Korean national soccer team coach Hong Myung-bo has also been mired in controversy over “Please Do Soccer.” The remark came at the same time when former coach Jurgen Klinsmann pointed out that he relies on players’ abilities rather than his own tactics, and Hong’s first line showed a similar feeling.
Korea, ranked 23rd in the FIFA rankings, had one win and one draw against Palestine ranked 96th and Oman ranked 78th last month. The team failed to secure any results or details. It failed to open the Palestinian goal after a rough match at its home turf, and managed to win the match against Oman thanks to stellar performance by its “captain” Son Heung-min (Tottenham).
Coach Hong Myung-bo shook his head at the criticism that he was playing soccer for him after two consecutive games. At the time, Hong said, “I have a completely different idea from mine. We made tactical changes at a watershed moment during the game operation, and I think the strategy was right. That’s why it’s hard for me to agree on that point. I don’t have any thoughts that I want to change. Tactically, I think our players did a perfectly good job with 30 minutes left in the second half (of the match against Oman).”
Coach Hong Myung-bo was adamant. However, public opinion on performance is not very good either. The name value of the team was much higher than that of the rival team, considering that there was not enough time to prepare for the two consecutive games in September and that it was the first time for the coach to play under Hong. Above all, the fact that he did not show the promised play raised concerns.
Team Hong Myung-bo will play its third Group B match against Jordan at the Amman International Stadium in Jordan at 11 p.m. on Tuesday (Korea time) in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 FIFA World Cup between North Korea and the U.S. Jordan is ranked 68th in FIFA rankings, but it is not easy to predict. The team suffered a painful defeat to South Korea in the semifinals of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup that took place in February. In fact, Jordan, which had one win and one draw last month, is racing ahead of South Korea in Group B.
Coincidentally, Son Heung-min is missing in a critical match that can change the ranking table of Group B. Coach Hong Myung-bo initially selected Son Heung-min, but he was eliminated due to prolonged thigh injuries. Other European players joined without any problems, but there was a big task to fill the gap between Son Heung-min, who is a built-in main player. 메이저사이트
This time, the venue for coach Hong Myung-bo to show off his tactical capabilities has been properly established. In particular, Son Heung-min has a great presence in the second line, but he is evaluated as a saturated position in the national team. He has plenty of resources to use, including Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Um Ji-sung (Swansea City) and Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City).
The key is who and how. It is Hong Myung-bo’s choice. Attention is focusing on whether he will break the controversy over his walkie-talkies with his own hands.