ASIAN CUP RUNNETH OVER: JAPAN TO WIN IT FROM HERE

ACRO is confidently tipping Japan to win the AFC Asian Cup now that the group stage is over and we've had a good look at the eight teams that made it to the finals.

Japan

Japan's Keisuke Honda (L) celebrates with Shinji Okazaki after scoring against Jordan. (AAP)

And if Japan can start shooting better than it has done so far it could even be a reasonably comfortable run through the knockout stages for the defending champion.

That is the main thing that stands in the way of the Japanese team taking the title - it is not the greatest finisher.

The Samurai Blue scored the second-highest number of goals (seven) of any of the 16 teams in the group stage. Australia scored eight.

But Japan's group was the only one that included a genuinely struggling team at this level, in Palestine, and although Japan put four goals past that team it wasn't as many as Jordan scored against it (five) - and Jordan couldn't make it out of the group stage.

Japan has no trouble creating great scoring opportunities, but it has bombed a lot of them - particularly in its 1-0 win over Iraq.

Even the great Keisuke Honda, who scored three goals during the group stage, has had his issues in front of goal. He has missed some glorious chances.

Defence certainly isn't an issue for Japan - ACRO loves a good statistic and has come up with a beauty to demonstrate the high quality of the team's defensive ability.

There was a total of just 16 shots taken by the three opponents against Japan in the group stage - and only four of those were on target. Japan didn't concede a goal.

That is indicative of its dominance in general play and how miserly it is in defence.

By means of comparison, there were 36 shots against Australia and 10 of those were on target. The Socceroos conceded two goals - both through glaring defensive errors.

The winner of Australia's group, Korea Republic, faced 30 shots, eight of which were on target. It conceded no goals.

Of the other group winners, China faced 20 shots, eight were on target and it conceded two goals, and there 32 shots against Iran, six on target and no goals conceded.

If another team is going to compete well enough with Japan to potentially win it, it will have to do a magnificent job in attack itself and hope Japan doesn't suddenly become just a bit more accurate.

Something in the way Palestine woos me

The fact Palestine was the first team since Bangladesh in 1980 to not collect a single point in its AFC Asian Cup debut was hardly a surprise and isn't really important in the greater scheme of things.

We all know that because of well-documented and enormous difficulties faced by Palestine it was a magnificent victory in itself just for its team to make it this far - the same as it was for Bangladesh, 35 years earlier.

So ACRO, in typical fashion, has decided to honour Palestine in song and tied Bangladesh in at the same time.

We have George Harrison and his fellow superstar friends performing the hit he wrote for The Beatles, Something, during The Concert For Bangladesh at New York's Madison Square Garden in 1971.

Take it away, the late, great, quiet Beatle.
Oddest man out

Among the players from the Socceroos squad who weren't used during the group stage, Terry Antonis is perhaps the unluckiest.

Coach Ange Postecoglou obviously sees him as a player of the future at international level, but not quite ready to be thrown into a tournament situation like this when those originally chosen ahead of him in the team are doing well enough.

It would be a surprise if, after not playing in the group games, the 21 year-old got a run in the knockout phase, but you never know.

What I love most about the Asian Cup

Adelaide United defender Tarek Elrich is enjoying watching the progress of the Socceroos, including a couple of players he played with in the Australian under-20 side.

"I played with Nathan Burns and Robbie Kruse in the under-20s and it's great to see them doing well in this event," Elrich said. "There are a few A-League boys in the squad and it gives me hope that one day I might represent my country.

"Now the finals are coming, so hopefully the boys can keep going and win games.

"The crowds for the tournament have been great as well. It shows how big football in Asia is and the support the other nations have been getting here in Australia is fantastic."

The Twittersphere

Locked away in camp with the rest of the team, Socceroos winger Tommy Oar was apparently running out of things to do in the down-time between training.
ACRO was going to suggest a bit of Bruce Springsteen and U2, but judging by what Oar has been listening to recently it isn't his speed.

Anyway, any suggestions for him from music fans out there?

Meanwhile, former Australia forward Harry Kewell and his wife, Sheree Murphy, have been to the movies and if Sheree was handing out stars it sounds like she would hit Bradley Cooper's new flick, American Sniper, with five of them.

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5 min read
Published 22 January 2015 11:30am
Updated 22 January 2015 2:28pm
By Greg Prichard

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