By Morichika Nakamoto,
After sparing his manager's blushes once again, Japan midfielder Ao Tanaka looks to have regained his place in the national fold as a player capable of providing more than adept cover for the ever-reliable Wataru Endo and Hidemasa Morita.
The Fortuna Dusseldorf man's omission from the Asian Cup squad raised eyebrows, given Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu's previous reliance on him, and the decision may have been costly, with the team's lack of midfield options contributing to their quarterfinal-stage exit in Qatar.
The 25-year-old slotted in seamlessly upon his return Thursday in the World Cup qualifiers against North Korea, netting an impressive eighth goal in 26 appearances for Japan after making his signature ghosting run into the box -- most remembered for his winner at the 2022 World Cup against Spain.
After seeing his attackers fail to add to Tanaka's early goal despite a plethora of chances, Moriyasu would be more than thankful for the scoring knack of a player he gave his national team debut in 2019, especially at a time when only a win would avoid further speculation about the manager's future.
Tanaka's first international goal in October 2021 against Australia during qualifying for the previous World Cup also came at a time when Moriyasu was under scrutiny in the wake of a sobering defeat in Saudi Arabia.
"I think all my goal-scoring moments have been good. Scoring goals is what football is about," said Tanaka, whose assured touch on the ball, vision and defensive awareness all helped Japan navigate their latest tough test.
His return meant Moriyasu could give Endo, the only man to play every minute of Japan's five games at the Asian Cup, a rare respite after the Samurai Blue captain shouldered a heavy workload for both his country and Liverpool since December.
North Korea's use of the long ball threatened to pose the same problems for Japan as those caused by Iraq and Iran at the Asian Cup, but Tanaka already has a clear view of the issue.
"We can't help them kicking the ball long," Tanaka said. "It's tough facing it when we're only 1-0 up, but it would have felt different had we scored more before they started to resort to it."
Putting in a quality display on par with his former Kawasaki Frontale teammate Morita, a player who has won plenty of praise from his highly rated Sporting Lisbon manager Ruben Amorim, Tanaka showed he is steadily making progress in the German second tier.
"I was made to realize how tough it is to win tournaments," Tanaka said after watching his Japan teammates exit the Asian Cup from afar. "There's a long way to go to the World Cup, but I'll keep giving my all each day to win on that stage."
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