Another thing I want to know is how "good" the Japanese national team pre-Blue lock is supposed to be considering despite the whole thing about "weak strikers/but good teamwork/defenders?"

I get the whole influence of egotism thing which would inspire guys like Aiku/Sendou to get better but is the implication that there was none of this in the Japanese national team? And they were still capable of getting wins against Columbia (was their ego in an even shittier state?) and running up 2-0 against Belgium (before losing) which should just be a team full of LVL2 versions of guys like Sendou, or the sad state of the defenders who got locked off who are all shitters barring Aiku but without Blue Lock, these are the people who would be on the national team in the future?