The following is a translation of the Henshu Techo column from The Yomiuri Shimbun's April 11 issue.
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In ancient Rome, there was a poet named Virgil. I once opened a book of proverbs and found a quote from this poet, which is this: "It never troubles the wolf how many the sheep may be." Undeniably, I thought to myself.
In a match against Colombia during the 2014 soccer World Cup [in Brazil], James Rodriguez did a job on the Japan team, as if there was nothing to it. I felt crushed, and I remember thinking about the words of the poet.
The World Cup in Russia will kick off in soon-to-come June, but Japan is still without a player the world deems a wolf. Conversely, the three national teams [Colombia, Poland, Senegal] Japan is set to face either have Rodriguez or some other esteemed player on their side. Will Japan, again, count for nothing?
It seems the struggle not to let that happen is what brought about a sudden change of coach. What Japan Football Association President Kozo Tashima said about the matter is pitiful. "Even if it's by only 1 percent or 2 percent, we pursued the goal of increasing our chances of winning at the World Cup, and this is the decision we reached," he said. It seems the percentages he gave are both missing a digit, and it is not easy to fathom how this could be the reason to replace the coach. What you can see is that the association is rigorously facing up to reality.
At any rate, reality aside, hoping for the best is the general psychology of supporters. Who knows? A "Japan wolf " from the next generation of players may just show himself in Russia. A different stage, but there is the example of [Shohei] Ohtani, who has wiped out any criticisms there may have been toward him before [the baseball season opened].
Read more from The Japan News at https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/
