Japan national team player Takumi Minamino will reportedly sit down with Liverpool to discuss his future at the club this summer. According to media portalHampshireLive, the attacking midfielder from Japan is determined to play regular first team football as from the start of next season even if it’s not going to be at parent club Liverpool and that desire will lead him to talk with manager JurgenKlopp and other Liverpool officials about his future at the club.
Asian football powerhouse Japan were one of the teams given a free pass into the second round of the Qatar 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifiers in the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) section.
Several Liverpool fans were not happy with the team selection from Jurgen Klopp during last night’s league encounter with Burnley at home. The Liverpool fans complained about the omission of Japan national team player Takumi Minamino from the XI that started the Burnley game at Anfield last night. The Reds faithfuls wanted the petite Japan international attacker to start the game against the Clarets but they didn’t get their wish despite the fact that the Liverpool boss made several changes into the starting line-up with the likes of XerdanShaqiri, DivockOrigi and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain coming into the XI.
Former Asian champions Japan had gone three games without a single defeat on the international friendly scene before they faced Gold Cup champions Mexico in their last game as far as the just concluded November international break was concerned. Japan and Mexico faced off last week Tuesday at the Liebenauer Stadium in Graz, Austria.
Asian superpower in football, Japan is scheduled to play Cameroon in a friendly next month. Like all sporting activities, this match too will be played in a bio-bubble without any spectators due to precautions being taken as a result of the Corona virus pandemic.
Kozo Tashima, the President of the Japan Association for Football, has said that all the national athletes should focus on how to prevent further infection. It is important for them to stay indoors during the COVID-19 pandemic. He got affected and recently recovered from COVID-19.
Tashima said that he has high hopes that the restrictions in Japan will continue to curb further spreading of the virus. A state of emergency is going on in certain parts of the country. He added that they are citizens first, and then athletes. He is hoping that all associated with sports will be conscious to battle against this virus and the country will soon be able to come out of this situation.
Reports say Liverpool manager rejected the chance to resign Phillipe Coutinho when it became clear his marriage with Barcelona was over. Ernesto Valverde never trusted Coutinho enough to give him the kind of freedom Neymar enjoyed while he was at the Camp Nou.
In signing Japan international Minamino, Klopp reveals he will rather go for an unproven player than take back a traitor whose love for the greener pastures made him ditch an Anfield crowd that loved him like shark love blood. A major faction of the crowd will only forget him once their current squad clinches the title they thought they couldn’t lift without Coutinho.
Japan progressed to the round of 16 of the FIFA U17 World Cup with a 1-0 defeat of African nation Senegal. The match which was characterized by a flurry of chances saw Senegal rest their key players after securing qualification with two wins in a row.
Japan international Shinji Kagawa has joined Spanish division two outfit Real Zaragoza according to a statement by Borussia Dortmund. Kagawa had struggled for playing time last season under manager Lucien Favre and spent the second half of the season on loan at Turkish outfit Besiktas.
English Premier League side Everton is reported to be interested in Japan international Shingi Kagawa. The 30-year-old has become surplus to requirements at Borussia Dortmund with the player spending the second half of the season at Turkish outfit Besiktas.
