World Football

By Alastair Himmer

TOKYO, May 21 (Reuters) - Japan coach Takeshi Okada has had to accept an uneasy union with predecessor Ivica Osim just weeks after declaring he would break up the Bosnian's side.

Osim's recent appointment by the Japan Football Association (JFA) as an adviser to the national team could prove a potential time bomb with Okada's stewardship already under scrutiny.

Okada took the Japan job for a second time last December while Osim was battling for his life following a severe stroke but the cracks have already begun to show.

Okada blasted the Japan players after their 1-0 defeat by Bahrain in a World Cup qualifier in March but Osim pointed the finger at the coaching staff on his release from hospital.

Several players admitted to being confused about tactics after their Manama upset, which left the team three points behind Bahrain in their Asian qualifying group.

Angered at what he perceived to be interference from Osim, Okada's response was swift, the 51-year-old promising he would make sweeping changes to Osim's team and tactics.

The two men recently watched a J-League game in the same VIP room but sat an awkward distance apart, Okada blaming Osim's poor English for the lack of communication.

Osim's decision to accept a job at the JFA following his recovery from illness could complicate things further for Okada.

The JFA told Reuters this week that Osim plans to continue living in Japan but will give the Japan set-up scouting advice on future opponents during his frequent trips back to Europe.

PRICKLY PAIR

The 67-year-old, who led Yugoslavia to the World Cup quarter-finals in 1990, is not shy about speaking his mind, while Okada can be equally prickly.

Okada's new-look Japan side will be put to the test in home friendlies against Ivory Coast at the weekend and Paraguay on May 27 before four World Cup qualifiers next month.

Japan have Celtic midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura and new St Etienne signing Daisuke Matsui among a strong 23-man squad for their Kirin Cup games in Toyota and Saitama.

"I have picked a squad to win this tournament," a bullish Okada told reporters. "I want them to lose the complacency we've had and play with more aggressiveness and urgency."

Ivory Coast play Paraguay in the competition's opening game in Yokohama on Thursday.

Anything short of two convincing performances from Okada's Japan will start alarm bells ringing before the team's crucial 2010 qualifiers.

Japan were hugely unconvincing at the 2006 World Cup, their campaign undermined before a ball had been kicked when midfielder Hidetoshi Nakata called the team "rubbish".

Osim took over from Brazilian Zico following Japan's swift exit from Germany but the Bosnian also struggled to improve the team's fortunes.