Harvey: 'The tour has been fantastic for us'

Laura Harvey’s side defeated Nadeshiko league runners-up NTV Beleza 3-1 on Sunday to conclude their charity tour of Japan.

The manager and goalscorer Ellen White faced the Japanese media for the final time after the game to look back at the tour:

on the NTV Beleza game…
Harvey: I thought the game was played at a really high tempo in the first half, with both teams trying to find ways through the other. Like INAC [Kobe], NTV Beleza were a very technically-gifted side. We had to be committed, patient and make the most of our chances when we had them which thankfully we did. The second half was more of a stalemate, with both teams cancelling the other out.

on comparisons between INAC Kobe and NTV Beleza…
Harvey: Both sides tried to keep the ball and were good in possession. Beleza went for longer balls over the top more though, while INAC tended to play it short. In many ways the two sides were very similar and caused us similar issues. But over 90 minutes, we dealt with those challenges well.

on coming to terms with the Japanese style of play…
Harvey: By the third game, you’re more comfortable with everything - you acclimatise a little. With so many games in a short period of time though, we were tired in the second half on Sunday and the tempo really dropped. So you can look at it both ways really.

on comparing the Japan national team to its club sides…
White: Japan have a very technically-gifted side, fantastic with the ball at their feet, and I think that’s translated to the club teams we’ve faced. INAC Kobe and NTV Beleza were very good footballing sides and it was a hard couple of games [against Nadeshiko League opposition] that we played here. We’ve learned a lot while we’ve been here and gained a lot of knowledge about how Japanese sides play the game, which we’ll take back home with us.

on the tour as a whole…
Harvey: The tour has been fantastic. To be able to come to the home of the World Cup winners, and test ourselves against some of the top women’s clubs in the game - it’s been unbelievable for us.  Everyone’s been incredibly welcoming and friendly while we’ve been here, the support’s been great and we’ve learned a lot from the games too.

[Monday, December 05, 2011]

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