Six Things We Learnt From The October International Window: South Korea
In the early days of Hong Myung-bo's controversial second stint in charge of the Korean National Team what have we learnt?
Two wins from two from the group’s most difficult games have the Republic of Korea well on their way to another World Cup. The third and fourth games of Hong Myung-bo’s tenure were played without Son Heung-min and on an unfamiliar home ground. Navigating those difficulties, while also exacting a certain amount of revenge on Jordan for the January Asian Cup semi-final defeat, has given Hong some breathing room after the turmoil of recent months at the KFA. From these two games, we can take away a lot in terms of outcomes and methods.
1. The national team can function without Son Heung-min but can Lee Kang-in?
It wasn’t the first time the team had done well enough without their talisman and captain, Son Heung-min, but it had been a long time since he missed a competitive game. In February 2022, an away game to Syria ended in a 2-0 win, and there had also been wins in friendlies last year over Tunisia and Tuesday night’s opponent, Iraq. On this occasion, the ready-made talisman-in-waiting, Lee Kang-in, wasn’t the one to fill the void.
Lee Kang-in has been impressive for PSG this season and excellent in recent caps for Korea. However, these two games were probably his most disappointing in a while, partly due to the extra attention he received as the team's biggest profile, and partly because things just weren’t clicking. A beautiful lobbed through ball on the edge of the box against Iraq in the second half was just beyond Lee Jae-sung, who wasn’t quite on the same wavelength. Much attention was given to his positioning restrictions in these two games.
But overall, there wasn’t too much difference. The fact is, Korea’s best attacks often involve the link-up between Lee Kang-in and Son Heung-min, and Lee seemed to suffer the most from Son’s absence, while others had more time on the ball and relished it. This is evident in Lee Kang-in’s long ball success and attempts with and without Son:
Those long balls often target Son breaking the line or switching the play, and this time round they weren’t finding their targets as much. With the Iraq performance it felt like the most Ulsan HD, Hong’s former team he managed, performance and that meant a lot of recycling in the final third and toothless possession at times. This is perhaps another reason why we saw less of Lee Kang-in than we are used to.
2. Hong Myung-bo is picking his players and favouring experience
Hong’s second squad offered much promise and was genuinely well-liked by both the media and fans. The exclusion of some older players like Jung Woo-young and 100-cap plus veteran Kim Young-gwon was balanced by the inclusion of uncapped talents such as Lee Han-beom and Kwon Hyuk-gyu, as well as the return of Oh Hyun-gyu and Bae Jun-ho. The latter two flourished with the opportunities they were given, while the former pair didn’t even make the bench.
Surprisingly, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors' injury call-up reserves, Moon Seon-min and Lee Seung-woo, appeared as substitutes against Iraq. Based on club form, their inclusion was puzzling. Moon has mostly been playing with Jeonbuk’s B team, while Lee has struggled for minutes since his move and looked out of form when starting, as seen in his performance against Daegu FC in the previous round. Despite their recent form, it seems Hong has chosen the players he wanted and hasn’t been afraid to use them, going against broader public opinion.
3. Defensive woes continue
he manner in which goals were conceded in the Iraq game is cause for alarm, particularly because of their consistency. Remarkably similar to the best chance Jordan created, Iraq’s first goal came when Kim Min-jae was forced to leave the central area, and the defense collapsed in his absence. Cho Yu-min, who earned his place in both games, could have done better with communication and positioning for that goal, as well as on a few other occasions.
The set-piece goal they conceded from a corner was also poor, with Iraq’s Bayesh left unmarked and standing still to receive a free header from 8 yards out in a central position. The introduction of Como’s Ali Jasim at halftime caused significant problems with his dribbling; the Korean backline appeared disorganized and struggled to deal with him, as both goals originated from his runs down the right.
4. Clinical finishing
With first-choice striker Cho Gue-sung out for the foreseeable future, the number 9 position is up for grabs. Head Coach Hong Myung-bo has been quite fair in giving almost equal opportunities to Oh Hyun-gyu, Oh Se-hun, and veteran Joo Min-gyu. Prior to Cho’s injury, his form for the national team hadn’t been great, and his profligacy in front of goal had led to growing frustration among fans.
During this international break, both Oh Se-hun and Oh Hyun-gyu scored their first international goals. Oh Hyun-gyu was particularly clinical in front of goal, while Oh Se-hun's goal took a deflection. The K.A.A. Gent forward (Oh Hyun-gyu) has found form at the club level and seems to be flourishing, making a strong case for the starting spot in the November window.
Over the two games, Korea didn’t create many chances, with an xG of 0.93 in the 3-2 win over Iraq and just 0.55 xG in the 2-0 victory away to Jordan. However, their forwards, especially Oh Hyun-gyu and Lee Jae-sung, have been extremely clinical with the chances they’ve had.
5. Importance of the fullbacks in attack
This window has highlighted not only the importance of fullbacks in Hong Myung-bo’s possession-based 4-2-3-1 system but also clarified who will be playing and in which positions. No one doubted that Seol Young-woo would be one of the starting fullbacks, but the question was which flank he would occupy. After two strong offensive performances, Seol has secured the right-back spot. He provided an assist in the first game away to Jordan and delivered an excellent all-around display, including a crucial run that led to the opening goal in the second game against Iraq.
However, defensively, Seol could have done more for the first goal conceded against Iraq, whether through better communication or a quicker reaction to the danger. Similarly, Lee Myung-jae's defensive performance can be questioned, as Ali Jasim's dribbling caused him difficulties. Despite this, Lee’s cross for Lee Jae-sung’s goal—ultimately the game-winner—was sublime. The Ulsan Hyundai left-back may not have gotten into advanced left-wing positions often enough over the two games, but when he did, he showed his quality.
It is now clear that Lee will be the starting left-back going forward, which wasn't certain before this international break.
6. Lee Jae-sung still doing the business at 32.
Lee grabbing two goals over this break doesn’t surprise anyone familiar with watching the KNT. He’s the only player consistently getting into dangerous positions from midfield inside the box, time and time again. Scoring two headers—one at the near post and one at the far post—by perfectly timing his runs into the box is very much in line with his style of play. Until Hong Hyun-seok is given more opportunities in an attacking midfield role, Korea doesn’t really have anyone else who can do the same.