Japan captain Makoto Hasebe on Tuesday warned his teammates not to take their positions for granted and said he welcomed the heated competition for places in the team ahead of the World Cup finals in Brazil.
"The competition for places will continue," said Hasebe, who has been working his way back to fitness after knee surgery and was rested for Monday night's 3-1 win against Costa Rica in a friendly in Tampa, Florida.
"The coach decides the team and nobody knows who will play or what position. I feel here that there is a really healthy rivalry for spots in the team," he said.