Okazaki interviews, comments and pictures from the Japanese media

[Vlad the Fox]

There's sites like time4tv.com that cover a lot of sports channels. Don't think they do Japanese channels, though. Anyone else know?

 

Why don't you all just catch the next plane over and we'll have a two week party, pretending we don't know how the story finishes.

Ha ha, that would be brilliant.

[Chester Dontlie]

That's what a proper coverage should look like! Brilliant stuff, puts LCFC coverage in my country to shame. Thanks for all the scans @@kushiro. I don't understand a word, but I can still gaze at the pics with glee ! 

[kushiro]

Opening paragraph from this morning's sports paper's report on Japan's 7-2 win over Bulgaria:

 

It was the mark of a Premier League Champion. Just three and half minutes into the match. Cheers were pouring down from the packed stands. From the defender's blind side Okazaki suddenly appeared in front of goal like a ninja. After effortlessly getting free, he nodded home Kashiwagi's cross to put Japan ahead. He's now just one goal away from 50 in international football, which would put him third on the all-time list. The man who helped Leicester to the title had returned home in triumph.

 

[Wolfox]

Thanks Kushiro... Who needs Vardy?!!!

[TJB-fox]

Thanks Kushiro... Who needs Vardy?!!!

Well Wenger apparently

[Guest CityFan 06]

I've got a feeling Okazaki might go on and score up to 10 goals next season. I'm probably living in hope but I've seen glimpses of him where I just think he could go on a scoring run at some stage. Perhaps last season's experience of playing regular PL football could be beneficial to Shinji.

[kushiro]

Here's 'World Soccer Digest''s luxurious review of the top divisions around Europe.

 

 

 

When I see something like this, what we've achieved almost starts to sink in:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Amazingly comprehensive coverage. There's a full analysis of every team in these leagues:

 

 

I think you can order it from amazon.co.jp, though if you're going to order anything from Japan I'd go for the Leicester commemorative magazine I posted a few pages from a couple of weeks ago: (ignore the berk who's given it a two star review. Probably a Spurs fan. It's a bargain at twice the price).

http://www.amazon.co.jp/%E5%B2%A1%E5%B4%8E%E6%85%8E%E5%8F%B8%E3%83%97%E3%83%AC%E3%83%9F%E3%82%A2%E3%83%AA%E3%83%BC%E3%82%B0%E5%84%AA%E5%8B%9D%E8%A8%98%E5%BF%B5%E5%8F%B7-2016%E5%B9%B4-21-%E9%9B%91%E8%AA%8C-%E3%82%B5%E3%83%83%E3%82%AB%E3%83%BC%E3%83%80%E3%82%A4%E3%82%B8%E3%82%A7%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88/dp/B00F0D22NU/ref=pd_sim_14_6?ie=UTF8&dpID=51Jh%2Bh2U3VL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR125%2C160_&refRID=1QXMJY0XKRM6FBVKKYP3

 

[kushiro]

Here's some more from that World Soccer Digest  review of the European season:

 

Player / young player / manager of the year in the top leagues:

 

 

 

That's Saul Niguez above

 

 

 

 

Team of the season:

 

 

 

 

 

Any similar coverage in Europe? I'm thinking Onze, Kicker, Guerin Sportivo. Would love to see some Leicester coverage from the ones I used to buy back in the 80s.

[AKCJ]

Would absolutely love a translated copy of some of these Japanese publications. They look brilliant.

[Stadt]

It looks ore comprehensive than the coverage here

[kushiro]

This looks good. Okazaki's diary of the season has been published. Yes - already.

 

The title is 'Unprecedented'  (未到 - pronounced 'mitou'）    I'll put a few highlights up here.

 

 

From the prologue:

 

May 1st. I'm in the dressing room after the Man U game. I didn't know whether to go home to Leicester or head for London. I've got a flat in Leicester but since January my wife and two sons have been renting a place in London. There's no training tomorrow. Normally I'd be heading for London. But tomorrow night it's the Tottenham - Chelsea game. If Tottenham fail to win, Leicester will have clinched their first ever league title. The reason I'm unsure where to head is that there's been talk of the players getting together to watch the game.

 

Everyone in the team's a good bloke, and we all get on well. Whether it's in the dressing room, on the coach or on the train, we're always joking and laughing. We like doing things so we often eat together or go out somewhere. If someone says let's watch the game togther, most of us will turn up. There would be nothing better than sharing the moment of triumph with these guys who've fought together the whole year.

 

Spend time with my family before the next game or go back to Leicester with the lads? In the end I decided to stay with the team.

 

As soon as I got back to my Leicester flat, my cell phone rang. There was a message to the Whatsapp group that all the team are part of. It was from ace striker Jamie Vardy. As expected, he was inviting us to see the game. 'Let's all watch the game at my place tomorrow!', he said. Replies from teammates quickly followed:

 

'Sure. I've gotta be there!'

 

'Is Vard's place OK?'

 

'His place is biggest'

 

'Fine. I'll get some drinks.'

 

Everyone was saying they'd be going. As I saw the messages flying about on WhatsApp, I got a renewed sense of our team spirit. Not wanting to miss out, I replied:

 

'I'll be there!'

 

 

 

[kushiro]

More from Shinji's diary of the season:

 

July 2015

 

I was at immigration at Heathrow Airport. My British work visa hadn't come through yet but I told them that I was here to meet someone from the club. The inspector took this to mean I was here to work, and asked me 'Why haven't you got a visa'. I was struggling for an answer, and they escorted me to another room. I wasn't allowed to use my phone so I couldn't contact anyone. I was being detained, and they asked me a lot of questions in English. There were several other people, some of them also Japanese, in the room with me. Some of them were getting angry, saying "What's all this about?!"  I was tired so I took the chance to get a bit of sleep.

