The long Japanese season comes to an end on New Year's Day, with an exhausted Gamba Osaka set to take on Kashiwa Reysol in the Emperor's Cup final. Gamba booked their place with an extra-time semi-final win over Yokohama F. Marinos at the National Stadium in Tokyo, with young striker Masato Yamazaki continuing his recent goal-scoring exploits as he found the net after a marathon 116 minutes. Kashiwa Reysol, meanwhile, came from behind to beat FC Tokyo 2-1 at Ecopa Stadium in Fukuroi in the other semi-final, as the Sun Kings booked an emotional send-off for coach Nobuhiro Ishizaki. Earlier this month Reysol officials announced that Ishizaki would not be in charge for the 2009 campaign, but despite that disappointment the veteran tactician has managed to guide his side into their first ever Emperor's Cup final. Tatsuya Suzuki opened the scoring for FC Tokyo - ironically he is on loan from Kashiwa Reysol - but substitutes Franca and Tadanari Ri turned the game on its head as they scored second half goals to send Kashiwa through to the final. Kashiwa may be renowned as one of the scrappiest outfits in Japanese football, but a hopelessly inappropriate pre-match headline on the Reysol website highlights that J. League clubs have a long way to go to match their more media savvy European counterparts.

YOKOHAMA—Gamba Osaka finished third at the Club World Cup with a 1-0 win over Mexico’s Pachuca at Yokohama International Stadium on Sunday. Afterward, the typically cheerless Akira Nishino gave his thoughts on the match, the tournament and about being “killed” by Manchester United. Q: Can we have some comments on your impression of the match? A: Well, I wouldn’t say it was an ideal football match for us today but we were able to play against Pachuca, who play a Central American footballing style. We respect them a lot and are very honored to have played them. We played three different clubs from three continents at this tournament, all of whom are well-known and respected clubs. We are very happy about that. At the same time, we played our own game, Gamba Osaka’s style, and we were able to get this result. Our players were not afraid and they were full of challenging spirit, so I believe this match will lead us to the next step in our development. Having said that, we lost some players to injury and all of the players are extremely tired now so we were unable to play at 100 percent at this tournament. Under the circumstances, we did our best. Rather than euphoric, our players are very tired. But with upcoming (Emperor’s Cup) matches, maybe they are not ready to celebrate. We used everything we had at this tournament and I think it was a great experience for Gamba Osaka. Q: With Gamba finishing third this year at the CWC and Urawa Reds doing the same last year, what does it say about the strength of the J-League? A: I don’t really care about how the Reds did last year. That has nothing to do with our result today. As representatives of the J-League, yes it was the Reds last year and us this year but our approach is totally different to theirs. We have a different style as a team and as a club. Of course to participate in this tournament we have to win the ACL and this year three J-League teams participated in the ACL. This year I think the mission of the J-League, to move to a higher stage, was fully achieved by Gamba. We are sometimes compared to Urawa Reds and what they achieved last season but I’m not really sure it’s an appropriate comparison. Q: What advice did you give your defenders today? A: I told them that Pachuca uses short passes and have very good technique. They also have a totally different playing style to Manchester United. I told the defenders to press hard and not be afraid to push forward. I also told them to stay compact along with the midfielders, and to not defend against the players but to defend against the passes. We were able to do this to some extent, however, they were really good at breaking our formation and creating space. We did well, however, ideally I would have liked our backline to have pressed even harder. In the first half, our backline was about 10 meters behind where it should have been. So in the second half I told them to run more, even if it was quite difficult for them, to move the line up. Unfortunately, they were unable to do so and line retreated even further. But for 10 to 20 minutes we were able to press ahead and respond positively. Q: When you compete on the world stage again, would you change your approach? Have you learned anything that makes you think you need to change your style when playing against teams from other countries? A: When we played against Manchester United and Pachuca we had to come up with different approaches. It all depends on who we play against. Of course we do have a basis, our foundation, but we have to be flexible. Depending on the situation, on the opponent, we need different tactics. For those two teams we were able to play with a certain target. Will this work in other matches against other opponents? Not necessarily. Q: Why did you make the two substitutions you did in the second half? A: I replaced Ryuji Bando because I didn’t