(ANSA) – TOKYO, 01 OCT – Boundless admiration and respect in Japan for Alberto Zaccheroni, coach of the Japanese national team from 2010 to 2014: so great that he was included in the football Hall of Fame. To welcome the coach from Romagna to Tokyo for the occasion, in addition to the old and esteemed managers of the Japanese football federation JFA, also Princess Hisako Takamado, a member of the imperial family and sports enthusiast. A recognition that surprises the coach himself, almost in disbelief of the experience he had in the Land of the Rising Sun. “They have always had this sort of demonstration towards me. They have accustomed me to this from day one”, Zaccheroni told ANSA. “I know why I respect them, but I can’t understand the level I have reached in this country: I think I haven’t done anything exceptional. I had an excellent team, which has always been in tune with me. The managers ditto. And I immediately felt obliged to reciprocate. And every now and then I wake up and say ‘was I really in Japan or did I dream it here?'”. The former Milan and Juventus coach, however, recalls with a touch of bitterness the World Cup in Brazil in 2014, with the Blue Samurai well underway but not able to express their true potential: “At the World Cup I should have done much better. I arrived too confident: there is this regret. We scored three goals in Brussels against Belgium, who were number one in the ranking. We won in Paris against France 2-2 at Van Gaal’s Netherlands. These were the results. At the World Cup I was too sure of going to the bottom because they showed me they were always there, mentally. I asked them for too much effort , but mentally they weren’t ready to play a leading role yet.” (HANDLE).
2024-10-02 07:58:36