According to Soccer-king, Japanese international Ayase Ueda said in an interview that New Zealand is an opponent Japan's team needs to be cautious about. Their direct, physical style of play is "incompatible" with Japan's approach and could pose a significant challenge.

On the 4th, Japan's national team trained at the National Stadium to prepare for the Kirin Cup 2026 final against New Zealand on the 5th.

Including the two Kirin Challenge Cup 2026 matches, Japan faced South American teams in three previous matches and won three consecutive victories (including one decided by penalty shootout). Ueda, who came off the bench in all three matches and scored three goals, commented after training: "While this is just an analytical judgment, the opponent has Premier League players in their squad, similar to what we saw in the Tokyo Olympics. We expect them to use a direct, physically dominant attacking style, targeting their forwards. For us, rather than being incompatible, it's a style of play that will pose a challenge. We'll communicate on the pitch based on our tactical analysis, and if we can achieve a result as a team, it will build our confidence and lay the foundation for the next match." He connected this to Japan's experience playing New Zealand in the Tokyo Olympics quarterfinal as he looks ahead to the final.

Regarding the "incompatible" assessment, Ueda explained: "The situation is similar to the recent Asian Cup; the opponent has tall players in their squad, plays a simple and direct style, which leads to more physical battles and one-on-one confrontations. This is a challenge." He added: "We have many players who can run at high intensity and play as a cohesive unit. For example, against strong teams like the Netherlands, we have good technical skills and can compete as an organized team. But against opponents who play a simple, physical style, unexpected situations can easily arise. So rather than lacking skill, it's a type of challenge that we will ultimately have to face." He also said this match "could serve as a good simulation" to help prepare for the AFC Asian Cup 2027, which will begin in January next year in Saudi Arabia.

When asked about "aspects that have changed through experimentation, including lessons learned," after the 2026 World Cup, Ueda identified defense. He mentioned that the team is working on "proactively regaining possession ourselves, and considering Japan's future, this could also increase our own ball control rate." This proactive style of play, "while still in its early stages and difficult to maintain for 90 minutes, also has positive aspects," which he felt the impact of in the three matches. "Through experimentation, challenges have emerged. Considering our development, this is very positive." He expressed that pushing hard will reveal new things, and thoroughly addressing these issues will take them to a new level.

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