In the early morning of December 22, Beijing time, two key matches were staged in the five major European leagues, and the English Premier League Seagulls Brighton drew 1-1 with West Ham United. And in a La Liga match, Real Sociedad drew 0-0 away with Cadiz. And the most worrying thing after these two games is probably the Japanese fans. Because their two major European internationals, Kaoru Mikasa and Hisashi Hisa, both went down due to injury in the game, and there is a high probability that they will miss the Asian Cup in November next year. This is undoubtedly a heavy blow to the Japanese team that aims to win the championship.
Kaoru Mikasa started the game in a game-high two shots in Brighton's 1-1 draw at West Ham United, but was substituted in the 83rd minute after being repeatedly violated. After the game, the three-ball king left the court on crutches and put on a protective boot on his left foot, and it seemed that the situation was still relatively serious. According to a report from renowned journalist Sam Morton, Kaoru Mikasa will undergo a further injury assessment to determine if he can continue to compete. It is worth mentioning that the Japanese national team missed all the international breaks in October and November this year, and Kaoru Mikasa was all absent due to injury. The squad for the Asian Cup will be announced after the friendly match against Thailand on January 1 next year, and there are big doubts about whether the three-goal king can catch up.
Hisashi Hisashi's condition is more serious than Kaoru Mikasa. In Real Sociedad's away match against Cádiz, Hisashi started the game, but was viciously fouled by Cadiz player Alcaraz several times in the game. The Japanese international was first trampled and slammed his right hand into Hisashi's right abdomen and fell to the pitch to receive **. In the second half, Alcaraz grabbed his shoulders and spun around for most of the circle, then threw it out and fell heavily to the ground. However, even for such a foul, Alcaraz only received a yellow card, and the scale of the referee's penalty was really confusing.
In this game, Hisashi insisted on playing the whole game. However, after the game, Real Sociedad coach Alguacil revealed in an interview that the Japanese international is likely to have a cracked rib. And before Alcaraz dragged the foul, he was already planning to replace Jiu Kangying. It was Real Sociedad's last game before the winter break. Their next game is not until January 3 next year. However, Hisashi is the absolute workhorse of the Japanese national team and the hope of the Japanese team to win the Asian Cup. If he misses out due to injury, it will undoubtedly be another major blow to the Japanese team.
This season, Kaoru Mikasa and Hisashi have both performed very well. With six goals and four assists in 24 games in all competitions, Hisashi has taken up the team's attacking role when David Silva retired early due to injury. Kaoru Mikasa, on the other hand, has three goals and five assists in 24 games, and his breakaway passes and inward shots from the flanks are a sight to behold in the Premier League.
In the history of the Asian Cup, Japan has won the championship four times, the most times. However, despite the presence of many talented players playing in Europe's top leagues, the last time Japan won the Asian Cup was in Qatar in 2011. In the following decade, Japan's best result was a runner-up finish in the last edition, where they lost 3-1 to Qatar in the final. And this time, Qatar, as the host, will undoubtedly be aiming for the championship. And without the two major attackers of Hisashi and Kaoru Mikasa, it is really difficult for the Japanese team to win the championship.