want to be too defensive and I thought he was tiring and not able to run enough. So I replaced him in an effort to get a second goal. By brining on Takahiro Futagawa for Bando, I was sending a message to my team to continue pushing forward. Bando missed so many good scoring opportunities. He was unable to capitalize, which is what I told him when he came off. I also wanted to use Futagawa because he was injured in the first match against Adelaide. He can create a lot of chances. As for bringing Takuya Takei on for Lucas, I wanted to kill the flanks during the last 15 minutes. I wanted our midfielders to be more defensive at that point. Q: Will you be able to leverage your performance here to your advantage during the upcoming Emperor’s Cup campaign? A: It was a great challenge for us to play in this tournament and I think we have to analyze the lessons we’ve learned here. Otherwise, there is no point to be at this tournament. We need to reflect but we don’t have the time because we have to play on the 25th against Nagoya. We can’t leverage what we’ve learned here in that match. It is too early. Our players are so tired and it will be very difficult for us to fully prepare for our next match. I just hope my players can fully recover from the fatigue. But to be sure, our three matches at this tournament will be a great contribution to our development at Gamba Osaka. Q: I hope my question doesn’t overlap a previous one but … Manchester United killed your movement on the ball. Will you continue playing in the same style or will you make changes to your approach? A: Are you talking about Manchester United? Do you want me to analyze Manchester United? Q: No, no, no. What I am saying … I think the match against United really showed Gamba’s strengths and weaknesses … A: You just told me that Manchester United killed us. That is a horrible thing to say. And I can’t believe you said that. It was a great opponent and we were not sure how we could exploit our strengths. It’s natural that Manchester would come out and try to neutralize our game, but we tried and we scored and we created a number of scoring opportunities. It means something. We learned something. Their style is very simple. One, two, three touches and then shoot. Everybody chased the ball and we learned that if we kept things simple, we could also score. It’s not only about Gamba Osaka. We played against a very good team. Although we wanted to try a lot of things and had a very good imagination, it’s true that Manchester tried to kill that imagination. But at times we were able to show our game and we got the result we did because of that. Copyright © C.G. Williams & Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

YOKOHAMA—A day before Manchester United’s Club World Cup semifinal showdown with Japan’s Gamba Osaka, Sir Alex Ferguson was playing his cards close to his chest regarding his starting XI. He did say, however, that he intended to rely on three of his most experienced players—Paul Scholes, Ryan Giggs and Gary Neville—to see his club into the final. Following are excerpts from a press conference prior to training at Yokohama Stadium on Wednesday: Q: Who will you play against Gamba? A: Well, it's a complex situation. No one's asked me for that information yet, all they've asked me is what I think about the tournament. I will say this: Berbatov won't play tomorrow. He's been in bed since we arrived. He's picked up a virus. He's not very well at the moment. Wayne Rooney was injured in training yesterday but hopefully he'll be OK tomorrow. Other than that, everyone is fit. I can say that we will play some of our really experienced players like Gary Neville, Ryan Giggs and Paul Scholes. It's a big-game situation and I think their experience will be important tomorrow. Other than that, I've got to decide the rest of the team. But it will be a strong team. Q: Scholes has recently come back from injury. How important is it for you to have him back in the squad? A: I think he brings an order to our game at times. We saw that in the second half against Aalborg (in the Champions League last week). He helped us get us back in the match and to gain control of the match. He's been a fantastic player for us, it's hard to measure it other than to say he's always been good for us. When he was a younger player he used to get us 12 to 15 goals a season, but he can't do that now. And we don't ask him to. But he brings other things to our team-his experience, his ability to keep possession, to control a match. It's a fundamental part of our game. His intelligence on the football field is tremendous. Over the years when Paul has had injury problems, and he's had a few, he has come back very well. And we've seen in training that he's back to normal. He showed that against Aalborg and we're confident of that. He hasn't lost anything. Q: Will Ronaldo play tomorrow? A: Ronaldo will play tomorrow. Q: What do you think of the timing of this tournament? A: In football you don't get a choice. The dates are there and we accept that. There has been some cynicism back home abut this tournament, with some saying we're doing it only for the money (the winner