en.malanginspirasi.com – Japan national team manager Hajime Moriyasu has stated his apology as he has to remove Wataru Endo from the team due to his injury.
The experienced captain featured for 45 minutes in Japan’s recent friendly against Iceland.
But Moriyasu ultimately opted against including the 33-year-old, selecting forward Shuto Machino instead.
The coach admitted the conversation with his longtime leader was emotionally difficult.
“When I delivered the news to Wataru, his response was not what I had anticipated,” Moriyasu recalled.
“It was painful to have to tell him. Of course he was hurt, and I know his family and loved ones were deeply affected as well. I want to sincerely apologize to them.”
Also Read:
Withdrawing from FIFA World Cup 2026, Japan Captain Wataru Endo Announces National Team Retirement
Ajax defender Ko Itakura has been handed the captain’s armband.
Moriyasu expressed confidence that the squad possesses enough collective leadership to cope without Endo, who earned 73 caps for his country.
“I chose Itakura because he consistently gives everything on and off the field and fights alongside his teammates,” the manager explained.
“He fully grasps the philosophy I’ve been trying to instill in the team and communicates it effectively to every player. He brings strong expectations around unity and teamwork.”
Nevertheless, Moriyasu stressed that leadership is not limited to one individual.
“Every player in this squad is highly professional and carries that leadership spirit. They all work for the collective good. Selecting just one captain was not an easy decision,” he continued.
Facing A Tough Group
With a tough group ahead and history working against them in the knockouts, Japan will need to draw on that shared resolve from the very first whistle against the Dutch.
is under no illusions about the scale of the challenge facing his team if they are to push beyond their previous best performances at the World Cup.
The Samurai Blue open their Group F campaign against a formidable Netherlands side in Dallas on Sunday, June 14.
While Moriyasu has long spoken ambitiously about reaching new territory in the tournament, he struck a measured note ahead of the opener.
He emphasizes the need for survival in what he views as an exceptionally competitive pool.
“We must get through this group stage at all costs, but it’s clear we’re up against a very difficult set of opponents,” said Moriyasu, who guided Japan to the round of 16 in Qatar.
Furthermore, he admitted that the Netherlands possess world-class talent at the highest level though the group remains wide open.
“Any team here could come out on top on any given day. Tunisia showed real defensive strength with clean sheets in qualifying, and Sweden boast high-quality attackers. Predicting who will advance is extremely difficult,” he concluded.
Japan have historically struggled once reaching the knockout phase, falling at the last-16 hurdle in all four previous appearances without recording a single victory.
