At the FIFA World Cup 2022, the Japan national team lost to Croatia after a penalty shootout, finishing the tournament in the last 16. Japan representative Junya Ito answered the interview. Q: Looking back on this World Cup, how do you feel now? Ito: I feel very frustrated that I couldn’t achieve my goals. Q: Were you able to demonstrate your strengths at the World Cup? Ito: I contributed to the team, I was able to contribute by running, defending, and throwing crosses several times, but both as a team and as an individual. It’s an honest impression that the number of attacks was small and I wanted to do more. Q: How do you look back on the past four years of your national team activities? Q: How do you feel about that length of time? Ito: It was tough. I will. Q: What was it like standing on the stage of the World Cup Cup? It was worthwhile, and I wanted to win one more time. Q: What was it like playing against a world-famous player? Ito: Croatia is the same, but Germany and Spain were really strong. I think we were really strong as a team. Q: You didn’t make it to the top 8, but I think you were able to do something that the Japanese national team couldn’t do until now. Ito: I think it’s really amazing that Germany and Spain won. I think it’s something we can be proud of. Q: What do you have in mind for the next four years? Ito: I didn’t succeed this time, so if I had the chance, I would like to try again. I have a desire to challenge myself. Q: Your style of defending well and aiming for one chance has produced good results, but do you think the current Japanese style is fine? Ito: I think that kind of fighting style is necessary to play against a strong country, but after that, I don’t think it’s bad to steal a ball or block, but if you steal a ball, it’s more pressure. I think it’s necessary to increase the number of times I go, and as expected, I won with that retention rate, but I think it’s difficult to win again with that, so I need to do more. I think we have to increase our time. Q: You played a lot as a right wingback and spent a lot of time in defense. How was your role there? It’s been a long time since I’ve been in the part that comes to my feet. Q: Do you mean that you wanted to show your offense more? Q: Every player says that there is no team that is as united as an organization, but how did you feel when you were actually in the team? I think it was a group that could fight. Q: Did you want another result for that reason? Ito: Yes. We were able to win against Spain and Germany, so if we had won another one here, it would have been a great result, so it was really disappointing in that respect.
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