pockets 5 million USD) to play here, which is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my life. We're here because we've been invited here as winners of the European Cup. It's a FIFA-recognized tournament and there's no way we can get out of it. So the criticism is unfortunate. The most important thing about being here is that it's a chance to win something in December. To be world champions in December is a fantastic middle-of-the season boost to everyone and that's the way we look at it. Q: Do you think you'll ever see players in the vein of Scholes, Giggs and Neville play for a club at such a high level for as long as they have? A: I think it's unlikely. I think we're a very fortunate club. We're the only club who can do that. Ryan has done 21 years, Gary 19 and Paul Scholes 19 years. And that is exceptional, absolutely exceptional. We hope we can get players who can do that for us on a regular basis but in modern terms and through contracts, I think it's unlikely. Q: Do you think you've ever had such depth in a squad during your 22 years managing United? A: No, I think this is our best squad in my time. We've got 23 players here and the only one who lacks any experience at all is our backup goalkeeper Ben Amos, but he's replacing our other goalkeeper Ben Foster who’s broken a finger in training. All the rest are of a high quality and most are internationals. I think it’s only Rafael Da Silva who is not an international. And there is difficulty in that, of course, because it’s difficult to manage such players. And it becomes a disappointment because you can't play everyone. Here we can have 12 players on the bench but in England it’s only improved this season to seven substitutes. You have no idea how much that helps the coach. I don’t know why, perhaps the structure of the benches and dugouts in England limit the number of subs but to have as many subs as you want at your disposal … You know, to put an international in the stands is in some ways an insult to him. And it’s a problem for me because you feel embarrassed to ask a top player to not be involved in an actual game. They expect to play; they all want to play. I have the best squad I’ve had since I came to the club, but it does create certain management issues. Q: If Gamba were playing in England, would you say they would be in the Premiership, Championship or some other division? A: I can answer that tomorrow. Football is that kind of game. I would say Gamba ... the improvement in Japanese football is there for everybody to see. The great advantage is the facilities. The facilities are very good. And there is a genuine enthusiasm among the people, which generates fervor in the country and I think that is the strongest part of the game here. Watching the video, they have some talented players, there's no question about it. And if you look at Shunsuke Nakamura at Celtic—we’ve played him three times now in the last two or three years—he is proof of the overall quality of Japanese football. Q: How long can Scholes continue playing at the level he has been? A: He's not going to improve much now, is he? He's 34 and had some injuries over the years. We hope he can maintain the level he’s been at, a great level, for another year or two. It's tough for players who get injured in their 30s. For Paul, he'll continue to do what he does. I don't see any negatives about his game, so hopefully he can keep it going for a long time. Q: Do you have any message to the fans who have made the expensive trip here from Manchester? A: It's something that always amazes me about this club, especially at this time of year. As everyone knows, some families are not in the best financial situation back home but they make the sacrifice. I have great admiration for them. To come this far to watch a football team shows you how much they regard us. And it also tells you something about our football club. I hope they think it's worthwhile. Q: Do you think Neville has what it takes to regain his spot on the national team? Q: I think he and Wes Brown are the best right fullbacks. Wes is out at the moment. Gary and Wes both have the problem now that Da Silva has just taken off. But all the players, Gary included, think he is fantastic. In my experience at this club, for a right back to come in and make such an impact is incredible. Gary did the same when he was a youngster, he was part of a group who came in and they were sort of a band of brothers. Da Silva has come in from Brazil, doesn’t speak the language that well, but understands football very well. So Gary and Wes have a similar problem. If they're not getting regular games from me it makes it difficult for (England manager) Fabio Capello to pick them. I would. I have no problem with it, but Fabio doesn’t know them as well as I do. Q: Are you looking ahead to the final at the expense of Gamba? A: We want to win it and I hope I play the right team tomorrow. Sometimes you have to look a game ahead. I want to play a team that can beat Gamba Osaka, and then Sunday, if we’re in the final, I have different ideas. Q: The No. 7 jersey has been a significant number at United over the years. What was the thought