YOKOHAMA-Sir Alex Ferguson added another piece of silverware to his extensive trophy cabinet on Sunday with Manchester United’s 1-0 win over Liga de Quito of Ecuador in the final of the Club World Cup. The longtime coach of the Red Devils was delighted by the performance of his club and said the win will act as a springboard to better things ahead in 2009. Following are excerpts from his post-match press conference: Q: Defender Nemanja Vidic was sent off in the second half. How did that affect your play? A: It affected the penetration we showed in the first half. After his sending off we had to be more disciplined and make sure we didn't concede. And I began to wonder if we were going to extra time. To play with 10 men with that long to go would have been a long road. But in fairness we played with good expression and still tried to win the match and that's a measure of the ambitious players we have, so I was pleased with the performance. Q: Wayne Rooney was named player of the tournament, do you think that was deserved? A: Well I think he was the player of the game, there’s no doubt about that. I think he deserved it. Because I think he could have scored two or three times in the first half. It was a very, very good performance from him and a magnificent goal. I’ve seen him do that a lot, coming off the left side and bending it in with his right foot, and it was another example of that ability he has. Q: With all the talk of jetlag and fatigue, why does Rooney seem have this limitless energy when other players look slightly less energized? A: Well, people handle traveling differently. I was speaking to Edwin Van Der Sar this morning, and he said two day’s ago he a great sleep but last night he had a terrible sleep. Last night was the first night I slept more than two hours. Everyone’s different. You hope they all can handle it but that’s not the case. I think it showed in the last 20 minutes of the game on Thursday night when the game became too open for us. But tonight our discipline was very good and it had to be because you can’t leave gaps when you go down to 10 men. Q: Were you more concerned about the offense of Quito than that of Gamba Osaka? You made some changes to your lineup tonight. A: No, we made one change, Rafael Da Silva on for Gary Neville. I think that was the correct thing to do. At 34 years age, Gary needs more rest now, three days or so. You have to compliment Gamba for the quality of their game. I watched them again today and they could have scored 4 or 5 goals in the first half. Their quality, in particular Yasuhito Endo … nobody on Quito had the quality Endo’s got, for example. You have to admire their quality. Q: You created a lot of opportunities, especially in the first half, but couldn’t find the back of the net. What were you thinking substitution-wise in the second half? A: I felt we had to be more disciplined and not to concede. Had we lost a goal we would have lost the game. The important thing was to stay patient and hope either Cristiano Ronaldo or Rooney could do something special for us. I also thought extra time could have been a big possibility, which is why I didn’t make any substitutions until late in the game. Once we scored I could think about who could protect the lead and that's why I brought on Neville and Darren Fletcher. We've only scored 8 goals away from home this season, which is not good enough. But we've played with great expression and imagination and we have players who can entertain and in normal situations we can score goals. Hopefully that will change in the new year. Q: What does winning this competition do for you as a club? A: I think it will be a good springboard for us. We’ve come a long way. It may have been difficult for us to go to Stoke (on Boxing day in the Premier League) had we lost. I think it’s difficult to come back after losing a big tournament like this. But we’ve won it, so I think there will be a bounce at the club. It won't be easy, no games in the Premiership are. But it does give us a platform to start playing with a real purpose to our game now and to chase the leaders. For me personally, I said earlier it would be nice to look back in 30 years and see that Manchester United was world champion. I won't be able to enjoy this 30 years from now, but I will enjoy it next year. Q: After Vidic’s expulsion, I know you must have been concerned. But what was your mindset keeping Ronaldo and Rooney on and bring Carlos Tevez off? A: We’ve been in that situation before. Rooney has such great energy to play as an attacker, to defend as a midfield player and he has such a great tenacity to do these things. Tevez was disappointed to have come off, but it was the only thing I could do. But as soon as I took Tevez off I though to myself, crikey, it could go to penalties and I've just taken Tevez off. But of course, Rooney scored the only goal so it didn’t matter. I thought we played sensible football compared to how we played in the first half. Q: What was the key to your victory tonight and what is your impression of Quito and the South American style of football? A: I think the collective spirit of the team won the day, particularly when we went down to 10 men . I think it's a fantastic tournament. We’re here because we won the European Cup and we’re here to represent England and Europe. At the end of the day you always expect to play a South American team. Maybe we’ve played against better South American teams in the past … I think we were comfortable winners today but when you get to a final, you have still got to win it. And you can lose games like that because the game was so slow in the first half and although we made chances you start to worry that one counterattack could cost us. And if we had went behind tonight it would have been very difficult for us because the South American mentality is different from other places in that they can defend, as we saw tonight many times. 