For South Korean men's national soccer team coach Jürgen Klinsmann, who calls for "forward attack" after taking office, the first Group E match of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup against Bahrain on the 15th was not a very satisfactory game, even if it was won 3-1. It is regrettable that the loss was not enough, but it was also evident that more goals were not scored even though there were many chances to score.
Therefore, attention is being paid to taking out the "nail" card that was saved for the rest of the game.
One of Korea's problems revealed through the match against Bahrain is that its poor performance at the front line continued. Cho Kyu-sung (Mit Whelan) started and diligently played the field, including pressure from the front, but failed to score a goal, which is the virtue of a striker. Cho's silence on the national team also increased to three games.
Cho Kyu-sung's ball competition with opposing defenders is certainly outstanding by taking advantage of his activities, forward pressure, and physique conditions. However, a striker has to score a goal in the end. Especially in such a short-term match, one goal is often the only goal to be decided. After the group stage, this trend will intensify as we enter the tournament.
Coach Klinsmann was able to select one-top players for the 26-man roster for the upcoming Asian Cup. Hwang Ui-jo (Nottingham Forest), who caused controversy over illegal sex filming, could not join the national team for the time being, but there were several players including Joo Min-kyu (Ulsan). However, Coach Klinsmann chose only Cho Kyu-sung and Oh Hyun-kyu (Celtic).
Oh Hyun-kyu is also capable, but he often played as a substitute in his team this season rather than as a starter. On top of that, although he has consistently been on the national team since Clinton's inauguration, his A-match score is zero.
Coach Klinsmann made this choice because there are players such as Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), who can play as front-line strikers, although it is a second-line resource in classification. In fact, Son Heung-min, who is playing a free role in the national team, played a role close to Cho Kyu-sung and two-top in the match against Bahrain, but as a result, he was not very impressive.
However, Son Heung-min, who was not a two-top, had great power. In the 27th minute of the second half, Son Heung-min went up to the one-top as Cho Kyu-sung was replaced, and after that, Korea had a series of chances. Although he was disappointed that he couldn't finish it, chances were often created as Lee Kang-in's penetration pass added to Son Heung-min's sharp penetration into the space.
Son Heung-min has had a lot of fun as a one-top for his team, Tottenham, this season. Recently, Hisharlisson returned to his original left-side striker status as he regained his performance, but he had scored many goals as a one-top player before that.
Although Korea has made a good start, it needs a goal among strikers to win the championship for the first time in 64 years. If looking for change, the "nail" can be a very good alternative. The second group match against Jordan on the 20th is unlikely to be an experimental stage.
BY: 토토사이트링크