Relentless pressure earned Japan two famous wins. Will Croatia be No. 3?

DOHA, Qatar -- Japan person already made statistical past astatine this World Cup, and they whitethorn yet permission Qatar having fixed the crippled a caller and devastating mode of taking connected the apical teams and beating them.

It is ultra-defensive and passive, but with a sting successful the tail. Football's mentation of rope-a-dope has taken Japan into the circular of 16 and their opponents connected Monday, Croatia, are precisely the benignant that is astir susceptible to their daze tactics.

While Japan's attack has been palmy successful Qatar, though, it is yet to triumph hearts and minds backmost home.

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"Coach [Hajime] Moriyasu has achieved historical victories against Germany and Spain," writer Masatoshi Mori of Hochi Shimbun told ESPN. "However, helium is taking a antiaircraft attack successful this Qatar World Cup.

"His crippled program is 0-0 successful the archetypal half, oregon 0-1 astatine worst. It truthful tin beryllium seen arsenic a occupation that the opponents person scored the archetypal extremity successful each 3 games. Worryingly, with 2 palmy examples of come-from-behind victories against Germany and Spain, it is apt that this attack volition proceed against Croatia."

But the attack has beaten 2 of the favourites to triumph this World Cup, with four-time winners Germany eliminated arsenic a effect of Japan's quality to soak up unit and deed hard connected the break.

According to Opta, since elaborate World Cup records began successful 1966, determination person lone been 2 instances of a squad losing a crippled contempt attempting much than 700 passes and some person happened successful Qatar: the archetypal erstwhile Germany were beaten 2-1 by Japan aft signaling 820 passes during their Group E opener astatine Khalifa International Stadium, the 2nd erstwhile Spain, who recorded 1,070 passes, mislaid 2-1 astatine the aforesaid venue against Moriyasu's team.

On some occasions, Japan fell down to their well-fancied opponents and surrendered possession passim the game, but they overturned their one-goal shortage each clip to triumph pursuing a brief, but frenzied, play of onslaught and unit successful the last third. Against Germany, 2 goals successful 8 minutes from Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano turned the crippled connected its caput to unafraid a celebrated victory. Versus Spain, the turnaround was adjacent quicker, with Doan and Ao Tanaka scoring 2 goals successful 3 minutes to cancel retired Alvaro Morata's opener and springiness Japan a 2-1 pb that they held until the extremity of the crippled to alteration them to triumph the group.

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Spain had an unthinkable 78% of possession during the 90 minutes against Japan. Germany were likewise dominant, enjoying a 65% stock of the shot connected the pitch.

The cardinal item successful Japan's occurrence connected each occasion, though, was their tenacity and readiness to support and property their opponents successful each country of the pitch, led by the enactment complaint of Daichi Kamada and Junya Ito successful midfield.

Against Germany, according to authoritative FIFA data, Japan recorded 487 antiaircraft pressures, compared with 164 by their opponents. In the triumph against Spain, Japan took that fig up to 637, with Luis Enrique's players amassing conscionable 150.

To underscore the high-pressing vigor of Japan's players, they recorded 87 forced turnovers against Germany and 85 against Spain. Quite simply, they refused to springiness their opponents immoderate clip to settee connected the ball.

Ironically, erstwhile Japan mislaid 1-0 against Costa Rica successful their 2nd radical game, it was the Central American squad who sat backmost and soaked up pressure, forcing Moriyasu's players to person overmuch much of the shot -- 48% of possession. And successful presumption of antiaircraft pressures, Japan's fig dropped to 300, conscionable six much than Costa Rica, and they lone managed 47 forced turnovers.

Croatia are a squad chopped from the aforesaid cloth arsenic Spain, though, with playmaker Luka Modric orchestrating play from midfield and ensuring that the 2018 World Cup runners-up predominate possession and pin opponents back. So Japan's tried-and-tested approach, which proved the downfall of Germany and Spain, seems perfectly designed to drawback Croatia retired too.

"Our archetypal precedence was to not concede immoderate goals, followed intimately by trying to people arsenic galore goals arsenic possible," Moriyasu said aft the Spain victory. "The players who came retired successful the archetypal fractional tried to execute our archetypal priority. This I judge helped pb to the triumph successful the 2nd half."

Despite Japan's occurrence successful Qatar, manager Moriyasu divides sentiment successful the state due to the fact that of what is perceived to beryllium a antagonistic attack that fails to harness the much originative endowment astatine his disposal. Celtic brace Reo Hatate and Kyogo Furuhashi were some amazingly omitted from Japan's squad, but results successful Qatar person justified Moriyasu's selections.

Still, determination is simply a interest successful Japan that Moriyasu's safety-first attack volition enactment against the squad successful the knockout stage.

"Moriyasu has been criticized for his passive attitude, arsenic helium has been precocious successful making substitutions astatine cardinal points, truthful these tendencies permission america uneasy connected the tourney stage," Masatoshi said. "The media has questioned Moriyasu's prime of choosing Daizen Maeda implicit Furuhashi. It is due to the fact that Maeda is simply a centre-forward subordinate who applies unit and contributes successful defence and this prime besides reveals Moriyasu's antiaircraft strategy tendencies."

But portion Moriyasu's Japan are much pragmatic and cautious than erstwhile teams, who person borne hallmarks of the deep-rooted Brazilian power successful Japanese football, this broadside is winning and beating the strongest opponents. Japan are 1 triumph distant from reaching the quarterfinals for the archetypal clip and they conscionable mightiness person the cleanable crippled program to bash it.