 It's final time at the AFC Asian Cup 2019, we're 24 hours away from that big match, Japan versus Qatar in... Abu Dhabi. Abu Dhabi. Good morning. Good morning. Good morning and welcome to the final episode of 420gms for this Asian Cup. It's been a month of football, almost a fascinating month of football, Asian football. And Pandit, because it's an East Asia versus West Asia clash and Mr. Webber of Raghunandan had written in his piece that there'll be a world of cultural cliches for Pandits to Pandit on. So we got the original Pandit to come in here and chat about it. But before we get you into the conversation, we have John Helm who's joining us. He's going to be commentating on that final. One of the most experienced commentators, one of the most recognizable voices in football, especially for us Indian fans. He's been commentating on all the big games, whether it's the World Cup, the Euros, now the Asian Championships. Even Indian football. Even Indian football, for sure. So John, just to start off with what is the political climate that is the backdrop for this final game? And will the Katari sort of be definitely the outsiders making Japan the home team in this clash? So understandably, I guess a lot of people, especially sports journalists are choosing to stay away from this subject as much as possible because a lot of sort of complicated regional politics come into the picture. And also not a region that's really well known for its human rights record and freedom of the press and all of these things. In fact, the Katari journalist who we contacted, when he saw the questions that we had, the kind of discussion that we wanted to have on the final, in fact he declined to come on the show. I know, I sent him the questions and he takes a look at the questions and then he says, because prior to me sending the question, he's like, yeah, let's do this. So my first question was on the political climate and asking if Japan goes in as the home side. And you know, prompt was his reply that I'm sorry I would not like to be a part of this chat. I tried, I said, okay, you don't want to talk about this, let's talk about something else. I said, no, thank you, I'm sorry for this, I hope you understand. Understandable. So just moving on from the politics of it because it's not really a subject that we are too familiar with. Going to John, John, just give us an indication of where you think this final will be won. Well, Japan have the best centre-back pairing in the entire Asian Cup. The captain, Maya Yoshida, has been a towering figure and Takahiro Tomiyasu has really come on a pace. He's been tremendous. Kata do have the leading goal scorer, Almoise Ali's got eight remember, which is equal the record by Ali Daye at any Asian Cup. So if Japan can keep him quiet, I think the Qataris will have to find other ways of unlocking the Japanese backdoor. And while they're doing that, the likes of Ritsu Doan and Genki Haraguchi could be having a bit of fun at the other end of the pitch. So the other big part of the story is that the next World Cup is in Qatar. The road show has already begun. They had a massive set up in Moscow where they were highlighting the culture and the technology that's going into putting up their stadiums and the infrastructure that they're creating, etc. So let's ask John first. How does this sort of reaching the final of the Asian Cup, playing such a big tournament just ahead of the next major one? How does that sort of journey look for this Qataris side, the focus on domestic players, all of these new developments that are happening in the sport? How does that board for football in Qatar and what impact does it have maybe on the Middle East, West Asia in general? Well, Qatar have scored 16 goals in conceded non, which is way beyond belief, let alone their own expectations. So the development through the tournament has been exceptional. It shows their academy programs bearing fruit at more senior level, I suppose, and most of the players have figured in underage tournaments and done well previously, which all goes well for 2022. I think now they can expect to put on a respectable showing at the World Cup, and that would have been unthinkable a short time ago. Any players, John, specifically, that you're excited to see playing this final match, both sides? The crowd here like entertainers, they're like flamboyant players who do things differently. In that event, Al-Mawaz Ali has scored some spectacular goals. His last one was an absolute beauty in the game against UAE. And Abdul Karim Hassan, he really catches the iron with incredible athleticism and sort of marauding runs, and he plays up and down the left hand touch line. The fans will love him. For the Japanese, well, they're more of a team unit. Tommy Yasuo mentioned he's 20. He shows incredible maturity for that. For me, the best emerging young player in the tournament. And I think the crowds will also appreciate the all-action style of Ritsu Doan and Takumi Minamino. And Gaku Shibasaki, a man who got a couple of goals against Real Madrid once in a club World Cup final. So there are some flamboyant players. I think Japan's team ethic and discipline will probably be crucial at the end of the day. Thanks very much, John, for taking the time to join us here on 420g. Have a great final and we'll catch up with you again when you're back on the Indian football side of things. And taking off from what John was saying, Arjun, who are the guys you're looking at for the big final in terms of the standout players? See, whenever you talk about players who are standing out, you generally talk about the goal scorers. And both sides have two major goal scorers. One is Almoaz Ali, who's got eight goals. And he's already equaled Alida's record of the 1996 Asian Cup, where he scored a maximum of eight goals. So if he gets one more, he'll be