The road to victory for the first time in 64 years was long and rough. I looked forward to seeing a smooth passage of the group stage and an early advance to the round of 16 teams, but when I opened the lid, I found that it was not the case. I almost fell victim to an unexpected incident like Japan in the neighboring country. Lee Kang-in (22, Paris Saint-Germain) also struggled quite a bit in the absence of any special tactical color.
The South Korean national team, led by head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, drew 2-2 in the second Group E match of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup at Altumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar on the 20th (Korea time). If they had won on this day, they would have advanced to the knockout stage (round of 16) early with two consecutive wins, but they had to secure only one point and watch the final match.
With the exception of Kim Seung-gyu (Al-Shabab), who was unable to play due to injury, Klinsmann set up the same lineup as in the first game. By positioning Son closer to the No. 9 post, he successfully scored the first goal through a penalty kick (PK) in the eighth minute of the first half, but he faltered afterwards.
It failed to effectively target Jordan, which had prepared quite well. It relied on individual capabilities without detailed movements and tactical arrangements. Korea, which was in a hurry, tapped Jordan with top-class players such as Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, but failed to score as early as the match against Bahrain. Hwang In-beom’s extra-time equalizer gave a sigh, but he was shaken by two consecutive runs, and could not determine.
In the match against Jordan, all the shortcomings that had been hidden were revealed. In terms of several broad points, they could be seen as “Please do soccer,” which relies heavily on individual capabilities, and Lee Ki-je, who had not played for his team since September.
Soccer players must have different views. Lee Sang-yoon, former coach of Konkuk University and a commentator who played in red uniforms for the Korean national team, was asked about the match against Jordan. Regarding the assessment that the team relies on individual abilities without tactics, Lee stressed that “personal abilities are also very important,” but confessed, “What if he had replaced Lee sooner?”
“(Lee) Kang-in scored two goals in the first round, which is a definite impact. I think he is a player who can instill creativity in attacks, but other team coaches analyze players’ strengths and weaknesses. I definitely admit Lee’s ability, but all the balls were cut off in a game like today. He gave me a kick that cut through the ground, gave me a poke pass, and made a decision, but it wasn’t today.”
From Klinsmann’s point of view, he consistently produced offensive points since joining the national team and sometimes filled Son’s vacancy, so he believed he would hit a shot within 90 minutes. However, Lee Sang-yoon needed a more daring and straightforward winger than Lee Kang-in, who is technical in the second half.
“It is a patent that (Lee) Kang-in folds inside and raises an early cross, and takes it inside. However, if you ask me if I have the level of physical and speed that I know cannot stop, I don’t think I have enough yet. If I were to make a choice, I would have excluded Lee Kang-in and put Moon Seon-min or a fighter who breaks through. I think Hwang Hee-chan should recover from his injury quickly and come back.”
“I don’t know about today’s game except for one shot and a free kick. I think we should have replaced Lee Kang-in and given other players a chance in the game against Jordan. We have a lot of games to play in the future, but we will need a variety of team options.”
He also confessed his thoughts on Lee Ki-je. It was inevitable because Kim Jin-soo could not play due to injury. It was up to the coach to offset shortcomings and highlight his strengths within the tactical framework. Lee himself should create an opportunity to regain confidence.”
“The strength of this game is the sophistication of the kick, but the weakness is that there is a lot of possibility of exposure in one-on-one situations with the opponent. The experienced experience is good, but it’s also important to be able to play consistently. The player himself must have felt pressured to show something. There must have been a lot of pressure. It would have been psychological contraction, and the first game was also a substitute in the first half.” 토토사이트 추천
“If Kim Jin-su is not available, it is right that he should go like this. It is hard to say that he is not a left fullback, but I think Clinsmann needs to think about it. First of all, Lee needs to raise his body a lot in the group qualifying to gain confidence. If a single shot like today went into the goal, the situation would have been different.”
Lee Sang-yoon stressed the need for “football that wins even though it is bad” when his performance is not good. He also had to think about utilizing and combining Lee Jae-sung, who did not start against Jordan. On the day that could have been considered a poor match, he took the medicine used by the Korean national team and cheered for them to make up for their shortcomings in the future.
“Even a good player will be exposed to their weaknesses. Who would have expected that? I think today’s game could be a very good medicine for the players. There are more tough matches. I think Coach Klinsmann will be more level-headed, taking into account the pros and cons of the players and preparing for the match. I hope he can play well in the match against Malaysia, to create an atmosphere. I hope the soccer fans will also cheer for the players to have better matches.”
