Japan¡¯s squad for this summer¡¯s World Cup appears to be taking shape, but don¡¯t bet against manager Vahid Halilhodzic ripping up the blueprint before he submits it in time for the June 4 deadline.
Japan plays its first two games of the year over the coming week against Mali on March 23 and Ukraine four days later, both in Liege, Belgium. Halilhodzic has only a May 30 home friendly against Ghana to follow before he must finalize his 23-man World Cup selection, and he appears determined to keep all options open until the last minute.
¡°A lot of the players are not currently performing at their best level,¡± Halilhodzic said last week as he announced his 26-man squad for this week¡¯s trip to Europe. ¡°I picked this squad to send a message to the players that I want to see them all returning to their best form.¡±
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