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—Liga de Quito’s Argentine coach Edgardo Bauza announced that he was quitting the club at the end of the Club World Cup. While Sunday’s 1-0 loss to Manchester United in the final came as a disappointment, the former Argentina national team player nevertheless had an exceptional year with the club, steering it to a first-ever Copa Libertadores win for an Ecuadorian side. Following are excerpts from his final press conference as Liga de Quito boss: Q: Despite the loss are you proud of your team? A: I mentioned earlier that I didn't know what would happen tonight. I am very proud of my players. Both teams came to Japan to win. We were defeated and it's sad. We're depressed but we know we were the underdogs. We are very happy to have come so far. It took about 20 minutes for us to get used to Manchester and the atmosphere. Some of our players played very well in the first half and overall I consider it a draw. United went down a man and we were unable to take advantage of it. Our counterattack wasn't effective. Q: Did you feel you didn't take enough risks? A: We wanted to. I changed from four defenders to three when I brought off defender Paul Ambrosi. In the last 10 minutes we had two or three chances to score and we didn't capitalize. I wanted speedier movement on the flanks and I changed to three defenders, which is the pattern of attack that I prefer. Q: Your team played very bravely today and you showed that you were equal with United in many respects. A: I think we have to analyze the game. Were we equal? I don't think so. Our players were looking for opportunities and couldn't. We tried to impose our style but couldn't because of the greatness of our opponent. Q: What was your overall strategy for today’s match? A: Actually, our strategy was to try not to retreat too much because United, when they have the ball, always have the ability to score. In the second half I told my players to move the backline higher, but United were using three forwards and Park Ji-sung was there as well so we couldn't do what we wanted on the pitch. I used (attacking midfielder Alejandro) Manso more in the second half to produce more of an attack. Q: Was your team nervous today? A: No, for the first 15 minutes we tried to stop United's passing. They created two great opportunities to score. We had to be patient early but we struggled even harder than we expected and had a poor first half. But I thought we had more possession as the game progressed. Q: What do you say to the people in Ecuador? A: It's a little complex. First, I am really satisfied to be a part of this team and to represent Ecuador here. It is really important for my career and this experience will remain with all of us. We are sad that we didn't have enough power to win, and I thought we could make United struggle more. They are a great team and we are proud to have played them. I have finished a cycle here and am glad to end my time with the club on this note. I hope the people of Ecuador are happy with our performance. 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—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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After the excitement generated by the semi finals I decided to head somewhere more tranquil. Catching the westward bound Shinkansen I headed for Itsukushima, home of the floating shrine and a UNESCO World Heritage site. It offered a stark contrast to the previous night as there were more deer than people wandering around the dimly lit streets. But in the bay the floating shrine was lit up. I understand that mere mortals used to have to enter the island by boat through this shrine. These days it would seem to be a matter of studying the tides as the two times I have been here the shrine appears to be standing on a mud flat. Choosing something to eat isn't as difficult as you would imagine here in Japan. Mainly due to the fact that outside the majority of establishments they have either a photograph or a plastic imitation of the dishes available. The main problem I have is when they describe the dish in English, seeing the likes of eel, squid and octopus immediately puts me off, whereas written in Japanese the food might still look appealing. This night I chose a local speciality okonomiyaki, a noodle dish with pancakes and fried eggs as well as shaved fish, called hanakatsuo. When this is added as a topping to a hot dish, the heat has the effect of making the flakes move as if dancing; because of this, it is also known as dancing fish flakes. Watching the shavings move made me wonder if John Lennon was on drugs or just eating okonomiyaki. It just so happened that the next day Sanfrecce Hiroshima were hosting Jubilo Iwata in the Emperor's Cup . So taking the Astram line monorail out of the city, with buildings below and hills on either side I eventually reached The Big Arch, home of Sanfrecce and almost a World Cup venue in 2002. As I walked in I was handed a leaflet, with closer inspection I found that it was a songsheet for the supporters, complete with words (in Japanese). So later I was to be entertained with Smoke on the Water, Ale, Ale Hiroshima (possibly a drinking song) and The Great Escape. Two well taken free kicks gave Sanfrecce a comfortable win and a place in the semi-finals of the Emperor's Cup. This appeared to appease the home supporters in the sparse crowd who looked a little lost in the 50,000 stadium built originally for the 1994 Asian Games. Headed homeward after the match on the Shinkansen with a brief stop (normally less than a minute between arriving and departing stations (at Osaka and then a slight detour in Nagoya) before arriving back in Tokyo on the eve of the Club World Cup Final. The first match of the day saw Urawa Red Diamonds clinch third spot thanks to a 4-2 penalty shoot