The 2023 Asian Cup finals opened late on January 12 and 24 of Asia’s strongest national teams competed for the trophy and a reward of 5 million USD, but it may be difficult for the throne to escape the hands of Japan or South Korea.
Long tournament history Asian Cup proving that strong candidates don’t always bring home the trophy. Like in 2019, Qatar shocked the continent by defeating two powerhouses, South Korea and Japan, on the way to lifting the championship trophy in Abu Dhabi.
But a few years later, Korea and especially Japan are much stronger than themselves and relative to their opponents. Remember at the 2022 World Cup also held in Qatar, the 17th ranked team Japan defeated previous champions Germany and Spain.
Japan’s desire for the 5th coronation
The Blue Samurai have won their last 10 games in total, scoring an incredible 45 goals, including a 4-1 win over Germany in September and a 4-2 win over Türkiye. What’s ominous for the rest of Asia is the easy 5-0 win over Thailand, Southeast Asia’s strong team, on New Year’s Day and a week later the 6-1 win over Jordan in the final preparation match. against group rivals Indonesia, Vietnam and Iraq.
The top two teams in each of the six groups along with the four best runners-up will advance to the round of 16, starting the knockout round. And the first place in Group D is probably for Japan.
Coach Moriyasu’s squad is full of experience in international competition with only six players playing in the J-League, the strongest tournament in Asia, and the remaining 20 names playing in top European tournaments. Stars in the Premier League have become familiar such as Wataru Endo of Liverpool, Kaoru Mitoma of Brighton and Takehiro Tomiyasu of Arsenal.
Hajime Moriyasu, who has held the head coach position since 2018 and is responsible for bringing home a record fifth continental championship, said: “If you look at the overall level of Japanese football, there are many players playing at the highest level. Higher level. We have fierce competition for places and that means there are many candidates for the national team.”
Japan’s strength is superior to most teams in the Asian Cup. Photo: AP.
Formidable Korean
Meanwhile, Korean coach Jurgen Klinsmann was appointed last February. A few months later, the German teacher was criticized for poor results and performances as well as spending more time abroad than at home. But results improved before South Korea entered the group stage with Bahrain, Malaysia and Jordan, with six consecutive wins and still without conceding a goal.
The Korean team, ranked 23rd in the world, may not have the same strength in depth as Japan, but the squad possesses some of the biggest names and brightest talents in Asian football. Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur is the biggest player. This striker is currently ranked third on the Premier League scoring chart with 12 goals, only two goals more than compatriot Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers.
South Korea brings formidable star power with Kim Min-jae of German giants Bayern Munich, the first Asian defender to be nominated for the 2023 FIFA Golden Ball, and midfielder Lee Kang-in is making an impression. Strong symbol of Paris Saint Germain.
Coach Klinsmann and star Son Heung-min desire to bring the Asian Cup back to Korea after 64 years. Photo: AP.
In addition, Korea also has determination when the last time the Taeguk Warriors won the Asian Cup was in 1960. “We are full of energy. We have a lot of confidence that we can play well in Qatar and bring the Asian Cup back to Korea after 64 years” – Coach Klinsmann said.
Big teams can stand in the way of Korea and Japan
Iran is also a candidate for the Asian Cup championship with soccer stars at the highest level. Mehdi Taremi has been an impressive striker for many years for Porto. Next is Roma’s Sardar Azmoun and Brentford’s Saman Ghoddos. However, there are still questions about the ability of coach Amir Ghalenoi, who failed in his first attempt to lead Iran in 2007-2008, to bring this title back to Tehran for the first time since 1976.
The Australian team did not have coach Postecoglou but reached the final in the tournament held in Qatar in 2011, losing to Japan. When Australia joined the Asian soccer scene in 2006, they gathered many stars at the Asian Cup the following year. Currently, the Australian team does not have much talent but they are still a formidable team. Coach Arnold has built Australia into a hard-to-beat team and is determined to improve the 2007 and 2019 Asian Cup quarterfinal results.
Saudi Arabia is not easily bullied in the Asian Cup after they defeated world champion Messi and teammate Argentina in Qatar at the end of 2022. Photo: AP.
Saudi Arabia still has a big reputation after defeating world champion Argentina in the 2022 World Cup finals also in Qatar. Coach Roberto Mancini takes over Herve Renard’s beautiful squad and after leading Italy to the recent European championship, he has the opportunity to add an Asian title to his resume.
The former Manchester City coach boldly chose a relatively young squad. Although Mancini encountered opposition, he still believed in his students. However, maybe the next Asian Cup, held in Saudi Arabia in three years, is a better chance for this team’s glory.
Qatar were the dark horses in 2019 having won the Asian Cup title, but even at home this season will struggle to beat Japan and South Korea again. They just had their opening match at Lusail Stadium on the night of January 12, defeating their weaker opponent Jordan by three goals without reply, but difficulties are expected to come to Qatar in the knockout rounds.
Afif scored a double for Qatar in their opening match of the Asian Cup, winning 3-0 against Jordan. Photo: AP.
Southeast Asian colors
The Asian Cup champion is likely to come from West Asia or East Asia, but Southeast Asians also have the right to be proud of having four representatives qualify without being co-hosts like Indonesia in 2007. , Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand.
For the first time, Southeast Asia has four teams simultaneously qualify for the Asian Cup finals, even though Thailand and Vietnam are regular participants with ambitions of reaching the knockout round.
This is the first time Malaysia has qualified since the 1980s while Indonesia also qualified after two decades. Both have Korean leaders who have made a difference.
Vietnam and Indonesia are in the same group at the Asian Cup. Photo: ANH PHUONG.
Kim Pan-gon took Malaysia from 154th on the FIFA rankings to 130th in two years. In the previous 4 seasons, Indonesia only won 2 matches, but in 2022, coach Shin Tae-yong led them to victory in Kuwait to qualify for the 2023 Asian Cup.
For Malaysian and Indonesian fans, reaching the round of 16 is success. Similarly, Thailand with a new Japanese coach or Vietnam with the only French coach Troussier to win the Asian Cup when taking over Japan in 2000 will create colorful playing styles for Southeast Asian football.
