S. Korea coach says preparations for Asian Cup

On the eve of his team's first AFC Asian Cup match in Australia, South Korea men's football head coach Uli Stielike said Friday preparations have gone well so far.

South Korea is trying to win its first Asian Cup title since 1960, and the quest to end the drought will begin with Saturday's Group A match against Oman here in Canberra. The kickoff is 4 p.m. here and 2 p.m. in Seoul.

"We have on injuries to report, and the team morale is high," Stielike said at the pre-match press conference at Canberra Stadium, the venue of the upcoming match. "We're not feeling any pressure to end the drought. We haven't won for 55 years and it's now time to take on the challenge. Every player is working hard toward the end."

South Korea is also paired with Kuwait and the host Australia in Group A. After playing Oman, South Korea will face Kuwait next Tuesday in Canberra again. Then the group finale will be against Australia in Brisbane on Jan. 17.

Two veterans on Stielike's 23-man team, goalkeeper Jung Sung-ryong and defender Cha Du-ri, had dealt with some leg problems, but the coach insisted Friday everyone is healthy and ready to go.

Son Heung-min, dynamic winger for Bayer Leverkusen, is considered the brightest star for South Korea and is expected to carry a bulk of the offensive load. Yet Stielike said Son can't do everything by himself.

"We're not here to produce the most valuable player of the tournament; we're here to be the best team," Stielike said. "Obviously, Son is a highly-recognizable player. He plays for a prestigious club in Europe and has done well at the UEFA Champions League. It's only natural that expectations are high on him, but football isn't an individual sport."

Stielike coached his first match for South Korea in October and inherited a team reeling from a winless exit from the group stage at last year's FIFA World Cup. He stressed the importance of "change" for South Korean football.

"We can't afford to play the type of football that comes on television and disappears," he said. "We have to play sound football that captures the imagination of the fans. That will lead to positive results."

In its last warm-up match before the Asian Cup, South Korea defeated Saudi Arabia 2-0 last Sunday in Sydney. Stielike said he has finalized the starting lineup against Oman in his mind and has also set individual defensive matchups.

"There were some problems we had to address based on the match against Saudi Arabia," the coach added. "It seemed like we played two different matches. We had a lot of issues in the first half but got our act together and played better in the second half. But how we play is more important than who we play."

In the latest FIFA rankings released earlier this week, South Korea ranked 69th, third-highest among AFC members behind Iran (51st) and Japan (54th). Oman is at 93rd.

In his own press conference later Friday, Oman head coach Paul Le Guen said his team will try to upset the higher-ranked opponent.

"We've been paired with strong teams such as South Korea and Australia, but I enjoy the pressure that these tough situations bring," he said. "We'll try to get the result we want."

The Frenchman said Oman, as an underdog, will have less to lose than others in the group and it could work to Oman's advantage.

Oman has been known to sit back on defense and to seek scoring opportunities on breakaways. Le Guen said the team's approach won't change on Saturday.

"Overall, South Korea is stronger than our team," he added. "But we're not here just to be a participant. Our primary goal is to reach the knockout stage."

There are 16 nations overall divided into four groups, and the top two countries from each group will advance to the quarterfinals.

In the quarters, the Group A winner will take on the Group B runner-up, while the Group A runner-up will play the Group B winner.

Uzbekistan, Saudi Arabia, China and North Korea are in Group B. (Yonhap)