win, after a 2-2 draw during normal time. Washington the Urawa goalscorer, with two headed goals will be greatly missed as he is now to return to Brazil. However he has promised the Japanese that one day he will be back to manage the only club he could ever play for in Japan. The final itself was a simply a showcase for Kaka, who in turn used it to announce that he belonged to Jesus. Kaka was a constant menace and as well scoring he provided two assists and provoked into a foul a Boca player which saw him sent off. Boca supporters continued their chant of "dale Boca" throughout, but whilst it must have looked as though the team were dallying, in truth Kaka delivered a performance which saw him crowned World Player of the year, if the vote had gone to anyone else they would have changed it after watching this display. His performance meant that once again Brazil were the winners of this competition, a fact which clearly hurt the Argentinians. He taunted the Boca fans with the trophy and Brazil flag as he ran round on Milan's lap of honour. Once again Japan has left its impression on me. The place where you start the day with the latest energy drink, with two pills dispensed in a plastic cup before knocking back some potion. The cleanliness of the place, where even at the football stadiums people pick up their rubbish and place it in the bins provided. Where you now pay for items by scanning your mobile phone over a paypoint. This time though I get to leave my own (fingerprint) impression with Japan. © Ross Clegg & 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

Back to Tokyo for the semi finals of the competition and I noted that Sepp Blatter has already questioned the participation of the Oceania tournament winner. Not only is this the smallest of the federations it also recently lost Australia to the Asian tournament, as they wished the national team to have more competition and also avoid their inevitable World Cup play off against South American opponents. Making my way from the subway stadium to the first game it was noticeable that a large number of locals were sporting the yellow and blue of Boca. I was handed a flyer for La Bombonera, a Japanese bar dedicated to the team, there were a number of people handing them, obviously to boost business for what should be their busiest night ever. The standard of football was raised with the introduction of the first South American champions not to come from Brazil. Etoile showed their intentions with a shot at goal from the kick off. However Boca's slick passing was the key to their win. With 37 minutes gone Palermo put Palacio away down the left wing who played an intricate ball into the feet of Nery Cardozo who gleefully hammered the ball into the roof of the net. Etoile shook off the defensive qualities that saw them through their qualifying match and showed that they could play. The Argentinian side have been quoted as saying that they have to win this tournament no matter what, and Fabian Vargas's second yellow proved they are not going to let anyone get in the way. Despite this setback with 25 minutes left Boca reverted to 4-3-2, proving that attack is the best form of defence. They matched their opponents with chances at both ends, cruelly Etoile substitute Gilson Silva hit the post in the last minute. So where better to go having just seen Boca clinch their place in the final than La Bombonera. One useful skill in Japan is orienteering! Directions are given by small diagrams, they may have street names on but I wouldn't know. So having negotiated my way I arrived at a small bar in the back streets of the Yoyogi area. The bar was indeed box shaped and decked out with Boca souvenirs and old Boca matches broadcast in the background. I got talking to one local who had his Boca shirt on and had also gone to the game. During our conversation he pointed to a picture which showed mascots from the J League teams. I quickly reeled of two of the teams. With this I became an instant celebrity. I tried to explain the race that our mascots back in England, but I think this would seem rather tame to them. (Have you seen the clips from the Japanese show where they play football with binoculars on or even the rugby game in fancy dress suits!). Free drinks were the order of the night, Quilmes of course. Next day and it was down the road to Yokohama. Another closely contested game with an excellent atmosphere. The Urawa fans were their usual self. Chanting and pogoing (well almost all of them) to their songs. Urawa conceded territorial advantage but defended well. When they broke they used the width of the whole pitch and became more confident as the game wore on. Kaka was a constant menace but with no end product he switched flanks during the first half looking for a way past a resolute Urawa defence. The chants of the Urawa fans grew louder during the second half as they sensed that their team might get a result. Especially when Washington curled a shot into the corner only for Dida to pluck it out of the air just when it looked like going in. Then the inevitable, Kaka broke down the left and got to the byline and laid the ball into the path of Seedorf who stroked the ball into an empty net. Mysteriously Tanaka who didn't get to Kaka in time to stop the ball being pulled back signalled for his own substitution. At first he held his hamstring and then moments later collapsed as though he had been shot. The Urawa fans gave their all, but their team couldn't do quite enough to get back in the game. The referee blew the final whistle and the chanting stopped, just as suddenly as it had begun in Nagoya. Despite that as I left the stadium I could still hear the chanting in my head. It went (in my best Japanese) - Allez, allez, allez, allez, Allez, allez, allez, Allez, allez, allez, ............................. (repeat until coming to a sudden stop) © Ross Clegg & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League Urawa Reds Betting

