under the cosh
W杯を前にした記事のひとつ。日本代表の川島選手がインタビューに応じました。ここのunder the coshというのはどのような意味でしょうか。Umeちゃん，どうぞ。（UG）
Soccer: Japan will be under the cosh at World Cup says keeper Kawashima
Goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima believes Japan's results over the last couple of years against some of the world's top teams could make qualifying for the knockout phase of the Brazil World Cup a tougher proposition than it was in South Africa four years ago.
Japan had a dreadful run of results in the lead up to the 2010 finals, but stunned Cameroon and Denmark in the group phase to reach the second round of the tournament before being eliminated by Paraguay 5-3 on penalties after a 0-0 extra-time draw in the round of 16.
"It's a different situation now to what it was four years ago," Kawashima told Kyodo News ahead of a warm-up game for Brazil against Costa Rica at the team's training camp in Florida.
"We didn't do well in the build-up and people didn't expect us to beat Cameroon and Denmark and get through the group stage, but other teams will be looking at us differently now."
"We beat Belgium away (in a friendly last autumn after drawing with the Netherlands) and people have sat up and taken notice. Four years aqo we didn't have as many players in the team playing overseas, and the national team didn't have so many opportunities to play against really strong national teams," the Standard Liege custodian said.
"But since then we have gone on the road and beaten teams like Belgium and France. Obviously this gives us confidence but it changes the way other teams look at us. They are more wary of us and do their homework more thoroughly, and that means we have to find something extra on top of what we are already doing."
Kawashima was given the nod for the No. 1 spot ahead of World Cup veteran and former Nagoya Grampus teammate Seigo Narazaki when Japan played England in a warm-up for South Africa in Austria. The 30-year-old made an immediate impact, saving a penalty from Frank Lampard in an unlucky 2-1 defeat.
