By KUMI KINOHARA

Staff writer

"It had a smell of the World Cup," Japan coach Philippe Troussier said of Japan's 1-1 draw against Italy on Wednesday night, expressing satisfaction at his team's progress in the game.

Troussier has assessed many players since his arrival in September 1998, in what he has called his "laboratory." He has urged the Japanese players to battle each other for places on the team during the course of his three-year-long preparation. This, he believes, has helped the players improve their game.

After Wednesday's game, Japan's last for the season, Troussier said his team's experimental period has ended.

"A group of 25 players have been selected in my mind. We are missing three players here but I've almost completed my selection. Very few seats are left on the team." The three missing players are Jubilo Iwata midfielder Hiroshi Nanami, Yokohama F. Marinos defender Naoki Matsuda, who were forced to skip the Italy game due to injury, and, it is believed, Shimizu S-Pulse midfielder Alex, who is waiting for his Japanese citizenship.

Troussier launched a campaign this year to play more away games and play against teams ranked among the top 20 in the world. His team has played a total of 13 international games this year for a 6-3-4 win-draw-loss record, which included a shocking but ultimately fruitful 5-0 loss to world champion France in Saint-Dennis in March.

But more than the record shows, Japan put on a convincing performance against three-time World Cup winning Italy, in the first half in particular, which made its local fans feel good ahead of the World Cup.

J. League chairman Saburo Kawabuchi, who also serves as a vice president of the Japan Football Association, praised the Japanese performance. "The Japanese team played with style, which is a good sign for the World Cup. I know that Italy was not on top form after arriving a day before the game and suffering jet lag. Nevertheless, I expected Italy to be a difficult side to beat. But we held them to a draw. This will bring confidence to our players, for sure."

Troussier has encouraged his players to play abroad, gain experience and bring that experience to the national team. That has already been done by some of the overseas-based players such as Feyenoord midfielder Shinji Ono and Arsenal midfielder Junichi Inamoto, both of whom had good games on Wednesday, showing the improvement in their games.

Former Urawa Reds player Ono said, "It's been only three months at Feyenoord. But I've been playing players who are taller and bigger than me and train everyday trying not to be beaten by them in physical contact."

Inamoto said, "I've gained some confidence since training at Arsenal."

The Japan-based players are also learning through tough games like the Italy one this week.

Defender Tsuneyasu Miyamoto had a solid display following his previous good performance in last month's game against Nigeria at Southampton in England. The Gamba Osaka player said, "I was so worn out at the end of the game, which I hadn't experienced in any J. League games. You can't play in the same way as you do in the J. League because the Italians have such great mobility and speed."

Striker Atsushi Yanagisawa, who struck a brilliant volley for the opening goal with the outside of his right foot, said, "We've learned to organize our attack better and can score goals if we can win the ball closer to their goal -- as we did today."

The Japanese team will hold a training camp in the middle of next month to close the year. Its next game is expected to be some time in March, against opponents yet to be announced.

Troussier said, "My team has a certain maturity and have gained some experience. I'd like my team to maintain the standard that we've attained and the style we've developed. We can then prepare to step on the gas for our next game in March."