Mori Baoyi: We encountered difficulties in the game and told the players to focus on defense Zhang Yuning

On the evening of July 12, China lost to Japan 0-2 in the second round of the 10th East Asian Cup in 2025. After the game, Japanese head coach Mori Boichi attended the press conference.

Moriboichi concluded after the game: "We are fully prepared for the game, and I am very satisfied with it. Even though what happened in the game did not go as planned, I think the players have successfully survived the difficult period. From the last game to now, every player has changed. From the East Asian Cup, I have repeatedly told the players that they should perform better than the previous game, and the players have adapted well, although this is a very difficult challenge for every player."

Japan switched continuously between three central defenders and four defenders in the game. Moriboichi said: "Before the game, we arranged the defensive players to be three defenders." But then I told the players that the formation can be changed according to the situation in the game, which is my instructions for the team and the players. Whether we use three-back or four-back, it depends on the Chinese team's arrangement and how they prepare for the game."

When talking about the adjustment of the midfield, Moribaichi said: "I think some of our passes in the first half were not accurate enough and did not put ourselves in a favorable position. I told the players to make sure that the passes are more accurate. But at the same time, don't just seek stability, try to launch more challenging passes to the Chinese team's goal through the midfield. The same is true for the defense, and I told them to simply play. I think the Chinese team passed 9 in the middle No. (Zhang Yuning) has done some ball control and attacks, so I told my players to block No. 9, and pay attention to counterattacks, and pay attention to quick transitions in offense and defense. "

39-year-old veteran Yuuto Nagato played again for Japan after 950 days. Moribaya commented: "Yuto Nagato has brought a lot of things to the team, and he will not make me feel that he has not played for the national team for a long time. The Chinese team has many players who have played in the World Cup qualifiers. We know this will be a difficult game and we must be fully prepared. I think Yuuto Nagato was very well prepared for this game. He won in the air scramble and won in all the competitions. I think Yuuto Nagato is all It was very positive in a difficult game. I think every player has a responsibility in this team, we need to communicate, I think Nagato Yu is a good hub, communicating with all the players, I think he did a good job. "

" During my time as coach, Nagato Yu was playing for most of the games. This time I brought Nagato Yu to the East Asian Cup, and I had the same feeling and thought: Can I get him on the field? In the first two games, I wanted to get every player on the field, and I have done this in two games except for a goalkeeper who has not played yet. I just wanted to give it a try because I want to see if the players can meet the standards in the international arena."