Jose Mourinho says Japan s shock World Cup win over Germany was not a crazy surprise, criticising European football s big focus on individuals and egos.
The Samurai Blue produced an inspired comeback from 1-0 down as second-half goals from Ritsu Doan and Takuma Asano stunned Hansi Flick s side at the Khalifa International Stadium.
The four-time champions, who led through Ilkay Gundogan s penalty, lost a World Cup match after opening the scoring for the first time since a 2-1 defeat by Bulgaria in the 1994 quarter-finals.
Mourinho, who coached South Korea s Son Heung-min at Tottenham, was not overly shocked by the result, saluting the collective mentality demonstrated by Asian footballers.
History being made in front of our very eyes |
— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup)
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.
