Japan coach Zico appeared ready to bring back a familiar formation for Wednesday's key World Cup qualifier against Bahrain as his squad got together again Sunday following the 2-1 loss to Iran in Tehran.
In Japan's first full-squad training session since it returned to Japan on Saturday, Zico fielded a 3-5-2 formation in a switch from the 4-4-2 system he used in the loss to the Iranians on Friday.
Zico also put Italian-based midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata in a defensive position in midfield to replace fellow European-based midfielder Shinji Ono, who will miss the Bahrain match in Saitama through suspension.
The moves came after many of the Japanese players did not hide their frustration with the unfamiliar 4-4-2 system and bickered over tactics and confronted each other in training even before the kickoff for the game in Tehran.