Taylor praises impact of Japanese internationals in first appearance

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·28 August 2024

Taylor praises impact of Japanese internationals in first appearance

Gareth Taylor highlighted the performances of Aoba Fujino and Ayaka Yamashita in City’s penalty shoot-out victory over Leicester City in Australia.

Both Japanese internationals made their maiden City appearances as second-half substitutes in the opening match of our pre-season tour, playing a crucial role as we reached the final of the Perth International Football Cup.

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The pair have arrived at the Club this summer, joining Yui Hasegawa, while fellow Japanese signing Risa Shimizu has missed out on the trip through injury.

Leicester 0-0 City (3-4p) | Match report

They did not even meet their team-mates until last Wednesday, flying directly from Japan following a post-Olympics holiday.

Goalkeeper Yamashita made three impressive saves within 10 minutes of the second period before proving the hero in the penalty shoot-out, keeping two spot kicks out to earn us the win.

“She's got presence and I think that's really big to have,” said Taylor of Yamashita’s excellent first showing.

“We know Khiara can make saves also when we need her to and Yama was probably a little bit more busy than we would have liked.

“It's so difficult when you change the game, trying to get rhythm, making subs. The second half sometimes can be a bit disjointed.”

“She had to save us on a couple of occasions but she did it really well. I felt really confident with her with the penalties and for every one of Leicester’s ones she was close to saving, if not saving them.”

WATCH: Leicester City 0-0 City (3-4p) | Australia Tour brief highlights

Winger Fujino was also introduced in the second period, playing on both sides and proving a menace for Leicester’s backline.

Taylor was delighted with the 20-year-old’s first match in a City shirt.

“I thought Fujino was very good. She is a top player,” he said.

“You can see in that 30 minute cameo tonight that she’s going to be a very good player for us. She’s got really good intelligence, with and without the ball.”

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Taylor took a back seat throughout the night, sitting in the stands in the first half before moving to the bench after the break.

That left new assistant Chad Gribble in charge of most affairs on the pitch, but Taylor enjoyed the opportunity to cast a wider eye over proceedings.

“I always kind of like to be a little bit higher up in my view so I can see what's happening,” he said.

“I much prefer that elevated view because you can pretty much see what's happening in the whole of the game and where we've been successful and where we need to tweak things.

“I’m trusting Chad and he's done really well. He's a good lad, interacted well with all the players and all the staff and he's going to be a really good addition for us.”