Ono calls for more Japanese players in Australia

Wanderers FC marquee man Shinji Ono has had plenty of success  throughout a storied career, including a UEFA Cup, Asian Cup and an AFC  Champions League title.

But Asian players, on the whole,  remain something of an enigma in the Hyundai A-League and the our  closest neighbours are still our biggest untapped talent pool.

Ono,   however, is out to change all that – to show Australia what he can do,   and to show Japanese players they can come to Australia and have  success.

“I am trying to show the fans that we (Japanese players)  can be good.  I need to show some good performances in the A-League,  then everyone will know and more Japanese players will come, that is my  dream,” Ono told footballaustralia.com.au.

What Ono perhaps didn’t  count on is how hard it can be to come to grips with life in the  A-League but he says he is slowly but surely coming to grips with that  characteristically athletic Australian style.

“Everybody asks me  about that and where I have played previously there is more focus on  technique. Here I feel everybody has good technique and good quality,  and is also physically strong, so there is pressure all over the park,  they play a very physical game here,” Ono said.

“I didn’t play for  almost two months in Japan before I came here. The first game I played  half an hour and then two games of 90 minutes and of course my football  image is not 100 per cent, but my body is getting better for it.

“It’s   step by step and every day and every game I need to prove myself and  keep improving, I feel every day I am playing better and the  communication with my teammates gets better.”