Qatar 2022 | Group E: Japan aim to be stumbling block for Spain, Germany

Germany and Spain are the clear favourites to progress past Group E at the 2022 World Cup, but Japan can provide a stumbling black.

The group contains the first (Germany) and last (Costa Rica) teams to qualify for Qatar.

Spain

After the disappointments of a group stage exit as defending champions in 2014 and from the last-16 in 2018, Barcelona legend Luis Enrique has coached a more direct style than their famous Tiki-Taka from a young, refreshed Spain.

Enrique steered La Roja to the Euro 2020 semifinals last year, losing on penalties to eventual champions Italy. In World Cup qualifying Group B a draw against Greece put Spain on the back foot and they had a tight tussle against Sweden, who they beat in the final game for an ultimately comfortable and clinical four-point lead for qualification. Spain top a Uefa Nations League group that includes Portugal, Switzerland and Czech Republic.

Barcelona star Ferran Torres, 21, scored four goals in the qualifying group, can play on either wing and is Spain's attacking starlet to succeed David Villa and Cesc Fabregas. Sergio Busquets, 34, should be the sole survivor if the team that won in South Africa in 2010 and the unparalleled level head and midfield schemer in a young combination.

Spain might be too young to go all the way but will set their sights on at least the semifinals.

Costa Rica

The 32nd team to qualify for Qatar in an unconvincing but also ruggedly determined qualifying campaign, Costa Rica are not expected to repeat their heroics of a quarterfinal run in 2014, where they topped a group including Italy, England and Uruguay.

Los Ticos were the fourth-placed team from eight in Concacaf’s final group, and beat New Zealand 1-0 in the inter-confederation playoff to reach Qatar. Colombian coach Luis Fernando Suarez has World Cup experience having led Ecuador to the last-16 in 2006.

Costa Rica will look to 30-year-old former Arsenal forward Joel Campbell, who has played in France and La Liga, and is now at Monterrey in Mexico, for goals. Veteran goalkeeper Keylor Navas, 35, has lost his starting place at Paris St-Germain this season having played more than 70 league games in the last three campaigns, but is the star for his national team. If he has some superhuman performances between the posts, Costa Rica could avoid being wooden spoonists, and even cause some shocks.

Germany

One can never write of Der Mannschaft, though, like Spain, coach Hansi Flick’s combination look perhaps a bit young to go all the way.

Joachim Loew was the architect of the superb team that swept the 2014 trophy, including devastating Brazilian football with a 7-1 semifinal thrashing of the hosts. Loew was guilty of not refreshing the team, as Germany finished bottom of their group in 2018 and bombed out in the last-16 to England at Euro 2020.

Flick, a long-time Mannschaft assistant coach who then turned Bayern Munich into powerful Uefa Champions League winners in 2019-20, returned to the national team as head coach. Sensibly keeping some experienced stars — notably Thomas Müller — the rebuilt, younger Germany won nine matches from 10 in Uefa’s World Cup qualifying Group J to become the first team to reach Qatar in October 2021.

Serge Gnabry, İlkay Gündoğan and Timo Werner scored five goals apiece in the group, Leroy Sané four and Kai Havertz and Müller three each as Germany notched 36 goals and conceded four. Indefatigable Joshua Kimmich is either the source of attacking impetus from right-back or a dynamo in midfield. 

They will seek at least a semifinal place in Qatar.

Japan

Always high-tempo, superbly organised and competitive, Japan’s precision in their game can be let down by a lack of adventurism. 

They had a solid qualifying campaign. The Samurai Blue won eight games from eight in Asia’s second group stage, scoring 46 goals and conceding four against minnows such as Myanmar and Mongolia. In the third round Japan (22 points) finished second in Group B behind Saudi Arabia by a point, scoring a modest 12 goals in 10 games and were stingy in defence, conceding four.

Coach Hajime Moriyasu, who had 35 international caps as a midfielder, won the J1 League three times with Sanfrecce Hiroshima — in 2012, 2013 and 2015 — before becoming national coach four years ago. He steered Japan to the 2019 Asian Cup final, losing against Qatar.

Takumi Minamino, who battled for game time at Liverpool before joining Monaco this season, is the successor to Shunsuke Nakamura and Shinji Kagawa, who wore Japan's No 10 jersey with accomplishment. Attacking midfielder Daichi Kamada has an excellent record in the Bundesliga as he enters his fourth season at Eintracht Frankfurt.

Japan are entirely capable of upsetting the Group E apple cart, and toppling Spain and Germany.