process behind giving it to Cristiano after the departure of David Beckham? A: Well, No. 7 has been a special number at our club for many years. When Cristiano joined us, Beckham had just joined Madrid. There was an issue of who should get the No. 7 jersey, but I thought a young kid should get it, given that Beckham was a youngster who came through our system. We thought it would be more comfortable for a younger player to take the No. 7 jersey. But I don’t think Cristiano would have considered it an advantage when he joined us. But over the five years he’s been with us, I’ve seen him develop into the player he is today. But he’s always had certain attributes that have pointed him towards greatness--his amazing skill factor, his speed and his courage. And in the time he’s been with us, he’s developed what he needed to develop most: his decision-making. He used to play center forward. And people in Portugal used to tell us he was a great goal scorer. When he first came to us we couldn’t see that. And all of a sudden he just blossomed. In the first season with us I think he scored 9 goals, the next season it was 13 or 14 and the next season it was 20. Then last year it was 42. And that is a testament to a young person who wants to do well. He improves himself by his own determination and ambition and by practicing all the time. Copyright © C.G. Williams & Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

YOKOHAMA—A day after arriving in Japan to take part in the Club World Cup, Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson spoke to reporters on a range of subjects, from the team’s preparations to the Premier League’s controversial idea of holding a 39th round of matches outside of England. While Ferguson and his yawning retinue looked a little worse for wear after the 12-hour journey, the Scotsman was nevertheless in a jovial and talkative mood: Q: What is your impression of this tournament compared to the former Toyota Intercontinental Cup, which you won in 1999 by defeating Palmeras? A: We were the first British team to win (the Toyota Cup) in 1999, and we took great pleasure in it. It can be a great boost in prestige and that's why we want to win it again this year. It's a very difficult tournament and there are many good teams here. Our game against Gamba Osaka I think will be a very good game. It’s our first time in such a tournament. When we were here in 1999 against Palmeiras it was a one off. That's why I want to pick the right time for the first match because we very much want to play in the final. We played the Urawa Reds twice in friendlies and we found them difficult because they were very energetic and technically sound. Clubs in Japan have made tremendous improvements in technical and organization ability. And their stadia are fantastic thanks to the World Cup. It's a young country in terms of football, but it's an up-and-coming country. They have made terrific improvements. I expect a very tough game on Thursday and it will hopefully be one we can navigate properly. Q: What is your assessment of semifinal opponent and Asian champions Gamba, and what is the status of your squad at present? A: I watched a video this morning of their game against Adelaide and we have a good idea of their game. It's always better to watch a competitive match like that rather than something with nothing on the line. (Goalkeeper) Ben Foster broke his finger on Thursday in training. But I brought a full squad of 23 and that's why we watch our opponents so closely--so we pick the right team. I can always pick the wrong team, but I hope not to. Q: There are many in the media who claim this tournament is a hindrance at this time of year. Your comments please. A: I think the media don't take it as seriously as we do. I think we first took part in the intercontinental competition in 1968 when it was a one-off game, and up until four years ago that was the format. But world football has grown and countries like Japan, Korea and China have developed. And a world championship tournament requires more teams. It's an extra game for us but the prestige attached to it now is far greater than in the past. Japan is a fantastic country, with fantastic facilities, a very comfortable hotel … everything is comfortable. Yes it's a 12-hour flight, but even that's comfortable. In twenty years’ time for us to look back and see that Manchester United were world champions is fantastic and that's why we've come here to win it. Q: Which Gamba players do you consider to be the biggest threat? A: (Midfielder Yasuhito) Endo is their star player. He scored their goal (in the 1-0 win over Adelaide United in the quarterfinals). And they changed his position from behind the striker to the left side but he was still influential. Also the Brazilian Lucas. He is tall and quick with his feet, which is unlike most Brazilian players. He's very effective. Two of their midfielders (Hayato Sasaki and Takahiro Futagawa) are also very good, but they will be missing due to injury and that will be tough on them. Q: What is your secret to managing such a talented and diverse group of players? The best way to judge it is that I have been at the