the highest ever goal scorer in one edition of the Asian Cup. While at the other end, there is Osako for Japan. And Osako's got six goals to his name. And we will be reviewing about this stat as well. A crazy stat of Osako, that six shots on target. Six goals. Six goals, man. Talk about composure here and talk about finishing, man. Six shots on target, six goals. That is a crazy stat. And while, of course, we should be keeping a lookout for the goal scorers, both teams' defenses are really good, huh? Qatar's six games so far, they haven't conceded a single goal, man. Six games, that means three games in the group stages. Right? Yeah. And three knockout games. That is a major achievement, man. And look at the teams you're playing. You've played Saudi Arabia, you've played Korea Republic, you've thrashed DPR Korea. DPR Korea played the World Cup. Remember that game versus Brazil, where they got thrashed. But DPR Korea is not a pushover, yeah? Yeah, although they seem to be, like we were talking about this earlier in the tournament as well, they seem to be in some sort of, we never know what's really going on in North Korea because of the regime there and the fact that no news really gets out. They conceded 14 goals in the group stage. 14 goals? Yeah, so they were bizarrely given the sort of track record that they have. Bizarrely, they were among the weakest teams at this tournament. They conceded far more goals and you might have expected India to concede that many goals in a big tournament, but not North Korea for sure. The other thing that, like the important thing to bring up, just to contextualize Ali Dahi's achievement in 96, because the tournament was literally half the size of what it is now. Yeah, what a player he was. 12 team tournament and now we have a 24 team tournament. So 8 goals. More games. Yeah, that many more games and stuff like that. Not to take away from the fact that he scored 8 goals in a tournament. And he scored a cracker versus the UAE, that second goal. A cracker of a goal, bhai. What do you make of, I mean, he's one of the few non-Katari-born players in this squad which this coach, Felix Sanchez, has come in and sort of rejigged the way they're looking at the sport where they're not the imported players, the Brazilians. That was the Qatar of the old. Yeah, the Middle East of the old, you would say. Yeah, where players come to play the league and then they assume nationality because... But a couple of them are still non-Katari players. Yeah. Who are still part of this squad. So like Almo is born in Sudan and moved to Qatar at a young age. What do you make of the team overall? You watched the semifinals. So I watched the semifinals versus the UAE first and foremost. I think what I've been saying throughout this tournament, at least from the group stages when we were following India's progress and I've been saying it since then. Ever since that game India played versus the UAE, that was a major opportunity lost purely because this was not a good UAE side. I know they've reached the semifinals, but it was just a very poor UAE side and the same was seen in the semifinal versus Qatar. Qatar was happy to sit back. Let them play, honestly speaking. And when they've been given the opportunity to let them play, they really couldn't do anything from it because their defence was so solid and very well organised. The first goal that Qatar scored versus the UAE was a lucky one. He was going for a cross and the ball just went in the goalkeeper's direction. The goalkeeper didn't know what to do. I don't know what happened. I mean that was one of the funniest goals I've seen at this level or any level to be honest. But then the second goal of Almo was Ali. Again broke on the counter. This guy's a lanky guy, fast, takes on defenders. He's not scared to take on defenders. And just, you know, he's the type of guy. You give him two, three extra touches. One, two, three, fourth, he's going to go for a shot. He's that kind of guy. So he gets the momentum as a player and that's what he did in the second goal. He got it outside the D, went for a curler. Generally when you go for a curler you put curl on it. You don't put power. This guy went for power. So it was low and it curled inside. No chance whatsoever for the UAE goalkeeper. So it looks like a well-drilled side to be honest. Felix Sanchez, you see his reactions post all those Qatar goals. The first goal that happened. Felix Sanchez like this. Quiet. Wasn't saying anything. Second goal, which was a cracker goal. It got me off my seat. Felix Sanchez doing this. While everyone was jumping around, he was saying, easy, easy, easy. Even when the third goal was scored, when I was pretty much done and dusted, he's telling everyone relax, relax, relax. So here's a guy who really doesn't show too much of his emotions, if I may say, because he knows that he's got a young side and they're doing something that has not been done prior to this by any Qatari side. And also another stat that really works in this team's favour is that of the 16 goals they've scored, 5 of them, the maximum number of goals that they've scored have come in the quarter that being 75th to the 90th minute. The last 15 minutes of the game. That tells you, obviously, about the fitness of the side. And that tells you about the fact that these guys are a very well-motivated bunch. So they have that thing of just keep on holding back, holding back. But they have the energy and the power to push through even towards the last 15 minutes of a game when probably the opposition is dying down a bit. But however... But. But. Because Japan... Smooth into Japan. Yeah, because Japan is not a UAE man. They do the same, yeah. And Japan tactically is very, very sound. You know them better, of course, following them at the World Cup. Yeah, so, I mean, better or not, they've