Urawa Reds fans - tightly controlled, regimented, verging on the fascistic, the hordes from Saitama and beyond are the J-League's noisiest fans. "We are the Redsu" will be ringing out tonight when Urawa take on Milan in the semi-final of the World Club Cup. Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League Urawa Reds Betting

Like the teams at the World Club Cup I have now adjusted to my surroundings, having arrived in Japan last Friday lunchtime, after an 11 hour flight and nine hours time difference. This gave me enough time to check in at my hotel and have something to eat before collecting my tickets for the tournament and attending the opening game. Initial frustrations over my inability to understand the language and even more frustrating being unable to read the signs are overcome by familiarity on my third trip to the country. At least they drive on the left over here. The purchase of a rail pass is a necessity for any foreigner contemplating travelling in Japan as with a couple of trips you will have paid for it. Having done just that, I set off for Kobe on Saturday morning. It is just under 600km away, but only 3 hours by the Hikari Super Express Shinkansen. During the day I managed to take in the 5th Round Emperor's Cup game between Vissel Kobe and Kawaski Frontale, before heading to Chinatown and then viewing the Kobe Luminaire - a light festival held in Kobe every December since 1995 to commemorate the Hanshin earthquake of that year. The streets are closed and lit up forming what seems like an arch that leads to what could be a palace. Returning to Tokyo I met up with a Japanese friend, Tetsuma, to see Pachuca v Etoile Sportive Du Sahel . We had already spotted large groups of schoolchildren dressed in dug out coats (a sure sign that Japanese people are going to the match), and he explained that a large number of tickets were given to schools. As we arrived at the ticket booth we were approached by a young man offering two free tickets for the game. The match itself was frustrating but symptomatic of a lot of games played at this competition over the last few years. Both sides were restrained and play was concentrated around midfield as players held on to the ball for too long. In the first half a couple of Sahel lapses gave Alvarez a chance to shine. Unfortunately he didn't take them and Sahel punished the Mexicans with a deflected strike late on. This delighted the travelling supporters who celebrated for some time with the team and then in the darkness of the stands in the National Stadium (which houses the Prince Chichibu Memorial Sports Museum ). The next day saw proceedings move from Tokyo to Toyota (who just happen to sponsor the tournament). Toyota lies around an hour away from Nagoya, the name of the city was changed in 1959 by the Toyada family who revived the economy of the town by founding the Toyota Motor Company. The magnificent stadium was completed in 2001 and occasionally hosts J-League side Nagoya Grampus Eight (who in a rare role reversal were originally called Toyota Motor S.C.) The local Urawa supporters and FIFA will be delighted that they made it through to this prestigious stage of the tournament. Where they are guaranteed a further two games and a meeting with AC Milan. The silence in the crowd was eerie on Monday night in Toyota as the game was about to kick off. Until the Urawa supporters as one, burst in to rhythmic chanting which continued for the majority of the game. This trance like state was evident as locals around us began joining in by clapping, the older folks around the stadium thankfully refrained from joining in the pogoing. This same concentration was not matched on the pitch by last years Asian Footballer of the year, Tulio, whose defensive lapse let in Sepahan for their goal. After the match it was back to my accommodation a Nagoya, a capsule hotel. Once again the experience can be quite daunting as with most things Japanese there are prescribed ways that things are done. I gathered immediately that my shoes should be removed and placed in a locker. Upon payment I was given a wristband with a locker key and a number. I was shown a map which showed the layout of the beds, mine was number 163. Having placed all my clothes in the locker, I made use of the one size fits all pink shorts. The next room had washing facilities but up the steps I could see the glass door steaming up. Walking through them revealed a communal baths with hot water being pumped through artificially replicating the hot springs found outdoors around Japan. So having observed the ritualsand thoroughly washed myself I saw that a pile of pink shorts lay discardedin the basket next to the door. Oh well, I would have looked silly going in with my shorts. Testing the different pools I noted that one was freezing cold. I opted for the warmer version with the bubbles massaging my back. I then found the sauna, and briefly made use of the cold pool. By this stage of the evening there was no one else around so I sheepishly investigated my surroundings and found a door through which there was a pile of towels and Japanese style pyjamas. Now it was off to find my capsule. (A walk around the place revealed that all the capsules fitted in just two rooms). Having found it, I slid in and proceeded to look for the light switch. I found a radio with an alarm clock but no switch. Eventually I realised that an object I had felt could be a torch. Sure enough it was. I now pulled down my blind and retired for the night. Emerging at around 10a.m. the next morning I noted that everyone else had gone, but it didn't stop me from visiting the pool again. The hardest part of the whole experience turned out to be leaving the place. © Ross Clegg & Soccerphile Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League Urawa Reds Betting