The second match of the day from Group C features Japan and Greece, two sides who play very different brands of football. Japan sat back after scoring against Ivory Coast last week and eventually paid the price, surrendering two goals. Greece always sit back and play on the counterattack. But the talented Japanese midfielders usually like possession and will likely see plenty of the ball here. Tonight’s match might turn into a siege applied by the boys from the Land of the Rising Sun.
What’s At Stake
Losing eliminates Japan. Greece can survive losing if they beat Ivory Coast next week and Japan lose to Colombia.
If Greece win, they play Ivory Coast in a winner-take-all scenario.
Keisuke Honda’s goal in the first match was a case of tight Japanese passing and touch taking advantage of the Ivory Coast’s poor defensive positioning. Since the Japanese subsequently retreated deep to defend their lead, we didn’t get to see much more of Japan’s forward play after that goal. The Greeks are more disciplined when they play deep. Honda and Okazaki will have to be at their incisive best to tear holes in the Greek defense.
Of course, Greece’s problem against Colombia was that they didn’t play deep; Colombia’s lightning counterattacks ripped apart their high defensive line. But the Greeks’ aggressive play in that match was probably a response to the early Colombian goal. Unless they concede early here and Japan withdraw, they’ll be under plenty of Japanese pressure. Their best bets on the counter are speedster Dimitris Salpingidis on the right wing and Georgios Samaras – a huge former striker now played somewhat ridiculously as a winger – on the left.
Players to Watch
Japan: Keisuke Honda, the Milan forward. He’s playing the crucial attacking midfield role in Japan’s 4-2-3-1 and has excellent vision and touch.
Greece: Samaras, the winger. Not because he’ll necessarily be important to the outcome. It’s just fun to watch this massive wooden Greek horse try to trick his way past a wall of defenders.
Daniel Mann and Efan Ekoku. It’ll be refreshing to hear some old-fashioned factsheet reading after a thoroughly biased performance by my favorites, Darke and McManaman, in the Uruguay vs. England match. Tonight’s team has neither the knowledge nor interest in Japan or Greece for bias to become a problem.
Match-specific Drinking Games
Blinders: Take a shot anytime Ekoku makes a bad call but sticks to his guns despite a clearly contradictory high-definition replay. How drunk? Steady buzz.
Retreat: Have a drink any time all eleven Greek players are inside their own half for more than fifteen seconds. How drunk? Housed.
Wasteful: Have a sip whenever a team takes a shot that misses the goal completely. How drunk? Wasted. Both sides had trouble shooting last week.
Japan: Sake. I’ve heard that good sake, contrary to popular American opinion, should be enjoyed cold. It’s only the bad stuff found at Japanese restaurants that benefits from the whole “hot sake” routine.
Greece: Ouzo. Here’s a guide to drinking ouzo!
For more:
– Read my general World Cup watching guide.
– Check out Zonal Marking, my favorite tactics website.
– See a commentary schedule or a review of each commentator.
– See where I’m getting my national drink recommendations.
– Check out other match previews from this group: Colombia vs. Ivory Coast, Colombia vs. Greece
Comments are closed.