Jose Mourinho has described Japan’s win over Germany in the World Cup as “a fantastic achievement, but not a crazy surprise.” Jose Mourinho has also slammed European football’s “big focus on individuals and egos.”
Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano’s goals in the second half astonished Hansi Flick’s team at the Khalifa International Stadium as the Samurai Blue rallied from a 1-0 deficit. The four-time champions, who took the lead thanks to Ilkay Gundogan’s penalty, suffered their
first World Cup defeat after taking the lead since being defeated 2-1 by Bulgaria in the 1994 quarterfinals.
- Romelu Lukaku may feature in Belgium’s next game against Morocco in the 2022 World Cup
- Barcelona concerned about ticket sales as they are relocating from Camp Nou
“Of course, it’s a fantastic achievement but, to be honest, it was not a crazy surprise,” the Roma head coach said. “Japan is a good team, has good players, [and] is getting an accumulation of experience at these events.
“The majority of the players, they play in Europe where they develop faster and understand better what is the high level.
“I think the mentality of the players and the team can also make a difference. At this moment, in European football, there is a big focus on individuals and egos.
“When I look to your profile as people, your profile as a country – I never coached Japanese players, but I coached Asian players.
“In my case, I was lucky because I coached the best Asian player, and I understand that the mentality is really special. The team is the most important thing. People play for the team, they don’t play for themselves.”
