final AFC Asian CUP 2011

Doha: Boss Holger Osieck believes his inside knowledge of Japanese football will not prove telling when Australia face the Samurai Blue in the final of the AFC Asian Cup Qatar 2011™ bidding for their first continental title.

Osieck guided Urawa Reds to the AFC Champions League title in 2007 in his second spell at the J.League club but the German does not think his stint in Japan will give his side an edge when the two teams clash at Khalifa Stadium on Saturday.

“Knowledge is one thing but to put it into action is another,” he said.

“To make things happen isn't always easy. Japan definitely have a strong team, they have a new generation coming up, a lot of talent, and technically very potent players so I expect a challenging game.”

Osieck also played down the absence of star midfielder Shinji Kagawa, who broke his foot in Japan's semi-final victory over Korea Republic.

“I would not like to single out a player because I have a very great impression of the Japanese team playing as a unit,” he added.

“Of course Kagawa is a great player, he has had an excellent start in the Bundesliga but I think the Japanese coach definitely has another trick up his sleeve.

“Compared to the World Cup team, they play a different system now they have a new set up and a new coach. They're still mostly same players just in a little bit of a different role.”

Osieck has previously helped West Germany win the World Cup as assistant to Franz Beckenbauer in 1990 before guiding Canada to the CONCACAF title 10 years later.

And the 62-year-old drew comparisons with those championship-winning sides and his current Australian charges.

“There is definitely one similarity between the three teams. They went into the tournament with certain expectations, they started off well, they grew as a team over the tournament and ended up being number one and I hope it's going to happen tomorrow,” he said.

“There are definitely parallels with our team. We have grown over the tournament, our communication is excellent and I think the performance level has risen. Those are the similarities.”

He also paid tribute to the influence of Australia's senior players with Osieck also having one eye on the future.

“I definitely included some younger players because they are promising prospects for the future and a tournament like this is a great learning platform,” he said.

“I am lucky that I have players like Lucas (Neill), Harry (Kewell) and Tim (Cahill) around who can guide those players. There's a great deal of self-education in the team and I appreciate that.”