club for 22 years and the experience is there. And once you handle one personality it prepares you for the next one that comes along. After a while it becomes quite easy. But the most important thing is that the manager's personality must be as strong as all the players. Q: How have your preparations been, and how do you deal with jetlag with a Premier League showdown with Stoke City scheduled for Boxing Day? A: Changing the body clock in such a short period of time is the most difficult thing. We had the players up at 7 a.m. on Sunday morning and made sure they didn't sleep until the plane ride here. We'll change back on Thursday to British time again. The medical side is taken care of the medical staff and I am confident we are doing all that we can. Q: So does the opportunity to play other clubs with other styles really outweigh the inconvenience of flying out here at such as busy time in the Premier League schedule? A: Playing different opposition doesn't do us any harm, but the main point is that this is a chance to win a world title. We can become world champions in December but we can't win the Premier League title in December. It is a little bit of a handicap but that's what happens when you are successful. We're here because we won the European Championship and we hope to be in Abu Dhabi (site of the 2009 Club World Cup) next year. The incentives outweigh anything happening in the Premier League. Q: If you had to play a 39th game in the EPL, which Asian city would you prefer to play it in? A: I don't think there will be a 39th game, sorry. I'm not in favor of it. If you look at our domestic program, with all those cup competitions, I think it’s impossible. If you ask me to pick a city I won't, because there are so many good ones in Asia and I don't want to offend anyone. But I don't think there will ever be a 39th game and I don't think there should be. Copyright © C.G. 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38,141 supporters at a cold Toyota Stadium , just outside Nagoya, saw J-league Gamba Osaka eke out a narrow 1-0 win over A-League Adelaide United in the World Club Cup on Sunday night. Gamba's contingent of fans were in fine voice throughout and so they should have been as their team now face European champions, Manchester United , in the next round. Some of the fans seem to have divided loyalties however. One babe dressed in red Santa hat and hot pants was wearing a Cristiano Ronaldo Man Utd no. 7 shirt. Bless her! Match report to follow . Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League A-League Betting

Melbourne Victory take their first ever steps on the Asian stage on March 12 when they host South Korean team Chunnam Dragons. It is over a year since the team won the A-League but because of timing and deadlines, Melbourne have had to wait until now to make their debut. Coach Ernie Merrick had time for a quick chat before the Chunnam match. Melbourne were comfortable champions in 2007 but struggled a little in 2008. Why was that? The main reason was the number of injuries we had. In Australia you can only have just over 20 players in your squad, a maximum of 23. Our midfield was very strong in season two (2006-07. Season three, one of those midfielders Fred, transferred to DC United, Grant Brebner, who was a youth player at Manchester United and was very successful with us, he sustained a pelvic injury and a groin injury and he was virtually out for the season and our third midfielder, Kevin Muscat had to move into defence as we had four centre-backs get injured in a row. Everytime we brought in a new centre-back they got injured and Muscat had to go there so we were without the same midfield. Towards the end of the season we had a new midfield, they were all Olympic-level players, playing for the Olympic team. One player was also Carlos from the Costa Rican national team and all of a sudden we started to play really well again and won three out of the last four and drew one. It is a while since the season finished. How do you maintain the sharpness of your team? We finished in January so we gave the players ten days off and then from the middle of February we have been training really hard, almost like a mini pre-season. We started arranging games. We played against the Socceroos team, a local state team and twice against the other team in the Asian Champions League, Adelaide United. So we have had four practice games and a very intensive training period. How do you feel about waiting a year to participate in the ACL? The ideal scenario would be to play in the A-League and then progress directly into the Champions League. We’ve had to wait a year. The advantage of waiting a year is that we have been able to prepare better. We have looked at how our opponents play. We hae sent someone over to Thailand, I went over to Hawaii to the Pan-Pacific games to watch Gamba Osaka play. We will send someone to Korea. We also have an acclimatization program ready for the boys for when we go to Thailand. In some ways it has been good and in some ways not so good but we really appreciate the opportunity to play in Asia. Melbourne is well-supported in the A-League. Will