Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu wants his side to match Tunisia¡¯s expected increase in ?intensity when the teams meet on Saturday in the 1,000th match in World Cup history, a landmark clash set to be affected by the Monterrey heat.
Japan took a valuable point from its entertaining opening 2-2 Group F stalemate against the Netherlands, but ?Moriyasu said his players were not satisfied with a draw as they ?prepare for ?a Tunisia side trying to recover from a 5-1 ?defeat against Sweden.
¡°The Netherlands played very well, and so did our team, but we are not completely satisfied,¡± Moriyasu told reporters on Friday. ¡°Therefore, for the match ?against Tunisia, I believe everyone is convinced that we need to win.¡±
Tunisia has changed coaches ?since the thrashing by Sweden, with Herve Renard taking charge after fellow Frenchman Sabri Lamouchi was fired, and Moriyasu said Japan was ?preparing for a different opponent.
¡°I¡¯m ?sure that the team is different from the team that went against Sweden,¡± Moriyasu said, adding that Tunisia had individual quality and ?a solid defensive structure that could test his side. ¡°The new head coach is definitely ?firing up the ?players.
¡°They do have ?solid defense, ?and they look into the gaps in the opponents so that they could tie that into a scoring position.¡±
Japan¡¯s first match was played in Dallas, where Moriyasu said the air conditioning in the stadium was noticeable, ?but Monterrey presents a very different challenge.
¡°Here, the environment is very different,¡± he said. ¡°It is hotter here. And so for the players, it would be a more difficult environment.¡±
Moriyasu also said Japan had anticipated the weather conditions and trained to deal ?with ?them.
Saturday¡¯s match will also carry historical significance, with Japan and ?Tunisia contesting the 1,000th World Cup game.
¡°We want to make sure that it ?is a brilliant game which is going to be worthy of being the 1,000th game of the World Cup,¡± Moriyasu said.
The coach was also asked about the Japanese tradition of fans and players cleaning stadiums and ?dressing rooms, which has drawn global attention at major tournaments.
¡°Many Japanese know that they want to leave the place in a better state than before,¡± he said.
¡°Always helping each other, doing something together, working together. That¡¯s something that the Japanese do.¡±
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