Nakamura defends his defending ahead of semi-final

HANOI, July 24 (Reuters) Japan playmaker Shunsuke Nakamura bristled at suggestions he was unable to defend on the eve of the holders' Asian Cup semi-final against Saudi Arabia.

The mercurial Celtic midfielder has been instrumental in Japan's run to the last four, scoring twice himself and being involved in most of the team's other seven goals.

However, Nakamura told reporters he was a more complete player than the one who was famously omitted from Japan's 2002 World Cup squad by former coach Philippe Troussier.

''I did use to do a bit of defending, you know,'' the 29-year-old grinned. ''But I think at Celtic I've learned to work harder and be more involved off the ball.'' Scotland's player of the year added: ''I still cover just as much ground during games but I have to think more about the timing of my runs and how to free myself to get on the ball.'' Japan go into tomorrow's contest with history on their side, having beaten Saudi Arabia 1-0 in the 1992 and 2000 finals.

Both teams have won the title on three occasions.

The rivals won their home legs against each other during the Asian Cup qualifiers but Japan are slight favourites having acclimatised to Hanoi and enjoyed an extra day's rest.

''It will be a very tough game,'' Nakamura added. ''It might come down to who is mentally stronger rather than technique.

''The weather will be very hot so we know we'll need to show real character.'' Asked who he thought posed the biggest threat to Japan among the Saudi players, Nakamura scratched his head and searched for a diplomatic answer.

''We watched them on TV,'' he said. ''The number 20 (Yasser Al Qahtani) looks a dangerous player. But we have 'Bomber' (defender Yuji Nakazawa) so we'll be fine!'' REUTERS TB KN1711