Japan's new national team manager has strongly defended his decision to recall the country's three biggest players for this month's friendly against Ghana after they were frozen out under the previous coach.
Akira Nishino says Keisuke Honda, Shinji Kagawa and Shinji Okazaki will give the squad the needed experience to stand against the best sides in world when the World Cup starts.
Japan will face Ghana in a friendly match in Yokohama on May 30, with Nishino set to trim his squad to 23 for the June 14-July 15 World Cup the following day.
The three players were handed a World Cup lifeline on Friday when they were named in a 27-man squad for Japan’s final game before the final squad 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 — 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.”
Players on the 35-man extended list that Nishino submitted to world governing body FIFA earlier this week can still be selected despite being left off Friday’s squad.
Honda, Kagawa and Okazaki — three of Japan’s most recognizable players — looked in danger of missing out altogether after being used sparingly by Halilhodzic during the qualifiers, but Nishino believes the so-called “Big Three” still have much to offer.
“Okazaki plays in the Premier League and every game there is tough,” said Nishino.
“He has been injured recently but he contributes a lot to the team with his physicality and he has qualities as a striker.
"He contributes more than just hard running — he’s good at bringing the play together.
“Kagawa is in a delicate situation because he’s just come back from three months out injured, and I want to see what condition he’s in during this training camp.
"I’d like to see him get back to his best form. Honda has been playing in a different environment with his club in Central America and I’d like to check his performance levels as well.”