Increasing number of European players → Team conditioning dilemma... It's important to discover K-League players and make bold appointments
Increasing number of European players → Team conditioning dilemma... It's important to discover K-League players and make bold appointments
Blog Article
They are the worst-case scenario and outcome that they do not want. They also left a strong lesson to them. They are the "Hong Myung-boo" team.
The national team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, failed to win two consecutive games this month, with a 1-1 draw at home in Group B of the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup against Oman on the 20th. Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) and Baek Seung-ho (Birmingham City) were also injured.
The Korean team originally aimed to secure early berths for the finals by winning the eighth match against Jordan, which was scheduled in Suwon on Saturday. The Korean team's plan is to increase its competitiveness by switching to World Cup finals mode. However, the team has maintained its lead with four wins and three draws (15 points), but is now being chased by Jordan and Iraq (more than 12 points), which are ranked second and third by goal difference.
The failed match against Oman leaves some regrets over its tactic to penetrate the opponent team's dense defense, but the team's conditioning has continued to fail. Among the seven matches in the third qualifying round, Korea only had one win and two draws (four goals and three goals lost) in three matches it played at home. In four away matches in the Middle East, Korea had three wins and one draw (nine goals and three goals lost). The story itself is much better.
Already, more than 60 percent of the national team's resources are those that they play in European and Middle Eastern leagues. At the home A match, they have to adjust to the time difference by playing with their teammates for a day or two. Of course, they cannot play in 100 percent of condition. On the other hand, they display their skills and capabilities in the Middle East, where time difference is not significant.
The same applies to Japan, a "neighbor country" that has confirmed its advance to the World Cup finals as "World No. 1." However, Japan has been breathing for a long time since the last World Cup under coach Harjime Moriyasu, and flexibly operates the best 11 depending on the player's condition. On the other hand, Korea was highly likely to fix the best 11 under the previous foreign coaches Paulo Bento and Jurgen Klinsmann. Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord) and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich). To make matters worse, Kim Min-jae was not listed due to injury, and Hwang In-beom did not play in the match against Oman.
Since his inauguration, Hong has continuously selected young European players including Bae Joon-ho (Stoke City), Um Ji-sung (Swansea City) and Oh Hyun-kyu (Henk), expanding the talent pool and laying the groundwork for generational change. However, he has yet to completely replace his senior European players. They, too, have difficulty adjusting their conditions when they have to undergo long flights. It takes time to narrow the gap between European players and utilize them extensively, just like in Japan.
In this situation, the K-League must display its value. The K-League, 스포츠토토 which boasts stronger physical stamina and senses than those of European leagues, should serve as a substitute. Although talented players are said to have fewer representative resources in the K-League than before due to increased overseas expansion, the selection and drastic deployment of players with good performance are necessary. It was regrettable that Lee Dong-kyung (Kim Cheon), who has recently recovered from sluggishness of the European striker who started in the match against Oman, was not utilized.