At 1 AM Beijing Time on June 30, Japan will face Brazil in the Round of 16 of the FIFA World Cup. On the eve of the match, Japan's head coach Hajime Moriyasu held a press conference. This is the third part of that press conference.

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In our observation, the Japanese national team has demonstrated a very clear, distinct, and unique identity—a very distinctive competitive style. Whenever we watch your team play, this quality is self-evident. It's very easy for us observers to grasp what kind of football your team wants to play and what your tactical intentions are. However, my question is: when you face an opponent of Brazil's caliber—a team as strong and dominant as Brazil—in pursuit of the extremely challenging goal of defeating them, would you consider abandoning or flexibly adjusting this established style and team identity? Thank you.

That's right. As you said, regarding whether to change Japanese football's identity, I believe there is absolutely no need to do so. On the contrary, I believe Japan's team identity is very unique and special globally, with many admirable qualities. This should be a treasure to inherit and maintain firmly, even as we look to the future.

If we must identify what Japanese football currently lacks, I believe it is not identity, but rather "experience at the world level." Historically, the vast majority of Japanese players played in the domestic league, with very few competing on the world stage. I think Japanese players may have struggled with the huge gap between world standards and the Japanese domestic standard.

But now, many players in the Japanese national team are active in Europe, South America, and other parts of the world. By personally experiencing world-standard football as national team representatives, they have become increasingly capable of competing against strong teams on the international stage.

If, under world-standard conditions, we can fully utilize our physical resilience, speed advantage, and technical execution at such high levels—if we can further develop this individual ability on the world stage—then, combined with Japan's original organizational ability, which is an advantage we can boast to the world, this improvement in individual ability will become an "additional strength" on top of our original identity.

However, Brazil has taught us much about this. Figures like Zico and many other coaches have traveled to Japan to provide us guidance. Moreover, numerous Brazilian players continue to contribute to Japanese football and make great contributions to our football industry. I also want to thank them for this.

Brazil is clearly a world-class powerhouse that commands respect and has an excellent reputation. However, the Japanese team has consistently stated—and you know this—that we firmly believe we have the conviction and strength to ultimately win this World Cup. So, do you still believe in the concept of the "underdog" in this matchup? When facing a heavyweight contest against a team like Brazil, do you personally prefer to adopt the mindset of the "underdog" or "weaker side"? Specifically regarding tomorrow's match, how do you approach the roles of "favorites" versus "underdogs," and what will be your mental adjustment and strategic approach?

Regarding Brazil's high global rating and Japan's lower rating, I think the gap is very natural. We are aiming for the championship in this World Cup and continuously improving our level to challenge for the title.

If I say this, I think many people here will laugh at us, right? I think there definitely will be, but for the near future, we are serious about this goal. By setting such objectives, I believe Japanese people can definitely reach that level. Some of what I'm saying now is also about the future.

Regarding this World Cup, Brazil is undeniably the top favorite. Although people might not rate us this way, if we evaluate ourselves, we would say we are a dark-horse championship contender. I hope to compete with that self-perception. Although we have respect for Brazil, we also have—as I mentioned, given what happened last year—a chance to win. We will challenge them. To change history again, to make such a thing happen, we will do our utmost.

First of all, in this Round of 16 match, we have the opportunity to play a game that captures the world's attention. I hope to showcase truly wonderful football to the vast audience and hope it becomes a match that gives us greater confidence as we move toward the future.

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