On Oct. 29 last year, Philippe Troussier sat, drenched in champagne, at his post-match press conference after Japan's nail-biting 1-0 win over Saudi Arabia in the Asian Cup final. The oversized fruit bowl of a trophy beside him, the Frenchman grinned like a Cheshire cat while he tried to collect his thoughts on what it meant to deliver Asia's top prize to Japan.
When, finally, he spoke, Troussier hammered home the point that Japan had simply "crossed the Asian line" and only by playing what he called "serious friendlies" against the cream of European soccer would his young side be ready for the 2002 World Cup finals. To cope with the extra pressure of being cohosts, Troussier argued, his players would need to experience playing the top teams away from home.
The Japan Football Association, already on the back foot after Troussier's "stop interfering or I'm off" blast earlier in the Lebanon tournament, got the hint and Japan arranged friendly internationals against France in March and Spain last month. If the results -- a 5-0 spanking in Paris and a 1-0 defeat in Cordoba -- proved to be something of an anti-climax, the matches provided Troussier with some invaluable data ahead of the Confederations Cup, which kicks off in South Korea tomorrow.