Japan captain Tsuneyasu Miyamoto has dealt under-pressure Zico another body blow by admitting that the players have overruled the Brazilian coach and are giving out the orders on the eve of their crucial World Cup qualifier against Bahrain on Wednesday.
Several players laid the blame for Friday's 2-1 loss to Iran in Tehran squarely on the shoulders of Zico, who decided to deploy a 4-4-2 system that has failed to produce results in order to accommodate the return of Japan's Serie A star Hidetoshi Nakata.
Miyamoto said the growing discontent among the players, which peaked after the Iran defeat, prompted him and Nakata to urge Zico to revert to a more favored 3-5-2 shape for the Bahrain game.
"I asked the squad after the Iran game and most of the players said it was more comfortable for us (to play 3-5-2) so I suggested we have a meeting," Miyamoto said after training Tuesday.