Women’s World Cup: Shelley Kerr not fooled by Japan’s sticky start

The cat was firmly thrown among the pigeons in Group D as the Japanese – Women’s World Cup winners in 2015 – were held to a frustrating goalless draw by unfancied Argentina in their opening encounter on Monday.

At Roazhon Park in Rennes today (kick-off 2pm BST), Scotland, who were bravely beaten 2-1 by England in their maiden World Cup match, lock horns with Japan, looking to pull off what was always regarded as a gargantuan task.

And boss Kerr is warning that the world’s seventh-ranked side will now be out for blood.

“I’ve been a huge admirer of the Japanese team for many years. They’re World Cup winners, runners-up and are a formidable team – that shouldn’t be lost just because they drew with Argentina,” said the Scotland coach.

“Japan and Argentina drawing probably makes our job more difficult. The dynamic changes for Japan and there’s perhaps a perception externally that they were going to win that game.

“For us, we know how good Japan are – just because they only drew against a lower-ranked team, we are still in for a tough, tough game.

“They have some exceptional players and we have to be mindful of that. It doesn’t change the way we approach the game but perhaps it does for Japan.

“In terms of their coach (Asako Takakura) being under pressure, if you’re coaching at a team at a World Cup that has previously won the competition, you’re always going to be under pressure.

“Every coach in this tournament is under pressure, whether you’re the bottom-ranked team or the top.

“That can sometimes be dangerous and it’s perhaps not the best time to play Japan, coming off the back of a surprise draw against Argentina.

“We’re mindful of that. What we have to do is concentrate on our own game plan, and be mindful of the strengths that people still pose.”

When she prepares to deliver her final pre-match rallying call, Kerr need not look far for inspiration.

Scotland had faced England before in a major tournament-opener – and they were spanked 6-0 by the Auld Enemy in their opening match at the 2017 European Championships.

But in Nice last weekend, it was very much a different story, with Claire Emslie scoring the only goal of the second period in which Kerr’s troops looked every bit capable of upsetting their rivals from south of the Border.

The task now is to recreate that performance-level for 90 minutes.

“There was a period of around 20 minutes in the first half where us as a group, myself and the players; were all disappointed,” said the Scotland coach

“In the second half, there were so many positives. We addressed things at half-time, we made a few tactical adjustments that worked for us, coupled with the fact that England probably took their foot off the gas a little bit.

“When you finish strongly, you need to have a similar mindset and remember the positive things, especially tactically, with what helped us in the second half.

“At this level, you have to critically reflect. We have to critique the players, we have to critique ourselves as coaches, because you never learn anything if you don’t do that.

“Now, it’s about thinking of the positives we had in the second half and taking those forward into the Japan game.”

• SSE, the energy behind Scottish women’s and girls’ football. Official partner of the Scotland Women’s International team and proud sponsor of the SSE Soccer Centres and the SSE Scottish Women’s Cup.