NO HOLDING BACK
Kerr insists Scots will go for the jugular against Japan
FOR Scotland, it is a case of risk and reward. Beat Japan today in Rennes and qualification for the knockout stage of the World Cup would be tantalisingly close. Draw and they would still be very much in contention. Lose, though, and they will be on the cusp of heading home.
With England favourites for qualification after their opening victory over Shelley Kerr’s side and Japan held to a 0-0 draw by Argentina, Group D remains finely poised. A top-two finish guarantees a spot in the last 16, while four of the six third-placed finishers will also progress.
If Kerr was in a pragmatic mood, a point today with an eye on then taking all three against Argentina on Wednesday night could be enough for second, or a best-placed third, place and progression.
Victory, though, would put Scotland in a terrific position.
‘Of course we are going for a win,’ said Kerr. ‘Our expectations are still the same, our targets haven’t changed, we still want to try and get out of the group.
‘To try and get out of the group we have to win one game, so our plan hasn’t changed.’
Japan are aiming to reach their third straight World Cup final, having won the competition in 2011 and finished runners-up to the United States in 2015.
When asked about how their next opponents will compare with the threat England posed, Kerr said: ‘It’s a different type of game.
‘We’re going to face a very competent Japanese team that are technically very good players. Our game plan changes a little in how we combat that.’
Kerr was also keen to stress that the Scots shouldn’t be complacent after Japan were held by lowly Argentina.
‘You’ll struggle in this whole tournament to see a defensive performance as perfect as the one Argentina put in,’ the Scotland head coach said.
‘Japan are a brilliant team. People are running away from how good they are because of one result.
‘I played against them way back in 2007 and remember them whizzing by me all night. We lost 2-0 and their movement was incredible. They’re still the same today, it’s all little quick triangles and great possession.
‘Tactically, there are different scenarios to consider and we’ve looked at them all.
‘We need to think about starting positions, about how we line up when they have comfortable possession, then how to counterattack them when we have the ball.
‘In years gone by, we’ve played the likes of Sweden, we’ve sat in and been absolutely battered 1-0, but it could have been six or seven.
‘But we’ve grown since then and we don’t want to go back there, to be defending for our lives then losing a goal, because the outcome’s the same.
‘We need to be able to play our game in spells, while being mindful of the opposition.
‘It’s about recognising when to be expansive and when to sit in.’
Kerr and her coaching staff watched Scotland’s men lose 3-0 to Belgium on Tuesday night but, despite the scoreline, she felt Steve Clarke’s side acquitted themselves well.
The task her side face today in Brittany is not quite of the same magnitude, but there are times when her players might not expect to see too much of the ball either.
‘I thought the men did really well against Belgium,’ said Kerr. ‘It was so unlucky because they conceded just before half-time and right at the end of the game.
‘Take these two minutes out and it’s a much better result.
‘We will need at times to be disciplined, compact and organised and nullify the space for Japan.’
Scotland’s first-half performance in Nice was criticised but Kerr feels that was unfair given England are ranked third in the world — four places better than Japan.
‘If we had lost 2-1 against the US, France, Australia or Germany, everyone would have been talking about what a fantastic result it was,’ said the 49-year-old.
‘For some reason we’ve taken a bit of flak for losing 2-1 to England. Actually, the majority of our performance was good and we’ve said that to the players.
‘We’ve come to this World Cup playing against the better teams, which was always going to be tough for us, but we finished that second half in Nice on a high and it has given the players a bit more confidence and belief in themselves.
‘We now go into this Japanese game with a bit of positivity and it’s a case of more of the same, but for longer periods of the game.
‘We still know it will be tough, no doubt about it.’
All of the Japanese players, bar two, play in their own country.
Central defender and captain Saki Kumagai has played in France for Champions League holders Lyon since 2013.
She scored the winning penalty in the 2016 Champions League final, having done the same for Japan when they won the World Cup in 2011.
The Japanese coach, Asako Takakura, said: ‘The Scottish side is powerful and speedy and quite tall.
‘Of course they have to be feared. Every single one of their players is performing at a very high level.’
Liverpool midfielder Christie Murray, who started against England, has a knee injury and can’t be considered for today’s clash but aside from that Kerr has a full squad to choose from.