I caught up with Nicholas Watanabe for part 28 of the series. Nicholas is half Japanese half American, born in U.S. but went to Middle school and High School in Japan. He started playing football in Japan and has attended many J League matches in person.

I thank Nicholas for agreeing to the interview.

Tell us a bit about the Japanese football history and the football culture which exists.

The first notable date in Japanese football history was in the 1968 olympics where Japan won the bronze medal. Since then its been a rough road, winning Asia Cup for the first time in 1992. In 1998 they made their first appearance in World Cup. The last few years have shown Japanese soccer come to light and evolve as they have won the last two Asia Cups (2000 and 2004) and have made the knockout stage of the World Cup in 2002.

Tell us a bit about the Road to the World Cup – the qualification, and the emotions the fans went through at the time.

This time the road to World Cup was quite tense. Though Japan was the first to qualify their play throughout the qualifiers was quite poor. In many cases Japan beat countries that they had easily handled in the past by margins of only a goal or two. A lot of the blame was placed on the new coach Zico, who has been criticized by fans since day one. I think many fans were unhappy, and some even demonstrated outside of the Japanese Football Association offices in Tokyo.

What style of football does the national team play?

Japan plays with a 4-4-2 system, that Zico sometimes changes into other formations, experimenting with the 3-6-1 in one match. Japan plays with pretty good pace, but seem to have lacked decent ball control with the new system.

What do you think your country’s prospects are at the World Cup?

I believe they can make the knockout stages, but probably will not. Everything depends on the forwards scoring goals. The Japanese forwards have been quite bad at putting the ball in the net, and the midfield may have to come up with some big goals for Japan to advance in the World Cup.

Who will be the most important player for your country?

I could name a couple, but I will say it is going to be Nakamura. He carried Japan last summer in the Confederations Cup against Brazil (scoring one goal, and hitting the post with another free kick). He has a great free kick, and has really shown he is a high quality player playing for Celtic
this last season.

Which player in your country’s side would you most like to get rid of?

I would say Maki. He was the last person Zico put on the squad. This seems to have baffeled many people. He hasn’t been that great in J League, and Japan has better players who could take his spot and play a more effective role during World Cup.

Who are the players to watch from the other countries?

I’m looking forward to watchin Ronaldinho and Robinho play together for Brazil, that combination scares me, as they are Japan’s last opponent in the group stages.

What will be your excuse in the event of failure?

I don’t like to make excuses. Japan got themselves to where they are now by all the decisions that have been made. However if I was to blame someone, I would blame Zico, I feel that he wasn’t the best coach for the Japan job.

Have you got the right manager?

No. I can think of some other managers who I would rather have coaching Japan. Osim comes to mind, he seems to be a very good coach who knows how to make a good team with the players he is given.

What advice would you give him?

Bring in Matsui for the National Team. He was tied for the most assists in France this year, and I think its a shame that he didn’t make the National Team.

Which team do you most want to beat?

Brazil. Japan has never beaten Brazil in an A match. We beat them 1-0 in the Atlanta Olympics. We tied them twice in the Confederations Cup, but we still haven’t got that win against Brazil. I think if Japan beat Brazil in the World Cup this year, that would make up for anything else that would happen in the tournament.

Which opposition player will get the most stick?

Probably Ronaldo. He’s fat, out of shape, and just seems to be one big target. I think he should be left at home for World Cup.

Where will you watch the matches?

I will be watching at home and at the bars on my college campus. I’ll probably be the only person cheering for Japan, but that hasn’t stopped me in the past. I even got punched once by a friend when Japan scored against the U.S. and took some heckling from other people but that doesn’t bother me. Even though I’m half Japanese and half American, when it comes to soccer, I’m fully behind Japan 100%!

How keenly will the World Cup be followed in your country?

People will be watching, but mostly Japan’s matches. Those who like soccer will watch as much as they can, but a lot of people like my grandparents only watch to cheer on Japan in International matches but would prefer to be watching baseball.

Who will be the player of the tournament?

Ronaldinho.

Who will win the Golden Boot?

Adriano

Which team will disappoint the most?

The United States. I think the FIFA ranking and the build up has put them in a real high spot. They are ranked ahead of so many teams, that with one bad game their whole tournament could fall apart. It’s like FIFA has put them up high, and unless they make the semi-finals I think there are going to be a lot of dissapointed fans.

Who will be the surprise team of the tournament?

I think that the suprise of the tournament will be one of the African teams. It seems that not many people know about the African countries that have made it into this World Cup. Of course it was not too long ago that we didn’t know too much about Cameroon and Nigeria. I think one of the African teams will suprise us with a good run, just like Senegal sid in 2002.

Finally, Who will win the World Cup?

Brazil. I know that is the popular choice, but I really think they have the best shot. They have a lineup that is just amazing. Most countries would kill to have half the squad that Brazil has. I know it will be tough for them to win in Europe, but I think they can do it.

***

For the rest of the interviews, check out the World Cup interview series page.

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