 

Five hours passed before I could get out of that room. Someone at the club had been contacted and I was told I could spend one day in the UK.

 

 

 

On my first day at the club I met Steve Walsh. He told me they were thinking of playing me as striker in a 4-4-2 formation, or slightly withdrawn in a 4-4-1-1 formation.  Then I got the chance to speak to Nigel Pearson on the phone. "Shinji - have you finally joined us?". I could pick up a sense of excitement and expectation in his voice. "I want you to enjoy your football here. I'm looking forward to meeting you."  I replied, "I'm looking forward to it too".

 

But in the end I never had the chance to meet him.   

 

 

 

When I first got to meet Ranieri, he said, "It'll be fine. I coached Nagatomo so I know what Japanese players are like. He was a really good runner, and he tried so hard". But as training progressed,  I started to feel a bit uneasy. His tactical plan hadn't been made clear. We were just playing practice games. We weren't being told what our responsibilites were, and there were no complex training routines like at Stuttgart or Mainz. Is this the Ranieri style, or the English style?

 

Later I realised that he was just getting a feel for who could do what and which players worked well together.

 

 

 

[kushiro]

More from Shinji's diary:

 

Newcastle (away):

 

In the 83rd minute, Danny Simpson's shot is saved by the keeper and the ball flies straight up in the air. I closed in and jumped to get the rebound, but I mistimed my jump so much that when I was still in mid-air, the ball had landed on the ground. The ball bounced up and hit me on the forehead and then fell at my feet so I could knock it in with my right foot. I'd scored!

 

Two days after the game the team were together reviewing the video of the match. When it came to the point where I scored, everyone was saying 'What a hilarious goal!', 'Why do you always score goals like that!?'  Suddenly Ranieri turned serious. "It's nothing to laugh at. That's Shinji's strong point."

 

I didn't mind being teased if it lightened the atmosphere, and Ranieri could have just followed the mood, but the fact that he said what he did was pleasing. I sensed he was a man of integrity. (The word he uses here is 誠実 - seijitsu - which could also be translated as 'sincerity', or 'loyalty' )

Edited 16 June 2016 by kushiro

[The whole world smiles]

The club needs to pay someone to translate the whole book sounds like a good read.

or at least a british publishing house

[ScouseFox]

ACE STRIKER JAMIE VARDY 

[Sharpe's Fox]

Interesting that Nige was going to drop the 3-5-2 for 4-4-2 this season as well.

[m4DD0gg]

Would love to see that translated and read it.

[MPH]

Thank you so much,  Kushiro!!!

[UPinCarolina]

Shinji-san 

Edited 16 June 2016 by UPinCarolina

[kushiro]

 

everyone was saying 'What a hilarious goal!', 'Why do you always score goals like that!?'  Suddenly Ranieri turned serious. "It's nothing to laugh at. That's Shinji's strong point."

 

 

 

 

Vardy's goal for England is being descibed in the Japanese media as 'dorokusai'  (泥臭い) - which is how they usually describe Shinji's 'scruffy' goals. Would love to see Shinji texting Vardy saying something like 'what a hilarious goal!'

[aussie-fox]

would buy in a instant if available in english

[kushiro]

Shinji's diary continued:

 

 

Copenhagen:

 

I was drunk, and as I shouted 'Wahey!!', everyone called back, 'Wahey!!'. With our arms around each others' shoulders, we were dancing and fooling around.

 

Kasper Schmeichel had arranged the hotel and flights for a two day trip to Copenhagen. Also on the trip were Vardy, Drinkwater, Kramaric, Matty James, King, Morgan, Simpson, Huth, de Laet and Ben Hamer. The fun had started early - on the bus from the Swansea game to the airport. We got to Copenhagen at about 11 pm and headed straight into the city where we partied until the early hours. The next day we paraded through the streets in fancy dress - I was 'bananaman'. It was the first time I'd spent a day like this - partying with non-Japanese from morning til night. I had a smile on my face the whole time.The other players were like,'Shinji - I never knew you were such a good laugh!' Until then I'd been a bit shy, but now I was coming out of my shell.

 

It was now time to start expressing myself more on the pitch, too.

 

A big turning point for me came in training two days before the game at Everton. A low cross came in to the near post and I dived full-length to send a header into the net. The reaction was unexpected. 'Shinji - i never knew you could do that!'  The diving header was one of my trademarks, but I realised that I'd barely had a chance to show this at Leicester. I'd been concentrating so much on my defensive responsibilities that I'd stopped showing my real ability.

 

I'd started on the bench for six out of the last seven games. At Swansea I didn't even get a chance as sub, and I came on in the 88th minute in the Chelsea game. Ulloa was in good form, but maybe in training Ranieri noticed that something had changed in me. He put me back in the team for the Everton game.

 

I now had a more positive attitude, and my teammates were more willing to give me the ball. It was a virtuous cycle. In the 69th minute I received a pass from Vardy and sensing the defender approaching from the right, I controlled it to the left of me and shot home with my left foot to make it 3-1. I stayed on the pitch the full 90 minutes - the first time this had happened since the Spurs game.  

Edited 20 June 2016 by kushiro

[UPinCarolina]

He seems like a genuinely nice guy.

[ScouseFox]

most my good stories start with "i was drunk and shouted wahey" 

[Chester Dontlie]

These Shinji's diary bits are brilliant. Cheers @@kushiro !

Edited 20 June 2016 by Chester Dontlie