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INTERVIEW: ALBERTO ZACCHERONI<br />
SAMURAI<br />
SERENITY<br />
JAPAN GO TO BRAZIL AS<br />
AFC ASIAN CUP HOLDERS<br />
AND HOPING TO BUILD<br />
ON THEIR RUN TO THE<br />
ROUND OF 16 IN SOUTH<br />
AFRICA IN 2010. ALBERTO<br />
ZACCHERONI SHARES<br />
HIS THOUGHTS ON THE<br />
TOURNAMENT WITH AFC<br />
QUARTERLY AND JAPAN’S<br />
AIM TO GO FURTHER<br />
THAN EVER BEFORE.<br />
By: Michael Church Photos: Agence SHOT<br />
Alberto Zaccheroni could<br />
not have hoped to<br />
make a greater impact<br />
in his first six months<br />
as Japan coach: as<br />
honeymoon periods go,<br />
the blissful afterglow<br />
that succeeded his<br />
appointment extended through a firstever<br />
win over Argentina followed by the<br />
reclaiming of the AFC Asian Cup title.<br />
Indeed, over the close to four years<br />
since the former AC Milan and Juventus<br />
coach took the reins, there have been<br />
relatively few bumps along the way. Late<br />
jitters delayed rather than derailed the<br />
quest for a fifth straight FIFA World Cup<br />
appearance while perhaps the only dip<br />
was the failure to pick up a point at the<br />
FIFA Confederations Cup.<br />
Qualification for Brazil 2014 was<br />
achieved with a degree of comfort<br />
and now, amid such relative serenity,<br />
Zaccheroni and the Samurai Blue are<br />
setting their sights on taking on – and<br />
beating – the world’s elite.<br />
“The goal is to reach the tournament<br />
in the best possible condition, both<br />
physically and mentally,” says Zaccheroni<br />
of the task ahead.<br />
“As a coach, I think that demonstrating<br />
we are a good team that plays attractive<br />
AFC QUARTERLY 23
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