Japan's 2-1 win over Yemen on Tuesday night may not have been pretty, but the result could prove invaluable for manager Takeshi Okada's strategy for 2009.
Okada fielded a virtual "B" team in the 2011 Asian Cup qualifier in Kumamoto, placing his faith in senior fringe players and raw youngsters at the expense of the regulars who have formed the core of his side so far. Only 109 caps had been won by the members of Tuesday's starting lineup — 68 of them by Kengo Nakamura and Yuichi Komano alone.
To choose such an inexperienced team for a match with points at stake may seem risky, but Okada's approach was based in sound logic.