it be the same in the ACL? We are all hopeful that it will and the early indications are promising. We have a massive stadium that holds 56,000 people. We normally don’t have any pre-sales but two weeks out we'd already sold 10,000 tickets. We’re expecting a very large crowd for our first game against Chunnam Dragons at the Telstra Dome. What did you learn from Sydney and Adelaide’s games in the ACL last season? Both those teams had new coaches and unsettled teams because they were in the process of changing over the players at the end of the season. We signed our players early, we obviously haven’t changed coach and we planned well ahead to make sure that our training program and practice matches were all in play. We finished the season strongly, got players early, trained early and did our homework on the opposition teams early. What do you know about Chunnam Dragons? We’ve looked at the video tapes from last year and Chunnam Dragons are a very good side. They are well-organised but they have changed coaches and have changed formation so we’ll have a look at how they play this year. There is no doubt that Asian clubs have an advantage over Australian clubs in that there is no restriction on player numbers in the squad plus they have no financial restrictions. We are restricted by a salary cap. I think Bare who plays for Gamba Osaka earns more than our salary cap! So we are up against it but our players are very fit and very strong and we have a couple of international players and we have four-Olympic level players. We have a Costa Rican national player so I think we’ve still got a strong team. Perhaps it makes things more difficult for you when Japan and Korea are in their close season? I was over in Hawaii to watch Gamba Osaka. I saw their new players and the second top goalscorer in the league. They were very impressive. We have watched Chonburi and they look good. Korean, Japanese, Chinese and Thai players that I have seen have all been very technical and quick. It will be a tough competition. Chunnam finished tenth last season, does that make it easier for you? I don’t think so. They have a new coach and I believe he has a very good record. Pim Verbeek has given us some information about them. He said that they are a good team with a good coach. The new players will be looking to impress the new coach. I think they’ll give us a very tough game. What did Pim Verbeek tell you about Chunnam and Korean teams? He just spoke highly of the technical ability, the physical ability and the speed. He also mentioned that the teams are well-organised and that the Chunnam coach, who I think worked with him before, is very good. He was full of praise. He couldn’t tell me much about how the team will play. He said that you have to be aware that Korea is a good standard and technically good and that strategically, he is very good. He didn’t want to make me afraid but he painted a tough picture for us. He speaks highly of Korean football. What is your impression of Korean football? I think Hiddink put Korea on the map with the tremendous performance at the 2002 World Cup. That was carried on by Dick Advocaat. The number of Koreans now playing in Europe seems to be impressive. I think Korean football is on the rise. How about Japanese football? The J-League has been going for 15 years, we have been going for three years in Australia. I believe that the turnover of Gamba Osaka is about $80-90 million. Our turnover is about $8-9 million. It’s big business for them and they can bring in top level players from Brazil or wherever. The J-League is one of the top competitions and is growing in strength. You saw Gamba Osaka last week? They won the Pan-Pacific tournament without a number of their best players away on international duty. That’s why I am worried!(laughs) They thrashed Houston Dynamo 6-1. They are well-organised and have got good strikers. They are strong in defence and have a good goalkeeper. I think they are the favourites in the group. For Australian teams to compete, is it time to abolish or raise the salary cap? It’s something we have to look at in future but the salary cap is in place to make sure that the A-League is viable so I understand why it’s there. It just compromises us when we face clubs from countries that do not have salary caps. The Thai team Chonburi. Is that two must-win games for you? I’d say so. Since only one team qualifies from the group, it’s going to be the kind of competition in which you can’t afford to lose many games. You need to be looking to win around four of the six games. I don’t know if it’s fair or not but the Thai team is probably looked upon as a team that has had less time to develop professionally. But I suspect that every team will be tough to beat. I imagine that after the Asian Cup, Australian players and fans have more realistic expectations of Asia… I think you’re spot on there. When Australia plays in Asia, you can’t take anything for granted. Every team is tough and you have to get used to the environment whether it is at altitude or in hot and humid whether. You have to prepare well to get the results. 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