Japanese clubs failed to reach the semi-finals of the 2009 ACL and, this season, all four J.League teams were unable to advance past the round of 16. In contrast, Pohang won the 2009 title and all 4 Korean teams have advanced into the quarter finals of the ACL title for 2010.

In 2010, Kawasaki Frontale and Sanfrecce Hiroshima were eliminated in the group stages while Gamba and Kashima Antlers lost in the Round of 16.

Japan FA President Motaki Inukai told local media after the R16 games: “We need to think about what we need to do as Japanese football. I think there are several reasons but we have to consider and need to accept the results sincerely.”

A number of reasons have been thrown about – the early start of the competition (group stages kicked off on February 23), the disruption caused by the East Asian Football Federation Championship (February 6-14) and lack of preparation.

These are the thoughts of two respected Japanese football writers:

Ms Etsuko Motokawa

“I think one of reasons for Japanese clubs’ defeats in the ACL is timing of the start of the tournament. It started two weeks earlier than last year and most of the Japanese clubs had been forced to start their season without proper preparation.

“As a result, many clubs dropped points in early stage (of the ACL) and there was not enough time to regain them later.

“Also Kashima and Gamba had to release some players for the national team for the EAFF championship in February so they had a busy schedule.

“Kashima and Gamba are almost regular participants in the ACL and among the favourites so other clubs studied and analysed them very well.

“These two teams are strong in attack but their opponents (especially Korean clubs) tend to defend and then counter attack. They conceded many goals this way. So, now Japanese clubs need to think how to counter opponents who spend a lot of time studying their tactics.

“Hiroshima are a different case. They played in the ACL for the first time. They had many injuries and also lacked experience.”

Mr Takeo Goto

“One of the biggest reasons was the timing of the ACL’s start date, which was because of the FIFA World Cup 2010, I think.

“In Japan, there is the Emperor’s Cup so J.League clubs will go off-season after the Koreans. In addition to this, there was the EAFF Championships so Japanese players (clubs) didn’t have enough time to prepare. That’s why there are many injuries in the J.League.

“I also feel Japanese players need more time for preparation compared with Korean and Chinese players.

“So I think it will be difficult to strengthen the teams until the schedule allows players more off-periods. Next year there is the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011™ in January so I don’t know how East Asian teams can prepare for that tournament, the ACL and their domestic leagues.”