Osim fears short honeymoon as new Japan coach

Ivica Osim was formally unveiled as Japan's new coach yesterday and immediately asked how long his honeymoon would last.

The former Yugoslavia coach took over from Brazilian Zico, who stepped down as planned in the wake of Japan's disappointing first-round exit at the World Cup.

"It's like getting married," Osim told reporters.

"At the start the honeymoon is sweet but I'm not sure how long it's going to last.

"If the Japan team were a car you could say it has temporarily stalled. We all need to get behind it and give it a push-start."

The 65-year-old took charge following a tug-of-war between the Japan Football Association (JFA) and J-League club JEF United Chiba, where he had been manager for three years.

His appointment has caused friction among officials at JEF United who were unhappy that the JFA had made their intentions public in the Japanese pre-season.

Osim led Yugoslavia to the quarter-finals of the 1990 World Cup and has also had success in charge of Panathinaikos and Sturm Graz.

Japan finished bottom of their group at the World Cup in Germany last month but Osim ruled out wholesale changes for his first two matches in charge next month.

"I don't think it makes sense to rush through radical changes," he said. "Japan must start playing to their potential but there's no point rocking the boat."

Japan play Trinidad and Tobago in a friendly in Tokyo on August 9 before taking on Yemen at home in an Asian Cup qualifier on August 16.