Liverpool fans in Japan send a special message to Takumi Minamino

Takumi Minamino completed his £ 7.25 million trade to Liverpool in December, officially joining the club from RB Salzburg in January, the Japanese international has made seven appearances so far for the Reds.

Before English football was put on hold after the coronavirus outbreak, the 25-year-old was still finding his feet in Anfield.

We got in touch with the official Liverpool fan club in Japan to find out their views on life right now and Asia’s opinion on the beginning of Minamino’s life in the Premier League.

Special thanks to Itatsu of the Japanese Supporters Club for answering our questions.

First of all, how is everything in Japan right now? Are you in the running of the bulls? Tell us what’s going on there.

Literally yes, it is under emergency, but it is not a blockade like Europe or the United States.

I try to stay home as much as possible. In the past seven days, I’ve only been out once a day and that’s usually just taking a walk or buying some food. I think this will be a long battle, so I hope many people can cope well with stress.

The Olympic Games to be held in Tokyo have been postponed and rescheduled until next year. Do you think Takumi Minamino will represent Japan when the games continue in 2021?

It is difficult to say. For the Olympics, many Japanese players want to play to represent their country in their country’s local games.

I think it was going to be difficult for Minamino to be nominated as one of the three players to beat his result for the 2019/20 season so far.

But postponement can be considered to have increased your chances of showing your skill.

But normal member selection can be tricky. And I don’t think it’s his main goal. I think the first thing you have to do is get the results and become a regular first team at Liverpool.

Minamino joined Liverpool in early 2020 and before football was suspended in England, how do you think he performed in all seven games he played in?

It is not perfect, but not bad. He has demonstrated some skills and toughness.

It provided a good cross in the match against Atlético de Madrid. A small lack of play combined with his teammates is the reason why he hasn’t made a big impact yet.

If he scored the head butt in his debut game against Everton in the FA Cup, the mood around Minamino would be completely different, but it was very unfortunate!

Also, I hope that once Liverpool returns to action and confirms the Premier League title sooner, Jurgen Klopp will play it and test it for the rest of the league games. Three or four games and it will be a good opportunity for him, but obviously the league has been suspended for now.

Regarding his combined game, I think that time with his teammates will help improve this. Sadio Mane and Xherdan Shaqiri seem to be taking good care of him. I hope you talk to your squad a lot and build good relationships with them.

He has yet to make his first start in the Premier League. Do you think this will happen if the season resumes?

As I said in the previous question, yes! If Liverpool can confirm the title early, I think Klopp will use the rest of the matches to prepare for next season.

This could benefit not only Minamino but also some young players like Harvey Elliott, Neco Williams and Curtis Jones.

Do you think Minamino will beAre you a key player and starter under Jurgen Klopp?

It’s hard to say but I hope so! And it has the ability and the possibility to synchronize with the Klopp philosophy.

As I said before, he has trained for four and a half years in Salzburg, and the RB group strategy was very close to Klopp football.

Mane’s great success is proof of this. And now, adapting to the speed of play in England is what you have to do. I hope they give you as much playtime as possible to fulfill the requirement. So I hope again that the pandemic ends as soon as possible.

You sent us some amazing videos from the fan club in Japan watching Minamino make her Liverpool debut in the FA Cup. How do fans of the fan club stay in touch during the pandemic?

It was a good opportunity for us [to send the videos]! Of course, here in Japan, we need to reduce the contact between us. Therefore, we cannot get together or get together to enjoy the games as we usually do, but we use our phones to keep in touch.

How Will everyone feel when they meet and when Liverpool hopefully lifts the title?

Extremely happy. I heard that there are some chances that the season is invalid. It’s still under discussion, but that’s the worst case scenario and we’d be upset.

Even in the current situation, opportunities to share joy in the normal way have been removed. I hope the Liverpool fan is no longer unhappy in the league … But today, the most important thing is our lives. I pray for people who suffer and fight the virus on the front line.

Minamino has won five Austrian league titles, but what will it mean to see him win the Premier League with Liverpool?

Anywhere, the experience of victory is really important for the confidence of the players. Minamino’s experience with that gives him conviction and belief in himself that he is worthy of playing for Liverpool.

And his confidence can help give Liverpool good results. He is a mentally strong person, so I think his experiences have been invaluable to him.

As for his experience, even though he received a lot of attention from a very young age.

I remember when Japan failed to qualify for the U-20 World Cup once, so it grew up with experiences as frustrating as they were successful.

But I do think his mentality is his strong point.

How will the reaction in Japan be for Minamino to win the Premier League?

There will be a lot of focus on him and his achievements.

But also in the entire history of the Premier League, the most surprising thing was the victory of Leicester City during the 2015/16 season. In that team was the Japanese international Shinji Okazaki, who was a very important player.

Therefore, winning the Premier League just for this season is not a big surprise or impact for the average Japanese soccer fan, furthermore, the current Liverpool team is famous as the strongest in the world, but of course Japanese fans of the Liverpool will be very happy. .

But if Minamino wins the Premier League, he will become the fourth Japanese player in history to win the English top flight title.

This will go down in the great history of Japanese football and, furthermore, if he wins the Champions League or the consecutive victory in the English league, he will become the first Japanese player to do so. That will be great news for Japanese fans.

I know that the Official Liverpool Supporters Club in Japan, of which you are a member, has kindly donated to local charity fans who support food banks. How important are these acts of kindness to initiatives in Liverpool that help fans in Japan stay connected to the city?

Thanks for mentioning that. I believe that these charities supported by OLSCJ have been successful thanks to the hard work of Representative Yumiko. She is always asking for donations from those who go to Anfield, and many members have responded.

Behind the glamorous Premier League, in the Anfield area, many people experience poverty and there are many people who cannot afford to buy tickets, even those who live near the stadium.

This charity reminds me of the truly important things. I personally donated money online. When I thought that this money would help someone, I am happy and satisfied that it was useful to someone in Liverpool. So we believe that we must continue to do this.

The last time we spoke we asked him what he would say if he could send a message to Minamino. He welcomed him to the club and wished him success. What would you like to tell him now?

At first please stay safe. We hope you and your family and friends are healthy. And I hope your training goes well, especially since it was unfortunate for you that shortly after joining the team you had to isolate yourself from your teammates.

But I think you can take this opportunity to talk to everyone online and become close friends of your team.

And I would like to thank the messages you delivered to the fans in Japanese. We hope to see you play after this crisis is over. You will never Walk alone.