1 Mana Iwabuchi
Dubbed the
Nadeshiko’s “brightest flower” the 22-year-old
Bayern Munich creator has been used primarily as an impact substitute
during Canada 2015. She stepped off the bench to devastating effect in
the quarter-final against Australia,
scoring Japan’s 87th-minute winner.
Norio Sasaki, the coach, must now be strongly tempted to start
Iwabuchi, originally from Tokyo, against England. “She is a killer
player,” he said. “She has very good ability to create opportunities in
front of goal. When she was preparing to come on against the tired
Australian players I told her she was going to decide it.”
2 Shinobu Ohno
The 31-year-old, 5ft 1 inch forward is well known to the Lionesses
after enjoying a stint with Arsenal last year. Now back home with INAC
Kobe she commands respect among Mark Sampson’s squad. “Shinobu’s a very
good player,” says England’s Arsenal goalkeeper Siobhan Chamberlain.
“We’ll have to be aware of the threat she poses.” Yukari Kinga, likely
to start on the bench against England in Edmonton, is also a familiar
face after starring alongside Ohno at Arsenal in 2014 before departing
for Kobe with her compatriot.
3 Nahomi Kawasumi
Along with the captain and key midfielder Aya Miyama, Kawasumi,
Japan’s menacing forward, is arguably one of her country’s two
best-known players. “We have got to be careful against England,”
cautions a 29-year-old currently playing her club football at Seattle in
the United States. “They are fast and they are very good at playing
long balls so we will be taking that into consideration.”
4 Norio Sasaki
Japan’s 57-year-old coach has been a resounding success since his
appointment in 2007. Renowned as one of the top coaches in the women’s
game, he has not only led the
Nadeshiko to
World Cup victory in 2011 but also the 2014 Asian Cup and a silver medal in the
London 2012 Olympics.
Big on short passing, technical excellence and selfless teamwork, he
promises to provide Mark Sampson with his toughest tactical test of
2015.
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