Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu will take time to consider his position following their last-32 exit at the World Cup.
The Samurai Blue had high hopes of winning a World Cup knockout game for the first time in their history but, after finishing as runners-up in their group behind the Netherlands, they suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Brazil to end their tournament one round shy of the last 16.
Japan led through Kaishu Sano’s 29th-minute strike, but a Casemiro header levelled things for Brazil, who then completed the turnaround with a 95th-minute winner from Gabriel Martinelli.
Moriyasu took charge in July 2018 following their last-16 exit in the World Cup finals in Russia. He led them to the 2019 Asian Cup final, which they lost to Qatar, before guiding Japan to wins over Germany and Spain as they won their World Cup group in 2022 before going out on penalties to Croatia.
However, with Japan’s performance in North America coming three years on from a disappointing quarter-final exit at the Asian Cup, there is scrutiny on Moriyasu after an overly defensive approach in protecting their lead against Brazil ended his side’s hopes of progression.
Asked about his future, Moriyasu told a press conference: “I think I’ll take a bit of a break now and then I’ll need to properly reflect on the tournament. That’s all that’s been decided so far.”
Despite falling sort of heightened expectations, Moriyasu is optimistic Japan can eventually challenge for the game’s biggest prize.
“Japanese soccer, built up over history, is more than capable of holding its own on the world stage,” he added.
“I am convinced that if we continue this growth we will certainly be able to become world champions.”
