July 4, 2021, Japan's well-known media "Tokyo-sports" disclosed that Japan's national team head coach Mori Baoichi in an exclusive interview, on the prospects of the upcoming World Cup qualifying round of 12 matches.
In the group draw for the 12-team tournament, the Japanese team managed to bypass rivals South Korea and a strong Iraqi team, but Mori Bao'ichi is on high alert for the upcoming Chinese team. Talking about the Chinese team, Mori Baoichi bluntly: "I do not have a specific impression of which group I have been put into, because there are strong teams everywhere in Asia. I think the Chinese team is very strong, they have five Brazilian naturalized players such as Eckerson, the power of Brazilian players should not be underestimated, the strength of the team is undoubtedly on the rise. I haven't studied the Chinese team in depth yet, but I've watched them in the AFC Champions League and they were pretty good. We are also improving the strength of the team." Asked about Japan's goals for the Round of 12, Mori said he wants to "do my best to prepare for the World Cup, one game at a time" and that his current priority is to focus on the upcoming opening match. Referring to the opening match of the last World Qualifying Tournament, Japan had suffered an unexpected defeat at home to the United Arab Emirates.
