Japan Jury Still Out On Enigmatic Zico

[Toke-E-Yo]

Japan Jury Still Out On Enigmatic Zico
10/17/2005 4:54:00 AM
Japan's mini-tour of eastern Europe ended with a sputter last Wednesday night. At the 89th minute after a cold and wet evening of nervy deadlock sprinkled with puzzling calls by the referees, the visitors, down to ten men in the second half, gave up a last minute penalty kick to the Ukrainian side for a 1-0 loss.
The result in rather dismal weather and circumstances was not as disappointing as the waste of a precious friendly, a chance for the east Asian side to call their Europe-based players and prepare for next year’s World Cup. Though national team manager Zico spent the majority of the post-game press conference berating the Latvian referees, the players focused their comments on the content of the game, their team and individual performances.

It is a strange fact that in Japan, if you want to know what was going on in the game with regard to strategy and intent, you should ask the players and not the manager. Zico’s predecessor, Philippe Troussier, presented the media, supporters, and players with a very clear-cut unbending blueprint centered around what is famously (or infamously) known as the "flat three" defense line. The Frenchman bluntly stated to the country their players were just not good enough to meet the demands of World Cup play unless they adopted a physical and defensive style.

The Brazilian however has insisted from the start of his job with the national side that independence of thought must be encouraged in players, and that Japan had the skills to go to the next level if they were given the proper guidance and environment.

The idea of freedom, rhythm and possession, was initially welcomed among the supporters eager to see more interesting and inspiring football.

By the time he signed the contract with the JFA, Zico had already spent a decade of his life in the island nation. He is no carpet-bagger. His arrival during the pre-professional era to play for a metal factory-sponsored amateur club located in the middle of nowhere is a story people cannot retell without weaving in the notion of destiny. The man himself has even admitted that when he was approached by this small group of Japanese businessmen, he took it as a sign that his fate lay on the other side of the international date line.

Nippon supporters envisioned Zico doing for the national what he did for that amateur team as it transformed into one of the top clubs in the J-league, Kashima Antlers -- forget that he had no real previous experience as manager.

People looking in from abroad often ask how the world-reknowned ex-Selecao is now regarded in the country. As we all know, there is nothing that can make or break a hero as quickly as exposure on the national squad. The demands are even harsher for the manager. Throughout Asia, we have come to accept the revolving door attached to that office.

The superstar sheen has indeed dulled a little, from a distant godlike figure to a familiar middle aged man combing down the mussed thinning tangle on his pate. But seriously, for a country that made it to the last sixteen in 2002 their position has changed dramatically since eking out a first time spot for France 98.
Zico’s philosophy of a more creative self-actualizing team showed signs of promise during the 2003 Confederations Cup, when his players put on a show against France that was then considered by fans to be one of the best in content. But the qualifying road that began in 2004 saw Japan stumbling out of the block. There were new logistical hurdles associated with having eight Europe-based players arriving only a couple days before the game.

Supporters realized that the idea of freedom was a double-edged sword. The debate about whether Zico’s "freedom" actually meant "lack of strategy" heated up. People worried that it was a process that required more time than was available, and the concern drove a small but vociferous group of protesters to demand his resignation.

Though there has always been a rumbling of dissatisfaction in Japan, it had never reached the heights required to force an exit. The tight relationship Zico has with the JFA is certainly one advantage most managers across the continent don’t enjoy.

The more significant factor may be Zico’s finesse in balancing the psychological with the concrete. His mix of emphasizing a winner’s mentality, of not giving up until the final whistle blows, and the idea of making decisions for themselves on the pitch, all have nurtured a tremendous degree of loyalty among the players. It was an overarching characteristic of the past year, during which Japan was forced to play qualifiers and Asia Cup without many of their best players and still came out on top. This was accredited to the esoteric influence of Zico’s policies, especially on the domestic-based players who had until then been lagging behind some of their more internationally experienced Europe-based teammates.

Zico experienced his next dangerous period during the final round qualifiers against Iran and Bahrain this spring. After a defeat to the Persians, the hair-raising own-goal win over the small Gulf island nation was a lucky win that might just have saved his famous neck. Though FIFA’s world 16th ranked nation earned a spot with one loss and eleven wins, the feeling has been that it should not have been this difficult.

Contrary to the general image, Zico does make concrete demands of his players. There are quite a number of basic guidelines that the team is expected to follow. He hands detailed technical and psychological advice, and presents different options for use in games. Though people continued to worry about Japan’s lack of strategy, the Confederations Cup this June gave supporters a new direction for tentative hope. Two weeks that culminated in the dramatic and inspiring game against Brazil allowed players to quickly get past the results-first mentality of the qualification process and focus anew on pursuing content.

The EAFF Cup showing in July was hardly a proud week for the Asian powerhouse. But only a month after the Confederations Cup, Zico had the luxury of calling the games a test situation. He arrived with an all-domestic roster and distracted observers by completely flipping his bench for his starters in two of the three games -- an eyebrow-raising decision that had some wondering whether he was brilliant or bonkers.

People have often complained that the former superplayer has been relying on his players to compensate for his lack of tactical know-how. But the flipside of that is that players may be learning to adjust on their own to the requirements of the game as events unfold. Regardless of which, Zico has followed through by showing absolute trust in his group, at times baring teeth to protect and defend his men against critics and media. Though he holds fast to a policy of never training behind closed doors and being available to the press after all sessions, he decided to modify his candid attitude towards the press after several incidents in which they were disrespectful to his players.

The Zico Family atmosphere has provided an environment where players must communicate and take initiative. For the Japanese characteristic of strict discipline and obedience, departing from a following-orders mentality and taking on the responsibility of content and result (on a couple occasions even requesting for a change in system that was granted) has been a unique journey.

With the return of a number of key members this year after long absences, defining the final team personality and finding balance will be crucial. Those who have strongly opposed Zico have at this point more or less given up on their hopes of seeing him out. The two areas in which Zico will continue to be assessed are player selection and substitutions -- domains that he exclusively controls. But even those will be difficult to evaluate if the JFA continues to have problems gathering the entire A squad en masse for the limited number of test matches.

With only eight months left, Zico has commented that the rest of 2005 will be spent on evaluating individual players. He hints that in the new year the team will learn his specific plan for the World Cup. Not only will Germany be the last time the world will see the legendary Brazilian in a manager’s position, but only then will we be able to fairly assess the extent and nature of his legacy to Japanese football.

8 months and counting.....

[Wordsmyth]

I've always had a soft spot for Japanese football, thanks to Captain Tsubasa's anime.