Land of the rising gun: Socceroos defender flying in Japan

The unfancied, but still unbeaten, newcomers sit third on the ladder with eight points from four games, last weekend’s 1-0 victory over giants Kawasaki Frontale a sign of the club’s brimming confidence. 

Deng, who will join his Socceroos teammates in Sydney next week ahead of the dual friendlies against Ecuador, has racked up 232 minutes so far - from two starts and two appearances off the bench - and is in buoyant mood.

The best, though, is still to come from the Nairobi-born 25-year-old who is hunting a fourth cap for his country after a bitter-sweet World Cup where he didn’t land any game time as Australia surged into the knockout stages.

“We’re going in the right direction, and the win over Kawasaki (who have captured two of the last three J1 crowns) showed the progress we’re making,” the ex-Melbourne victory and Urawa Reds stopper told FTBL.

“We’ve shown people that we’re a club willing and able to compete with the very best. We don’t play with any fear and if the league is up for grabs, then we’ll go for it.

“We’ve done well so far but the thing with the J-League is that things can change very fast and you need to stay focused and make sure you’re well prepared for every match.

“We have the players to be very competitive - this club has been here before at this level and in Rikizo Matsuhashi we have a great coach who used to work alongside Ange Postecoglou when they were together at Yokohama F.Marinos.”

After an injury marred spell at Urawa, the move to Niigata brought a new lease of life to Deng, with a late run of starts during last season’s promotion drive earning him a call-up for Qatar 2022.

Deng is now building on that as he looks to push on in Japan and heap pressure on the likes of Harry Souttar and Kye Rowles at international level.

“Personally, I feel very comfortable here and it’s all about continuing my good form,” he added.

“Last year I played eight games, which wasn’t enough, but I’m coming off a positive end to 2022 and I’m looking to solidify my position here.

“Mentally I’m feeling great. I’ve put a lot of uncertainty behind me and I almost have to prove again that I’m good enough to play in the J1. At Urawa I played in the first year but the second year was a disaster.

“So it’s been about picking myself back up and proving that I’m not only good enough to be in this league but one of the better players.”

Missing out on minutes at the World Cup has only motivated Deng to keep chipping away in pursuit of more caps for his country, perhaps starting this month.

“The experience of being at the World Cup was unforgettable, especially considering what we achieved as a group,” he added.

“We were against all odds to even qualify - needing to beat Peru in the playoffs was never going to be easy.

“There were a lot of doubters so it was good to perform the way we did at the World Cup. You have to give great credit to the boys.

“Even though it was difficult not playing in Qatar, my role was to support the team in every way I could, always having the best attitude and pushing hard at training.

“The main thing for me now is to stay consistent at club level, be patient and always ready for the opportunity when it comes.”