Coach Jürgen Klinsmann should make it through Saudi Arabia’s 30,000 spectators. As frontline striker Cho Kyu-sung (Mit Whelan) remained silent during the group stage, the possibility of “Son Heung-min being the top” cannot be ruled out as a measure to further strengthen his offense.
Korea will play the round of 16 match of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup at Alaian Education City Stadium in Qatar at 1 a.m. on Saturday (Korea time). The opponent team will be Saudi Arabia, the country next to Qatar. Saudi Arabian fans moved to Qatar early on and camped out, and more than 30,000 people will flock to Education City Stadium, which will accommodate 40,000 spectators.
Korea had the best-ever members in the five major European leagues, but failed to display satisfactory performance in the group stage. It had a scoreless streak right before joining the Asian Cup, but struggled to advance to the finals.
What stands out in the group league is the teamwork of defense players, who allowed six goals in three games. However, key defender Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) cannot be held accountable for a massive loss. As Coach Klinsmann emphasized, this is a result of accumulated problems in the transition of offense and defense, and the interval between offense and defense, and offense and defense.
Coach Klinsmann said he would seek complementary points by talking and training with players through the round of 16 strongest teams. If the teamwork of defense teams stabilizes, he should beef up his offense.
Cho Kyu-sung, who played as a built-in main striker after the World Cup in Qatar, remained silent with no goal. Although the header is a weapon by using the physicality of Lee Kang-in’s cross, it did not have much fun in the group stage. Cho said it was okay, but the pressure may weigh on his shoulders in the round of 16.
Considering that Saudi Arabia is not a “perfectly defensive” team than the group stage team, Son Heung-min may be at the top of the list to consider the second line, organic penetration and passwork. In particular, Son Heung-min played as a front-line striker for Tottenham before joining the Asian Cup and scored consecutive goals against Arsenal and Manchester City.
Klinsmann also told “Spotv News” in November last year about changes in his position according to circumstances. Cho’s choice is to put him in the No. 9 position, but if something else happens, he could put Son in the No. 9 position. 토토사이트
Organic breathing with Lee Kang-in can also be expected. At the group stage, the national team did not move to penetrate the half or back space. It is desirable to picture a scene where Son Heung-min is at the forefront and Lee Kang-in can hit Saudi Arabia’s gaps by looking at the pass path.