been... They were my favourites to win this tournament when the tournament started. And we had kind of hoped in a way that the final would be this East Asia versus West Asia. Kind of two different styles in a way. Two different... Very different cultures, of course. So the approach to football is a little bit different. But in fact, in the way these two teams are playing, we find there's more similarity than there are differences. Yeah. So both teams will be looking to essentially... But I think Japan is technically more sound, yeah. With also far more experience, I would say. Far more experience as well, yeah. At the highest level. So many of their players are in Europe. And so many of their players are in cracking form. I mean, three goals against Iran. Three goals against Iran that didn't concede anything prior to that game. And Iran that has... Like, that looked solid at the World Cup. That, I mean, at a nation level is always a dominant, sort of powerful side. And like you said, they waited, they waited, they waited. And then the last quarter of the game, boom, boom, boom. Final goal in the fourth minute, I think, of added on time. So relentless in the end. Like, absolutely pushing the opposition. Very clinical. Yeah, that 6 out of 6 is the perfect indicator of... 6 out of 6. Yeah, it's like, so when I was talking about Qatar... Imagine if C3 had managed to get a goal every time... Yeah, I don't want to think about that. Because honestly speaking, if we would have run that UAE game a little better, nothing could have happened, honestly speaking. But I'm not talking about India. Like, if you take a look at Japan's first goal, that came, I think, around the 50th minute versus Iran, the ball has gone towards the left flank. Now the Iranians are, of course, complaining something to the referee. They're thinking there's an offside or something happening there. That boy goes on the flank. Osako goes in the middle. Two players, just two players of attractor, the Iranian goal, puts a cross in. As soon as he sees the ball, it's a header, it was perfect, man. Perfect header glanced it on. And the goalkeeper couldn't do anything about it. Now, the one thing that really stood out for me for Japan in the Iranian game was, if you saw that game, the Iranians, and even prior to the game, Kalash Kirovich had said that physicality is our style of play, power, like you mentioned. And you could see throughout the game, they were going in for very hard tackles. So if they're clearing the ball, they were making sure they were hitting a Japanese player. They were trying to really rattle them, if you may say. Generally as an opposition, when it keeps on happening for 40-45 minutes, the opposition loses their cool. So they try doing the same things. But this Japanese team, not once did they lose their cool. They would get told the ball. But they're used to it, right? But they're used to it. The level at which they play, like for example, I mean, you keep going back to the World Cup because that is the most recent big tournament. And one of the most fun games was the game between Japan and Senegal. Because both teams were firstly in it to win. No fear, all of that out the window. No reputation, nothing really to bank on. Everyone looking to get as far in the tournament as possible. And this was the sort of open game, the 50-50 game which anyone could take. And of course Japan had a different coach in that tournament. But after the game, he said like these, the power and the physicality of the Senegal squad, you cannot imagine. I mean, we had prepared for it, but we still got pounded, you know? But these guys, they don't quit. They don't quit? As much as you pound them, they're not bothered. They stick to their game plan and they just keep at it, keep at it. Job done, right? If I am playing against you and I say, okay, look, these guys are technically sound player. I'll go and hit him. I'll hit him with my fists. I'll do anything. I'll abuse him. I'll spit on him. As a result of that, you lost your mind. If you lost your mind, then your technicality went away. You lost your temperament. You lose those few minutes. That's when the opposition pounces on you. But what was happening here? Whenever they were hitting them and they were rash tackles, man. They were hard tackles. They would fall down. They would get up and they would move on. That's it. So as a result, you know what happens? I'm hitting, hitting, hitting. The guy is falling down. That's in turn affecting me only. I'm getting even more frustrated now. And that happened in the second half. Iran got so frustrated. They sent everyone ahead. They sent everyone ahead to find the goal. They got the whole open space here. And these guys scored their goal. That is a good strategy here. Smart play. So in that aspect, I don't think the same thing will happen with Qatar. I don't think Qatar is going to come in as a very physical side. I think it's going to be a very KGFA. Both sides are going to set back. It is a final after all. So it changes the scene a little bit. So you think, I mean, you don't really have the experience that in Iran even has. They haven't conceded a single goal. Just imagine what that does to the confidence of a team here. And you scored 16 goals. You're the highest scoring team in the tournament. And you haven't conceded any goals in the tournament. Just imagine, there's an air of invincibility as a player that you feel, and as a unit. Not just a player, as a unit when you haven't conceded any goals. I think more than scoring goals, not conceding a single goal, is a stand out stat. And that is the stat that says that now I am the Superman. And it's a 90 minute game. It's not like you have another tournament to play. They can pull through for the next 90 minutes. You never know. And I think support will be coming in huge numbers for Qatar. Even