Japan can’t afford to make tiny mistakes in World Cup mission

Japan coach Zico believes that tiny mistakes could end their dreams of reaching the World Cup semi-finals from a tough group led by five-time champions Brazil.

He reckons that Brazil are practically guaranteed to be in the second round. And that the three other teams in the group all have a 33% chance of going through. However he thinks in football you never know what might happen. It is a tiny mistake that might decide the match.

So the team that make less mistakes have more chances to be there at the end.

He said the Asian champions are “good enough to win all three matches or lose all the three matches.”

Zico’s main goal is to get to the next second stage. And then look to see if they can get to the semi-finals.

He is looking forward to the first match against Australia and considers the match very important.

He pointed to Australia’s wealth of quality players plying their trade in England and elsewhere in Europe. We have to mark them in a way that doesn’t give them space to play,” he said of their first opponents in Group F.