Japan announce final Fifa World Cup squad
Japanese coach Takeshi Okada has named a predictable final 23 man squad for the World Cup finals in South Africa.
Ex-Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura has made the cut despite suffering from an ankle injury, and he joins the European-based quartet Makoto Hasebe, Keisuke Honda, Daisuke Matsui and Takayuki Morimoto in the party.
Okada has been under pressure after appearing to offer to resign following a recent friendly defeat to South Korea, but the Japanese public were impressed by Sunday’s improved showing against England, when only two late own goals condemned them to a 2-1 defeat.
Japan will face Cameroon, the Netherlands and Denmark in Group E.
Japan’s final squad for the Fifa World Cup:
Goalkeepers: Seigo Narazaki (Nagoya Grampus), Eiji Kawashima (Kawasaki Frontale), Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi (Jubilo Iwata)
Defenders: Yuji Nakazawa (Yokohama Marinos), Marcus Tulio Tanaka (Nagoya Grampus), Yuichi Komano (Jubilo Iwata), Daiki Iwamasa (Kashima Antlers), Yasuyuki Konno (FC Tokyo), Yuto Nagatomo (FC Tokyo), Atsuto Uchida (Kashima Antlers)
Midfielders: Shunsuke Nakamura (Yokohama Marinos), Yasuhito Endo (Gamba Osaka), Kengo Nakamura (Kawasaki Frontale), Junichi Inamoto (Kawasaki Frontale), Yuki Abe (Urawa Red Diamonds), Makoto Hasebe (Wolfsburg), Keisuke Honda (CSKA Moscow), Daisuke Matsui (Grenoble)
Forwards: Shinji Okazaki (Shimizu S-Pulse), Keiji Tamada (Nagoya Grampus), Yasuhito Okubo (Vissel Kobe), Kisho Yano (Albirex Niigata), Takayuki Morimoto (Catania).
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