Moriyasu leaves Furuhashi, Osako out of Japan squad

Japan’s coach Hajime Moriyasu (left) and Japan Football Association chairman Kozo Tashima during a press conference to announce the members of Japan’s 2022 World Cup squad in Tokyo yesterday. (AFP)

Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu left Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi and Vissel Kobe forward Yuya Osako out of his 26-man squad for the World Cup yesterday, saying he had opted for players with “burning ambition” over experience at the finals this month.The Japanese have never gone beyond the last 16 at a World Cup but Moriyasu is targeting the quarter-finals in Qatar, where they will face Germany, Spain and Costa Rica in Group E.“Our goal is to at least reach the quarter-finals,” Moriyasu told a media conference in Tokyo as he named his squad for Japan’s seventh appearance at the finals. “It’s not an easy target but if our supporters are all behind us, I’m sure we can achieve it.”Moriyasu has left Furuhashi out despite the striker’s impressive performances at Celtic while Osako, a regular under Moriyasu, has been hit by fitness problems following his return to the J1 League. There was also no place for experienced Union Berlin midfielder Genki Haraguchi, who was part of the squad at the last World Cup and who featured regularly during the preliminaries. “If I could, I would have included them, and would have wanted to fight in the World Cup with them,” Moriyasu said when asked about Osako and Furuhashi’s exclusion. “They have the ability to do that. Selecting members with the experience was one option but ultimately we decided to bet on the players who didn’t have that but had the burning ambition to succeed at the World Cup.”Nagoya Grampus winger Yuki Soma was a surprise inclusion while Bochum forward Takuma Asano was also named in a squad that will be led by captain Maya Yoshida and features Arsenal defender Takehiro Tomiyasu and Real Sociedad’s Takefusa Kubo. Moriyasu will look to Real Sociedad forward Kubo and Brighton winger Mitoma to provide the spark against Japan’s opponents in Qatar.Kubo, 21, was invited to join Barcelona’s La Masia academy at the age of nine and was known as the “Japanese Messi” early on in his precocious career.He joined Sociedad at the start of this season on a permanent deal after being loaned out several times during three years with Real Madrid, and has already won 19 caps for Japan.Mitoma joined Brighton this summer after a year on loan at Belgium’s Union SG and recovered from an injury scare to make Japan’s squad. “I looked at what the players had done up to this point, what condition they were in and what would be best for us overall at the World Cup,” Moriyasu said. “I’ve picked players who can connect and work together, who will play with organisation.”JFA President Kozo Tashima emphasised the national team’s current slogan — “A new landscape” — in urging the team to achieve a first-ever Best 8 appearance and move the country, participating in the event for a seventh straight time, closer to its target of lifting the championship trophy by 2050. “In order to reach this new landscape, we have to win,” Tashima said. “We’re very happy to have this opportunity to face such strong teams in competition. “It won’t be easy but first we have to get through this group, out of the Round of 16 and into the quarter-finals, and we’re going to take on this challenge together.”Japan kick off their campaign on November 23 against Germany.SquadGoalkeepers: Shuichi Gonda (Shimizu S-Pulse), Daniel Schmidt (Sint Truiden), Eiji Kawashima (Strasbourg)Defenders: Hiroki Sakai (Urawa Red Diamonds), Miki Yamane (Kawasaki Frontale), Ko Itakura (Borussia Monchengladbach), Takehiro Tomiyasu (Arsenal), Maya Yoshida (Schalke 04), Shogo Taniguchi (Kawasaki Frontale), Hiroki Ito (VfB Stuttgart), Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Yuta Nakayama (Huddersfield Town)Midfielders: Junya Ito (Stade de Reims), Ritsu Doan (SC Freiburg), Wataru Endo (VfB Stuttgart), Hidemasa Morita (Sporting), Ao Tanaka (Fortuna Dusseldorf), Daichi Kamada (Eintracht Frankfurt), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), Takumi Minamino (AS Monaco), Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton & Hove Albion), Gaku Shibasaki (Leganes), Yuki Soma (Nagoya Grampus)Forwards: Daizen Maeda (Celtic), Ayase Ueda (Cercle Brugge), Takuma Asano (Vfl Bochum).