Rising CSKA Moscow star Keisuke Honda says he does not mind upsetting Japan s order of seniority when it comes to boosting the side s badly needed firepower at the World Cup.
Honda said he would take free kicks if he feels fit and gets a nod from more established midfield maestros among the Blue Samurai former Celtic star Shunsuke Nakamura and Yasuhito Endo, the 2009 Asian Footballer of the Year.
It depends on where it is from. But if I feel fit and want to take it, I will ask them to let me do so, said Honda, who turns 24 Sunday on the eve of Japan s World Cup opener against Cameroon.
You know, they can say the same thing to me. We d better decide through discussion, added Honda, whose star has risen since he helped CSKA reach the Champions League quarter-finals after moving to Moscow from Venlo in January.
He made a more direct approach in Japan s 3-0 friendly defeat last September away to the Netherlands, now competing against Japan in the tough Group E which also includes Denmark.
Already known as Kaiser Keisuke to Dutch fans after he helped lift Venlo back into the Dutch top flight in the 2008-2009 season, Honda was seen repeatedly asking Nakamura to allow him to take the free kicks against the Dutch.
But Nakamura, then struggling to earn playing time at Espanyol, went ahead and failed while Gamba Osaka playmaker Endo, usually a second fiddle in Japan s place kicks, looked on.
The apparent spat has inflated Honda s reputation as a big mouth and an egotist that may not fit well in Japan s disciplined squad known for their highly organised midfield.
National coach Takeshi Okada, however, has noticed Honda s prowess in Europe and knows he has the option of using him as a striker after Japan lost their last four internationals to a second-string Serbia, South Korea, England and Ivory Coast.
Japan managed to score only one goal in these matches through centre-back Marcus Tulio Tanaka in the 2-1 defeat by England in Graz on May 30.
Okada finally tested Honda along with Nakamura and Endo in free-kick practice after Japan s World Cup squad arrived at their base camp of George.
I thought it better for them to understand each other s strong points, the coach said, adding that the free kick should be given to a player according to its angle and distance.
Honda said thankfully: It is something positive that the manager has given us such a rare opportunity.
Nakamura, whose 32nd birthday falls on June 24 when Japan play their final group match against Denmark, has been dogged by fitness problems including a right ankle injury since returning to his old J-League home Yokohama Marinos after more than seven years in Europe.
Okada sidelined him against the England game and used him only in the second half in the 2-0 loss against Ivory Coast last Friday in the Swiss city of Sion.
He has tested Honda up front, pushing into the background J-League striker Shinji Okazaki who has scored 16 goals for Japan since his debut in late 2008, mostly against weak sides and only one goal this year.
Of course, I am more at home in the position behind the frontman. But wherever I am, I can give full play to my potential, Honda said.
Wolfsburg midfielder Makoto Hasebe praised Honda: He can hold the ball up in front and he is physically strong. If he keeps the ball, we can charge forward from midfield.
