“I won, but I don’t know why.” The process of deploying offense and the way I win are familiar. The coach has changed, but I recall his poor performance at the Qatar Asian Cup. It is too early to conclude because it is two matches, but this is the starting point for the World Cup qualifying round that coach Hong Myung-bo showed for the national team.
Korea played two matches in the third Asian qualifying round (final qualifying round) for the FIFA North-China World Cup in September. Group B, which is competing for a berth in the World Cup finals, is a match between Korea and the rest of the Middle East, just like Paulo Bento’s team.
However, there has been an inflection point in the Korean soccer community since the final qualifying round for the World Cup in September. Jurgen Klinsmann, who was appointed after the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar, was dismissed due to lax management of the team without professional consciousness and elimination from the semifinals of the Asian Cup finals, and Hong Myung-bo was given the baton in five months.
The process of appointing Hong Myung-bo was full of question marks. Only a few days after his appointment as a manager, leaving behind Jesse Machi and Gus Foye, who had been quite passionate about the Korean national team and thoroughly analyzed their capabilities, was Hong Myung-bo appointed. He said he would not go, starting from the opening of the K-League until right before the announcement of his nomination, but reversed his decision and only left a comment that he had abandoned me, as he took the helm amid controversy.
After twists and turns, the team even appointed a foreign coach and brought together Korean players for the match against Palestine and Oman. They had to start the match by matching feet for about a day at a very short time. However, if the team had Son Heung-min with double-digit goals for eight consecutive Premier League seasons, Kim Min-jae with UEFA Champions League competitors Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain, and Lee Kang-in, it would have had overwhelming advantage in terms of performance objectively.
Tactical preparation time was not enough, but he had to show colors of what kind of soccer he was going to play. However, when I opened the lid, he looked familiar. The gap between the front and rear midfield widened seriously as if nothing had been promised, and the front side tried to increase the attack point by “infinite switching.” He collapsed weakly at the opponent’s counter attack and exposed a dangerous situation.
It was the beginning of a 0-0 match against Palestine. There was a scene where the national team, which had a gap between offense and defense, and the national team, which had been struggling to score goals with personal skills due to lack of promised movements, almost lost extra time. Without Cho Hyun-woo’s animal defense, the “Sangam Shock” would have been zero points, not one point.
Coach Hong Myung-bo had only a poor start to the match. He needed to secure three points in the match against Oman to take a breather. He made the decision to change five starters compared to the match against Palestine, saying, “We must win,” at a press conference ahead of the match against Oman.
Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan, and Lee Kang-in provided firepower support under one square, and two fullbacks, Lee Myung-jae and Seol Young-woo, boldly went up and attacked, with Oh Se-hoon, who was with him during the Ulsan HD period. The combination of Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan, scored in the first 10 minutes of the first half, raising the mood of the national team to the fullest.
However, the team failed to cope with the situation when Oman started to rise, which needed an equalizer. As the center of gravity was shifted forward, Park Yong-woo and Hwang In-beom had a heavy load on them. Moreover, the two players were alternately performing La Volpiana. Their empty waist became prey to arrogance and allowed attacks in succession since midway through the first half. The equalizer in the extra time of the first half would have been an extension of the previous situation.
Even though the kickoff whistle went off and scored in 10 minutes, the second half had to start at 1-1. The Korean national team, which has excellent individual capabilities, took the lead quite a bit, but its pride, which gained confidence, was not easily shaken. Rather, it seemed to aim for a come-from-behind goal by hitting the space behind the urgent Korean national team. 스포츠토토
The performance in the second half was better than in the middle of the first half, but it was not a unique move due to the deletion of the midfield and U-build-up. Son Heung-min’s score in the 31st minute of the second half was closer to his personal ability than the promised play. Son Heung-min, who received a pass from Lee Kang-in, briefly missed the ball, but focused until the end to break through the Oman net.