Inamoto and Tasaka Kawasaki’s key men – Beijing coach Hong

Beijing Guoan coach Hong Yuanshuo has identified midfielder Junichi Inamoto and Yusuke Tasaka as Kawasaki Frontale’s key men ahead of tonight’s Asian Champions League match.

Beijing accounted for reigning A-League champions Melbourne Victory on matchday 1 but now have to face Kawasaki away and Hong knows that their midfielders are the ones who can do the damage.

“Inamoto and Tasaka,” he replied when asked who would be Kawasaki's main threats.

“Tasaka does well in a range of aspects of the game, including his skill and delivery. I think his technique is wonderful.

“Kawasaki have their own strength, which is attacking football. They scored quite a good number of goals in their league last season.

“One of our strengths is that we don’t get too many injuries but we should take into account their strengths in tomorrow’s (Tuesday's) game.”

Beijing defender Xu Yunlong said it was important that the players stuck together as it is easier to defeat Japanese sides when playing as a tight unit.

“I don’t think there is a big gap between Japanese players and Chinese players, which you can tell if you look at the national teams,” he said.

“As for the gap between those clubs, I think the gap is getting closer now.

“From my experience against Japanese sides, we should play as a unit, rather than individuals.”