What made the Japanese team tick? Many things probably, but all concerned parties agree that getting to know the world first hand played a crucial role. Japanese soccer was professionalized with the birth of the J. League, which gave Japanese players a chance to work with large numbers of talented instructors and players from South America and Europe in an environment that exposed them to the outside world on a daily basis.
The task of putting the finishing touches on the national team was given to the coach, Philippe Troussier. He went about his business with such fervor that at times he seemed eccentric. He did away with the backscratching and a seniority-based pecking order, and brought a new atmosphere to the team. While opinions of his contributions are divided, it would probably have been difficult for a Japanese to achieve what he did
No, it would have been impossible to do what Troussier did, since very few Japanese would dare violate their Confucion principles and ::gasp:: choose someone younger and stronger to represent Japan over their elders.
