Summary: As the AFC Asian Cup exits the group stage with an elite eight facing the prospect of the knockout round single-elimination matches, J League commentator and correspondent Cesare Polenghi joins the show with Anto to take a deeper look at the defending champions, what makes the squad tick and what are the challenges as Thursday looms against upstart UAE and Omar Abdulrahman. We examine how the competition is being followed in Japan by supporters of the Samurai Blue, how fortunes will likely be shaped by performances of Honda and Kagawa the deeper this competition goes, and what is the effect of the scandal surrounding new manager Javier Aguirre both internally and externally in a culture where controversy is rarely tolerated. Clearly the Japanese have yet to play their best game yet in this tournament and we gauge the impact of European seasons for its top stars, the players who must deliver and how supporter expectations have evolved now that Japan is seeking its fifth continental trophy as the tournament has grown into a regional spectacle everywhere but in the Land of the Rising Sun. We also discuss the matters of central defense and striking options for the Japanese and then take a deeper look into some pressing matters surrounding the 2015 J League season complete with a new league format drawing lots of criticism and what the impact of losing that format means to a football brand that routinely offers a title challenge that often goes down to the last week of a season.
