Endo desperate to make amends
Jul 25, 2007
PA Sport
HANOI Perhaps more than any other player on the Japan squad,
Yasuhito Endo is determined to steer his team to Sundays AFC Asian
Cup final.
Despite being a key member of the squad that lifted the trophy in
China three years ago, Endo was not on the field in Beijing as the
Japanese successfully defended their title against the hosts.
A red card in the first half of the semi-final win over Bahrain
meant Endo was left watching from the stands as Zico and his team
celebrated Japans third Asian Cup win in four tournaments.
I might have been unlucky, says Endo of the game, which Japan
eventually won in extra-time. I was sent off even though I didnt
touch the opponent.
We are still in the semi-finals and if we can get a good result
there Id like to show what I can do in the game which draws the
greatest attention throughout Asia and want to celebrate our Cup
win with my team mates.
The last three years have been a continuous learning curve for the
Gamba Osaka midfielder, who has played 26 times for Japan since the
last Asian Cup, including during the qualifiers for the World
Cup.
He has also featured in the AFC Champions League for Gamba, where
he won the J.League title in 2005, but he suffered the
disappointment of being left on the bench during Japans appearance
at last summers World Cup in Germany.
But while Zico favoured his Europe-based stars at the biggest
events, the arrival of new coach Ivica Osim has seen Endo come back
into favour and the Bosnian is taking advantage of Endos growing
experience.
The way we play now is different from before, he says. The
basics are more or less the same: we pass the ball around. But we
move around more, and I feel that my movement has increased.
Ive got more self-confidence now. I had confidence before, too,
when I played in the previous Asian Cup, but that was my first
Asian Cup and, in some ways, I was figuring out what it was like to
play.
That was probably because I hadnt played so many games in the
national team. Now Ive got more experience and I know I should
take a leadership role in our team. Thats different from the last
time and I see myself under less pressure this time around.
In addition to success at the Asian Cup, the set-piece specialist
has his sights set on the FIFA Confederations Cup, with the winner
of the continental championship earning a place in a
competition.
Endo has already experienced playing in the tournament when Japan
were drawn with the hosts in France in 2003 and he is relishing the
prospect of doing so again.
I had a very good time then as I thought I played well against
France, said the 27-year-old. Its best to gain confidence by
playing in a game like that.
Well be able to get another opportunity to play in the
Confederations Cup in South Africa if we can win the Asian Cup.
That will be a good rehearsal for the 2010 World Cup.
The Asian Cup is a big tournament, worthy of challenging for the
third straight success. Id like to win it here and get
there.
Endo has been an ever-present so far for Japan, scoring once and
setting up two in the defending champions 4-1 win over Vietnam
while also converting his spot-kick in the penalty shootout win
over Australia in the quarter-finals, when two saves from
Yoshikatsu Kawaguchi took Japan through.
In the shootout, you need to have a bit of luck but its more like
a competition of mentality and we overcame that, plus
Yoshikatsu-san blocked their shots for us, he said.
I think we have become capable of playing with self-confidence at
big moments like that, after having got through some
experiences.
I know we are still far from accomplishing what we think we can
achieve with our football. But the more we play the game, the
better we understand each other. Weve been able to change the
pace, speeding up and slowing down when needed while playing in the
heat. Thats good.
If Japan do reach the final, it will be Endos first in an
international tournament since the FIFA World Youth Championship in
Nigeria in 1999, when Japan finished as runners-up after losing to
Spain.
The only final I played in was the one at the World Youth
Championship, he says. Id love to be in the final of the Asian
Cup and prove what I can do there. If I can go and find something
beyond that, that would be great.
