Japan's perspective, they must aim to finish first in their group.
In an exclusive interview with the Nishinippon Shimbun on the 1st, Moriyasu said, "the World Cup goal is still to win."
Moriyasu recalled, "We lost to Croatia on penalties in the round of 16 at the Qatar World Cup, but it was a match in which we could have gone further. You could see the regret in the players' faces, as if asking 'is it right for it to end here?' It wasn't a defeat that came from lack of effort. I felt we could even aim for the championship."
Japan still has no experience of reaching the World Cup quarterfinals. The only country that sees such a Japan as a title contender is Japan itself. Moriyasu made the healthy return of Tomiyasu Takehiro (28, Ajax) a prerequisite.
Moriyasu emphasized, "If Tomiyasu can perform at his usual level, Japan can continue to win against the world. The number of world-class players from Japan playing in the Champions League keeps increasing."
He cited 'organization' as the core value of Japanese soccer along with improvements in individual ability. "It is important to have world-class physicality and technique, but the unique unity and interplay of Japanese players remain a major weapon," he said, expressing confidence in winning the World Cup.
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