Goalkeepers
There is no discussion here. The best ones were picked. Eiji Kawashima comes from a solid individual season in France (despite his team’s relegation) and has been the undisputed starter for Japan, although his errors in the Ghana friendly made his situation questionable.
Kashiwa Reysol’s Kosuke Nakamura and Gamba Osaka’s Masaaki Higashiguchi are still below in the pecking order, but above all other Japanese goalkeepers in the J.League. Nakamura has been the best of his position domestically for the past two years and is the leading candidate to take over Kawashima’s spot in the next cycle. The Gamba Osaka shot-stopper is in great form and having a reliable season.
Side-backs
Hiroki Sakai and Yuto Nagatomo still have no rivals, which is worrying as Japan lacks new talent at this position but reassuring in terms of sheer talent. Sakai is at the peak of his career and comes from two fabulous seasons at Olympique Marseille. He has always played on the right, but has recently discovered he can also perform well on the left. Nagatomo recovered his form in his semester on loan at Galatasaray, earned a morale boost by winning the Turkish league.
The ambidextrous Gotoku Sakai has been the first option at either side, but he is far from meeting the standards of the starting duo. Genki Haraguchi, originally a midfielder, is being tested as an option at right wingback.
Centre-backs
After plying his trade for many years in one of the strongest leagues in the world, Maya Yoshida has reached a level that no other Japanese centre-back can come close to approaching. Yet despite the untouchable status, he has committed several mistakes in recent internationals.
Tomoaki Makino, in contrast, failed in Europe and is not a stand-out even in the J.League, but he’s second to none in terms of “fighting spirit.” Halilhodzic awarded him a starting spot for his performances in the friendlies against Brazil and Belgium as well as in the 2017 ACL title winning campaign with Urawa Reds. Until then, Gen Shoji was by far the best centre-back in Japan, but his 2018 season is unimpressive so far and he has been committing more mistakes than he should.
Wataru Endo is a wild card who can cover many positions. In domestic play he’s used as a right-leaning centre-back, but for the national team level he also performed volante and right side-back roles. Naomichi Ueda is in more for his potential than actual capabilities. He is too error-prone and the weakest link in Kashima Antlers’ defence.
Defensive midfielders
Makoto Hasebe is going to his third World Cup as captain and key player for the Samurai Blue. In the last two seasons at Eintracht Frankfurt, he has also been deployed as a sweeper in a three-back defence and received a lot of praise for his performances. He is likely to perform the same role for the national team in Russia.
Hotaru Yamaguchi is doing well at Cerezo Osaka and is the main defensive option in midfield, besides being a fine ball distributor. He should be paired alongside a passing midfielder like Ryota Oshima, the Kawasaki Frontale jewel whose national team progress has been hindered by injuries, or the more hyped Gaku Shibasaki, a Kashima fan favourite who has already scored against the two Spanish giants, Real Madrid and Barcelona. Both are candidates for being the heir of Yasuhito Endo.
If Nishino opts for a more defensive approach, he can field Wataru Endo together with Yamaguchi, or even Gotoku Sakai, who has experience as a volante at Hamburger.
