The long-standing concern of Korean football is the side defense. Unlike the offensive team, where new faces are constantly appearing, there is almost no generational change. All the people that national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann (59, Germany) called for the second A-match in March were familiar faces. Along with left fullback Kim Jin-su (31), right fullback Kim Moon-hwan (28, Jeonbuk Hyundai), and Kim Tae-hwan (34, Ulsan Hyundai), another left-handed resource Lee Ki-je (32, Suwon Samsung) was selected. Except for Lee Ki-je, three of them went to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
However, a big variable occurred in the evaluation match (2-2 draw) against Colombia held at Ulsan Munsu Stadium on the 24th. Kim Jin-soo, who started, injured his back in the 24th minute of the first half. He was carried out on a stretcher complaining of excruciating pain and went straight to the hospital.
Despite the sudden power shortage, the national team held up well in the first half. However, as the second half began, the balance quickly broke. Coincidentally, both goals allowed within 5 minutes came from the left flank. Of course, it is not the fault of the side defense alone, such as the ball being cut in the midfield, but Lee Ki-je could not block Colombia’s fast tempo at all.
Kim Jin-soo’s injury was not light. It is said that he was diagnosed with a transverse process fracture that would require at least one to two months to recover. It is similar to the injury of Brazilian Neymar (Paris Saint-Germain) in the past. On the 28th, the national team, which will face off against Uruguay at the Seoul World Cup Stadium, announced the cancellation of Kim Jin-soo’s convocation on the 25th, and Seol Young-woo (25, Ulsan) was selected as a replacement.
Excluding Hongcheol (33, Daegu FC), who could not join due to injury, he was the most realistic alternative and a next-generation resource to keep an eye on. 메이저사이트
To be honest, the right fullback wasn’t even satisfied. Kim Tae-hwan also had clear limits. He ran and crashed hard, but his clunky movements were not enough to control the rhythm of the South American players. He often opened up space behind Columbia, who quickly developed left and right, and allowed a lot of crosses. Nevertheless, there is Kim Moon-hwan, who is close to the main axis, and Yun Jong-gyu (25, Kim Cheon, managing director), who could not respond to the call-up in March due to injury, so the range of choices is wider than the left.
The long-term goal of ‘Klinsmann’ is the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America. Even if we maintain our current strength, we can hold out until the Asian Cup, which Qatar will host in January next year, but we cannot guarantee after that. Fullback concerns are a task that even former coach Paulo Bento (Portugal) has not been able to solve.