https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NISPcnGT6TA

I found this video of Japanese soccer journalists talking about what is happening with the NT right now and looking at how people seem to be interested in reading about what the players were thinking, I thought it would be relevant. There is a lot to cover here, but I'll just point out a few things that I thought were important.

-A lot of the tactical decisions were indeed being made by the players. Kamada was the one who actually came up with the 451 3421 plan against Spain, and it was based on how his club played against Barcelona in UEFA Europa league last year. The journalist applauded the players' ability to adopt a new tactic in such a short time but feel that there is a limitation to that approach.

-There seems to be a culture of players having meetings and actually making plans on their own among Japanese players. Even during Philippe Troussier's tenure, the players made some plans on their own without consulting the manager. The journalists give Moriyasu some credit for listening to the players, but then again it's not like he had any plans on his own to begin with.

-Despite players making plans on their own, there were definitely times when players felt like they really needed guidance and tactical instructions from the coach. Most of the players playing in Europe are exposed to coaching and tactical instruction that is at the forefront of modern football trends, and it's going hard for them to keep their motivation if NT experience doesn't offer that kind of learning experience.

-There is also a divide between older players and younger players. Players like Doan feel like the team can do better and adopt a more attacking playing style, while older players like Nagatomo are warning them about what happened to the NT in 2014 and they are worried about history repeating itself. The journalists note that the qualities of the players have improved since then, and Japan had the quality to play the kind of aggressive high-pressing football in some moments during the 2nd half of the match against Spain/Germany.

-JFA has indeed made contact with Low, Bielsa, and Postecoglou but the gap between what JFA can offer and what these coachings are asking is too big(up to 4x what JFA can offer).

-JFA also has plans to make a base camp in Germany, and have their NT activities based there. Their plan was to learn from the Germans, but they are having difficulties right now due to the results of the world cup and they might set up base elsewhere.

-It seems like the best way forward is to carry on the defensive style as the base, but find a coach that can provide more attacking options and strategy to the team. These Journalists suggest that JFA can try to find a young talented coach from places like Germany and Denmark who may not have the name value but provide the kind of tactical direction the team needs. The new manager will need to be flexible about players giving input in the strategy too.