Few surprises in Stielike’s Korea squad

Uli Stielike has unveiled his first squad as head coach of South Korea, avoiding any big surprises in the 22 selected for international friendlies next month against Paraguay and Costa Rica.

Stielike, a German who took the South Korea job earlier this month, chose not to veer too far from the most recent national team selections as he prepares a squad for the Asian Cup in January.

“There’s not a big difference between this squad and the one named for the games against Venezuela and Uruguay,” Stielike told a news conference Monday, referring to two friendly games played under caretaker coach, and now assistant, Shin Tae-yong.

“The players are starting from base zero. I want to give them all a fair opportunity to show what they can do. We will look at the players and build a strong team ... and so these games against Paraguay and Costa Rica are very important.”

Six Europe-based players will make the trip to Seoul, including Son Heung-min of Bayer Leverkusen and Ki Sung-yueng of Swansea City. At the Asian Cup, South Korea faces host Australia as well as Kuwait and Oman in Group A as it bids to become continental champion for the first time since 1960.

After the failure of a young team at the 2014 World Cup, Stielike’s selection features some older faces.

“I heard that results at the World Cup were not so good because of a lack of experience,” said Stielike, who has promised to focus more on winning than introducing any special kind of style. “I have looked for players with experience. Those in their early 20s need older colleagues to lead them.”

Veteran striker Lee Dong-gook, 35, keeps his place after two goals against Venezuela recently and 2002 veteran Cha Du-ri, 34, also features.

The only new cap is Kim Seung-dae, a highly rated attacking player for Pohang Steelers in the K League who is currently in action at the 2014 Asian Games in the South Korean city of Incheon.

Kim helped the U23 team defeat Japan on Sunday to move to a semifinal against Thailand on Tuesday. An injury from the Asian Games means that striker Kim Shin-wook misses out. (AP)