Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Newcastle: With an AFC Asian Cup win already on his resume, Japan captain Makoto Hasebe has seen it all before when it comes to the continental championship. Click here for Hasebe's flash interview
So as the Samurai Blue head into the defence of their Asian title with a coach with limited experience of the regional game at the helm, the Eintracht Frankfurt midfielder takes it in his stride.
“We’ve been with the new coach for a few months and if you ask if we have had enough time then it’s the same as with the previous coach. That’s nothing new,” he says of new man Javier Aguirre, who replaced Alberto Zaccheroni in September.
“We’re not only trying to win the title, but we hope to grow as a team during this tournament as well as winning the title. Time is limited when we are together with the national team, it was the same with Zaccheroni and it will be the same with this coach.
“So it’s not an excuse, and I think we can still win the title.”
Japan’s position as defending champions means, even with a new coach, the Bundesliga-based star and his team mates go into the tournament amongst the favourites to lift the AFC Asian Cup once more.
Victory in Qatar was the country’s fourth title success after wins in 1992, 2000 and 2004, but having struggled to impress at the FIFA World Cup finals in Brazil last June, the Japanese are looking to make amends in Australia for their disappointing performance.
“We had a disappointing performance at the World Cup, but we have re-set ourselves with a new team and a new coach and the Asian Cup is very important in terms of showing our supporters a strong Japan team again,” he says.
“We have lost some respect around Asia due to the performance in Brazil. So the Asian Cup is very important.”
After experimenting with an array of new players in his first games as head coach, Aguirre has gone for a squad that features more than half of that which travelled to Brazil combined with a number of new faces, including rising star Yoshinori Muto of FC Tokyo.
“The experienced players as well as the new young players have been chosen as a team for this tournament,” says Hasebe. “It’s important that the experienced players take the lead and the younger players can show their potential if that’s the case.
“We have to play as a team together and if we can do that and we are united then we can win the title.
“Preparations have gone well and we have prepared well and the team is very motivated for the games. It won’t be easy, we know that but we will give 100 percent.”
Despite their tag as favourites, Hasebe does not believe there is any pressure on Japan to win a record-breaking fifth title.
“There’s no pressure as defending champions to win another title in this tournament,” he says.
Rather than being under pressure, we feel a lot of expectation from the supporters and we want to be united with the fans to win the title again. There’s no pressure, though.”