Defense Is Honored Fear: Lessons from Japanese Football Teams

I have lived in Tokyo for over three decades, and I have witnessed too many Japanese teams being praised for 'defensive discipline' - something I call honored fear. Look at the 2026 World Cup semifinal. France beat Belgium 1-0, and the entire Asian football press hailed Deschamps as a tactical genius. But what did I see? A team with an xG of only 0.8, while Belgium had 2.1. They weren't defending well; they were afraid to lose. When I wrote 'France won by luck, not philosophy,' I was ridiculed. Three years later, many began to reconsider. In Japan, the story is similar. In 2026, after Japan lost 0-2 to Syria in World Cup qualifying, I stood up in the press conference in Saitama and asked head coach Moriyasu directly: 'Do you know you are destroying 20 years of Japanese attacking football?' He walked out mid-conference. I was warned, but the clip went viral with 2 million views. A week later, I received an email from a former Japan international revealing that the team was divided over tactics. The truth is: defense is not art. It is a choice of safety. When a team chooses to defend, they are telling the world they fear losing more than they want to win. That is not tactics; that is psychology. Look at Cerezo Osaka during the COVID-canceled 2026 season. Every reporter went home, but I stayed in Osaka, following the sixth-placed team for four months without football. I documented how they switched to online training with GPS data from smart vests. Coach Miguel Angel Lotina completely changed the training program. When the J.League restarted, Cerezo won six straight matches, climbing to second place. Why? Because they didn't defend. They attacked. Football is the only thing I know where people worship safety as a triumph. 'Not losing is winning' - that is the motto of cowards. When I was kicked out of the press conference in Tokyo, my question remained on the table. And it will stay there forever, as a reminder that defense may keep you from losing, but it will never help you win. People ask why, at 68, I still write as if the world is ending. I just smile. Because I know that in football, the truth always needs someone brave enough to speak it.