Takehiro Tomiyasu had been preparing himself to face Thiago Alcantara at the World Cup, before finding out that the Liverpool midfielder had not made the Spain squad.
Arsenal defender Tomiyasu is in the Japan squad who are preparing to face Germany in their opening match in Qatar on Wednesday afternoon. Japan are in Group E alongside the Germans, Costa Rica and Spain and face a difficult task to make the knockout stages of the tournament.
That task could be easier, in Tomiyasu’s eyes at least, with Thiago absent from the Spain team Japan will face on December 1. Speaking to the press at the World Cup, Tomiyasu was asked to name his favourite Spanish player.
