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| ◇Sportschosun DB |
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| ◇Sportschosun DB |
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Korean soccer, a series of chaos and disruptions, is turning the clock toward the World Cup in the meantime.
National team coach Hong Myung-bo and coaches will go on a business trip to Europe. An official from the national team said, `Coach Hong and the coaches will depart for Europe on the 14th. It's about a month's schedule, and we plan to check out all overseas players there." Most of the participants, including Hong, coach Park Geon-ha, Kim Jin-kyu and Kim Dong-jin, Thiago Maia and Joao Arosu, will participate in the business trip.
All Korean leaguers playing in Europe are subject to the check. In addition to Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), Kim Ji-soo (Brentford), Bae Joon-ho (Stoke City), Um Ji-sung (Swansea City), Oh Hyun-kyu (Henk), and Yang Min-hyuk, who is waiting for his debut period at Tottenham, are also expected to be checked by the national team coaches.
Hong Myung-bo's plan for the 2026 North Korea-China World Cup is solid.
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The primary goal is to confirm early advancement to the finals. Hong Myung-bo, who is the lone top of Group B with four wins, two draws and 14 points in the third qualifying round, has widened the gap with third-place Jordan (nine points). It is close to a direct ticket to the finals, which is given up to the second place in the group. If they win both domestic games against Oman on March 20 and Jordan on March 25, their advance to the finals can be confirmed early. In a situation where it is difficult to say that the condition of the K-League players, who will open in mid-February, is 100%, the axis of the two games will eventually be overseas. Checking the condition of key players such as Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in, Kim Min-jae, and Hwang In-beom, who will be used as the main players, and devising how to use them are expected to be the main tasks of this European business trip.
If the trip to the finals is confirmed early as planned, the next task of generational change awaits.
After the round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, Korean soccer has gained a new base amid the emergence of newcomers. The existing veteran-oriented squad is still solid, but it is true that the Qatar Asian Cup revealed some limitations. The key is how to combine newcomers with the existing squad to create the best synergy in the upcoming North-China World Cup. Understanding the skills of young players on the European travel checklist is also an important task.
On the idea of the two consecutive games in March, Hong said, `The composition of the players is very important. In March, it has not been long since the K-League began, so the performance must be carefully monitored. It is a physically difficult time for players playing in Europe. We have to look closely at those parts as well." Then "It's not enough for now to fight a stronger opponent. I think we need more supplementation in order to go up to a higher level than now" he diagnosed.
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A national team with clear tasks and goals. Attention is focusing on what kind of harvest Hong Myung-bo's division, which will be on its business trip to Europe, will return with.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
