Speaking to Australian media outlet ROAR ahead of the World Cup away match against Japan, Australian international Jackson Irvine spoke candidly about the upcoming match and the team's preparations.
Facing Japan, one of the strongest teams in Asian and world soccer, Jackson Irvine said, "It's a tough time and we know we have to play our best in order to play against one of them. Their top players play all over the world and the team as a whole is in great shape, which is definitely our biggest challenge for this tournament."
However, Jackson Irvine is not discouraged, citing the potential his team showed in their last game against China: "We're just starting something new, but against China we saw signs that we can be a really tricky team for our opponents if we play well. That gives us a lot of confidence."
Speaking about specific players in the Japanese team, Jackson Irvine singled out Hidemasa Morita: "Hiromasa Endo is one of the top midfielders, but considering the amount of minutes he has played and the level of play he has had this season, it's safe to say that Hidemasa Morita is the better player in terms of form at the moment. Going up against a player like that will be a huge challenge, but it's not like we haven't experienced and overcome such difficulties before."
Jackson Irvine has a clear idea of how to deal with Japan's powerful offense: "They have a lot of ways to score goals, outstanding individual ability, smooth transitions, speed and creativity. We can't just defend, that won't get us anywhere. We need to be courageous in possession and must believe that we are strong enough to trouble our opponents. We have to show our character in the game and respond to their attacks with offense."
