Abu Dhabi: Hajime Moriyasu will become the first man to win the AFC Asian Cup as both a player and a coach on Friday should his Japan team defeat Qatar in Friday’s final, but the former midfielder has no interest in personal accolades as he prepares for the tournament decider. Moriyasu was a member of the Japan side that won the country’s first title in 1992, when Takuya Takagi’s goal sealed victory in the final over Saudi Arabia, and since then the Japanese have gone on to claim the trophy in 2000, 2004 and 2011 to become the AFC Asian Cup’s most successful nation. Now the 50-year-old, who took over as Japan coach following the country’s run to the Round of 16 at the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia last summer, is looking to guide his nation to a record-extending fifth AFC Asian Cup title from the dugout. But while doing so would make history, Moriyasu is remaining focused on completing the task at hand. “Tomorrow as a team we would like to try to take the trophy back home, but I’m not too interested in what it means to me,” said the former midfielder. “I just want to celebrate the title with all the team and we will do our best in training as well.
“I can say that it’s going to be a tough match. We’ve already played six matches and we know they’re a strong opponent, so we have one more fight to do and we’re going to do it with determination so that our players can have the best performance on the field.” Moriyasu’s side take on a Qatar team that has scored 16 times in their previous six games and have yet to concede a goal as they booked their place in the country’s first-ever AFC Asian Cup final. The Japan coach, though, is confident his team is well-equipped to handle Felix Sanchez’s impressive young side. “We are aware they are a very strong team, that they have scored 16 goals and kept clean sheets all the way through, but no matter how they play we will stay the same,” he said. “We will analyse them and then we will express our best on the field.
“We are also a team that has reached the final, so I want the players to be confident because of that. We have been developing as a team throughout each game and I want us to show that development on the field tomorrow.” Despite a sluggish start to the tournament, the Japanese also have a perfect record at the 2019 Finals and Moriyasu believes his players have grown better and more adaptable as the competition has progressed. “I think what has improved from our side is that the players can now read the game and they play well as a unit,” he said. “Over the six games, we have played against different types of opponents and sometimes we hold the ball and sometimes we have turned defence into attack. Sometimes we put teams under pressure and sometimes we spend a long time in defence and we play with persistence. “I think this is how they’ve improved throughout the tournament and no matter how the game goes tomorrow I want the players to be focused and to play with continuity.”
