Following his debut against Uruguay last Friday, Mexican coach Javier Aguirre explained his decision and ellaborated on what his goals are with the "Samurai Blue" team:
"Our main objective of course is taking the team to Russia 2018. My contract is for two years, with an extension option of two more. Everybody is aiming for us to be at the World Cup, in 2018, so that' what we'll be working for," Aguirre explained.
Talking about this new challenge, the former Osasuna and Atletico coach insisted in the need of giving the Japanese squad that touch of street smartness that, he thinks, is needed if you want to win the big matches:
"After watching some J-League games, I felt like they played them as friendly matches. The ball gets kicked out of play eight or ten times because a player has gone down; play is stopped ten or 12 times to drink water - and that’s reflected at national-team level, Aguirre added.
"You have to try and add a touch of street smartness, while staying within the rules of course. I’m talking about the players not giving up lost causes and knowing how to ‘manage the result’,"the Mexican coach concluded.
The Japanese team will host Venezuela tomorrow, expecting the first win with Aguirre leading the group.
