Given the empty rhetoric that has come to characterize his reign as national team manager, it was no surprise to hear Takeshi Okada attempting to put a positive spin on Japan's dismal 0-0 draw with China last weekend.
Having watched his team limp to a second scoreless draw inside the space of a week against a country that has failed to reach this summer's World Cup, Okada praised his side's "improvement" and focused on chances created rather than chances ultimately spurned.
But the crowd at Ajinomoto Stadium saw things differently. A chorus of boos met the team at both halftime and fulltime, and Okada was forced to explain his upbeat comments at a tetchy post-match news conference.