Japan coach Daichi Saegusa satisfied with the fifth position

Rosario, Argentina, August 27, 2017 - Japan coach Daichi Saegusa highlighted the “excellent” job of the girls to finish fifth over Germany, and despite he believed they could have done better, he credited some of the opponents that were also a reason for this final and positive campaign in Argentina. 

Daichi Saegusa, Japan coach: “To finish at this fifth place, the girls did a great job today. They were excellent; at some games our nervousness was a factor, it wasn’t about techniques or tactics, the key was there. We know the European teams and some from America are very good; maybe we could have been a bit higher on the final ranking but this is our level these days. For the next tournaments, we must improve many things to be closer of teams such as Italy or Dominican Republic. They have the height we don’t, so we must rely on defence and service, and we must be strong-minded to face them.”

Haruna Soga, Japan player: “We have been improving every day, so today we could finally reach an excellent level. The key for this fifth place was our mind - when we are strong there, we can play well against any team, and when we aren’t it gets difficult because we don’t have the same physical conditions. If we want to play for a medal we need that and we must also defend and attack better. We were very happy here playing against some nice crowds; we are grateful for their support.”