Japan coach singles out Pirlo

Japan must close down Andrea Pirlo if they want to defeat Italy and prolong their participation in this year's Confederation Cup, coach Alberto Zaccheroni said on Tuesday.

Juventus' Pirlo controls the Italian midfield and his partnership with Mario Balotelli is the big threat to the Asian champions in Wednesday's Group A game, Zaccheroni said.

"We are going to focus on Pirlo and Balotelli but not exclusively, as they have great players all over the field," the 60-year-old Zaccheroni said.

"But clearly that ... axis linking Pirlo to Balotelli is important for Italy's game and when they have the ball we will aim to pressure them.
"It will be important for us to close them down and make it harder for Balotelli to receive the ball and force Pirlo to hold on to the ball longer and look for another player to pass to."