given the political tensions, whatever is happening over there, everyone who is not an Emirati, but from that region will be supporting Qatar. I think. And Japan will have a sort of decent number of spectators as well. But I had imagined that somehow I don't know actually, I have no idea what's going to happen in terms of how the ticketing will be done. I don't even think we can comment on that. Because you really don't know what's going to happen. Maybe they've sold the tickets already. They'll reprint a new bunch and give it to a different set of people. Who knows. But irrespective of the crowd and all these other factors, I think it's going to be a pretty fantastic end to what's been for us. A super tournament, a rare opportunity to watch some of the top players in the continent. Every day. So many new teams. Of course we started with Indian connection and the fact that we are in it as well. But moving on, it's been quite fun to watch. It has. It's always good to see when the favourites are not making it. From a neutral's point of view here. Just tells you that there's more meat in the tournament. I thought Australia was a little disappointing in this tournament. Saudi Arabia was very disappointing in this tournament. But I always feel this Felix Sanchez thing of putting a team like they've done in an academy over a bunch of time and bringing that team through and keeping them together. I think that is the model which India is doing somewhat with the under 16, under 17 teams. I think that is the model ahead that you keep the under 16, under 17 boys together and you have the Bibiano or Floyd Pinto's together to be their national team coach and approach a tournament with that bunch. It might not be the long term approach that they'll serve you for 8-10 years but they could come together and come good for one tournament. So say 2023 Asian Cup you have 4 more years you keep the under 16 boys together and take a few players from that but you keep that bunch together. So you might just get a bunch of 4-5 players who can then form the core of the national team. What will happen to the boys in 4 years? I don't know. It's an interesting similarity that you bring up because we also are operating on a similar model where the AFF has its lead academy program through which many of the national team current members come from. We have the Indian Arrows project that's going on where the under 21 players are sort of together and playing the I-League. So a similarity there of course it's a bit different in India but fear in India is that if you do a centralized sort of academy system then you might miss out on because it's such a big country you might miss out on talent in various parts. So the scouting becomes much more sort of a complicated task than in a small country like Qatar where I suppose anyone who wants to play football will first try to come through this aspire academy in the first place. So we'll wrap this up of course on the regular note which is what you expect to see from the final in terms of a score line. I don't know, I'm very bad with score lines but I just feel Japan is going to get there. You played four finals, you won four finals that tells you a lot about the team and I just think Qatar's car will now leave Patri I don't know how much you can push through but I think Japan are you going for an open game or like a one nil style score line? Finals are never open games though it depends on when a goal is scored so if a goal is scored in the beginning then the other team is coming on you and if they are coming on you really leaving space at the back so it's very KG that way generally we've seen in finals that first 20-25 minutes both the oppositions are busy assessing you and seeing what's happening then after that your first goal is done then after that you'll see if a goal is scored in the beginning then it could be a big one as well but I don't see that happening to be honest I just think it's going to be very KG and for me Japan is going to get I think the difference between perhaps Japan and any of the other teams that Qatar has faced in this tournament so far is that if you sit back and give them the room to operate they're not going to like we've said now several times they're pretty clinical give you a chance to get out of that strangle hold so I would hope that Mr Sanchez sends out his team in a positive manner and looks to get that initial momentum on his side because I feel like if they allow Japan to settle into the game then over 90 minutes I don't think they have the quality to match Japan I agree with you but those small moments when they gain a little bit of momentum what will they do in 10 minutes so if in the beginning you've made a mistake you've got a goal then there's a chance but otherwise I feel like Japan have been the most consistent and best advertisement for Asian football on the sort of global level and they deserve to take this tournament and be crowned as the best team in Asia I still think they're the best team fair enough so on that note guys best team in Asia may the best team in Asia actually win it but if not it'll be a fantastic achievement for this young Katari side led by the coach Felix Sanchez either ways we'll know at this time tomorrow what's happening and we'll be back maybe to round that up for you but if not I hope you've enjoyed the Asian Cup 2019 as much as we have Pandit thanks for being with us through the tournament man a lot of fun and all the various people who've joined us in and out Ishfaak, Renédy all the guys who were in the UAE as well Anant Yagi so many guys came in the journalists covering Thailand either or the other side so thank you everyone for being a part of this little project and we hope to keep it going we'll be back with more sort of Indian football action from next week onwards then thanks for watching