Next Tuesday, the Chinese men's soccer team will be in Seoul for a meeting with the
South Korea (Republic of Korea)
team
World Qualifying Round (WQR)
Battle of Life and Death. To better understand this opponent, let's take a brief look at the Korean team.
Since former Ulsan Hyundai boss Kim Do-hoon became the interim head coach of the South Korean team, the South Korean team has only called up seven players from Europe in the current 23-man squad, with the rest of the players coming from the K-League and other Asian leagues. This means that the Korean team focuses more on practicality and adaptability in player selection, rather than just whether the players play in Europe or how famous they are.
South Korea under Kim Do-hoon have eschewed the techno-fluid makeover that has characterized the team since 2018, returning to traditional high-flying tactics. The current roster includes a high center forward, who hasn't been seen in years, and four wingbacks with excellent assisting abilities.
The revamped South Korea team after Kim Do-hoon puts a lot of emphasis on offense and the overall strategy is to attack instead of defend. In the last round of the World Qualifier, South Korea won 7-0 away to Singapore, demonstrating their strong offensive firepower. This is also the first "ferocious masterpiece" of the Korean team since Kim Do-hoon took office.
Goalkeeper:
Song Beom-geun (Shonan Miho) Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan Hyundai) Hwang In-jae (Pohang Steelers)
Linebacker:
Kwon Kyung-won (Suwon FC) Kim Jin-soo (Jeonbuk Hyundai) Park Seung-wook (Kimcheon Sangmu) Lee Myung-jae (Ulsan Hyundai) Cho Woo-min (Sharjah, UAE) Choi Joon (Seoul FC) Ha Chang-rae (Nagoya Killer Whales) Hwang Jae-won (Daegu FC)
Center field:
Park Rong-woo (Al Ain) Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City) Son (Tottenham Hotspur) Yim Won-sang (Ulsan Hyundai) Lee Gang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) Lee Jae-seong (Mainz) Jung Woon-young (Hat Bay) Hong Hyun-seok (Gent) Hwang In-beom (Red Star Belgrade) Hwang Hee-chan (Wolves)
Forward:
Oh Se Hoon (Machida Zevia) Cho Min Kyu (Ulsan Hyundai)
South Korea's strong lineup and ferocious firepower will pose a huge challenge to the national soccer team, and China will need to go all out in this crucial battle to get points and work wonders to advance to the Round of 18.
