New national team manager Akira Nishino handed Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki a World Cup lifeline on Friday when he named all three in his 27-man squad for Japan¡¯s final game before he chooses his roster for next month¡¯s tournament in Russia.
¡°You need players who can perform on the big stage,¡± said Nishino, who took over when the Japan Football Association fired previous manager Vahid Halilhodzic last month, citing a breakdown in communication and trust with the players.
¡°You can¡¯t have players who freeze ¡ª players who tense up or can¡¯t make the right decisions in the big games. If you choose players like that, there¡¯s no way you will win.¡±
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.