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Japan's first job is to make the pitch feel smaller when the Netherlands build from the back, then wider when the ball turns over. The Dutch side will try to move Japan's midfield line with patient circulation and early switches into the outside lanes.
For Japan, the useful spells may not be long spells of possession. They may be the five-second windows after a regain, when the first pass can turn pressure into field position. Set pieces matter too: a tight opening match can be decided by one second ball rather than a clean attacking pattern.
This is not a must-win opener, but it is a match that can define the group mood. A point keeps Japan in control before Tunisia and Sweden. A win would change the temperature of the whole section.
PREVIEW
Netherlands vs Japan: a first test of spacing and nerve
Japan open Group F against the Netherlands in Dallas, with both sides trying to settle the ball before the group becomes compressed.
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