Ritsu Doan: 'Japan's strength comes from the bench'
* Japan - Croatia: 10pm today, on MetaSports.
"Football is 11 against 11. But as players, we always talk about Japan using 26 against 11," Doan said on December 4. "The rules have changed to allow five substitutions per game, and I think Japan benefits. We have players who can change the game."
Coach Hajime Moriyasu was praised for the changes in people and tactics in the group stage. In the opening match against Germany, he launched Takumi Minamino and Ritsu Doan on the field and switched from 4-3-3 to 3-4-3 from 74 minutes, when Japan was losing 0-1. The adjustment immediately took effect after just one minute, when Minamino shot tight in the penalty area, making Manuel Neuer unable to stick, creating conditions for Doan to balance the score. Takuma Asano - who entered the field from the 57th minute - shone with an acceleration to break the offside trap, then escaped from a tight corner, setting the score 2-1 in the 83rd minute.
The same scenario played out in the final round of the group stage against Spain, when Moriyasu brought in Kaoru Mitoma and Doan to replace Yuto Nagatomo and Takefusa Kubo at the beginning of the second half, when Japan was down 0-1. It took just over two minutes, Doan made the difference with a cannon shot from outside the box that Unai Simon could not catch. 142 seconds later, it was Mitoma's turn to leave his mark with a save from the left wing to cut the Spanish goal, allowing Ao Tanaka to attack and score a goal, sealing a 2-1 victory.
Doan says he learned how to make an impact coming off the bench from his club career in Germany and the Netherlands. The 24-year-old midfielder matured from Gamba Osaka's training camp, entered the first team in 2015 and played for Groningen and PSV in the Netherlands, respectively. In 2020, he joined Arminia Bielefeld on loan and signed a five-year contract with Freiburg from the summer of 2022.
"I scored a lot of goals after coming on as a substitute," Doan said. "At PSV, I have more substitutes than the main kick, and know how to prepare to come on. Of course, I am not satisfied with being a substitute. But as coach Moriyasu said, Japan needs 26 players in a high-class tournament. like the World Cup".
Doan struggled against a solid defense and was substituted in the last 25 minutes of the 0-1 loss to Costa Rica in the group stage. Croatia is the tougher test, and Doan is prepared for another tense fight. According to the 24-year-old, Croatia is a solid, resilient team, with many veteran players and experienced in how to control the rhythm of the game. Doan cited Croatia winning twice on penalties and once in extra time in their journey to the 2018 World Cup final.
If he continues to shoot at Al Janoub today, Doan will become the first Japanese player to score three goals at a World Cup. Before Doan, Keisuke Honda, Takashi Inui (2018), Junichi Inamoto (2002) are Japanese players who have reached two goals at the World Cup. However, Doan takes this record lightly and wants to help Japan reach the quarterfinals for the first time. "I no longer think about scoring twice in the past training sessions. The only thing that comes to my mind is getting through the 1/8 round," he emphasized.
