BIEL/BIENNE, Switzerland -- South Korea football coach Shin Tae-yong said Monday players having easygoing mentality will not be selected for the national team as his side gear up for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Shin's team arrived in Switzerland on Sunday to play a friendly match with Morocco. The Taeguk Warriors are scheduled to face the African side at Tissot Arena in Biel/Bienne on Tuesday.
The match against Morocco is South Korea's second friendly since they confirmed a World Cup spot last month. South Korea are coming off a 4-2 loss to the World Cup hosts Russia in Moscow on last Saturday.
Shin, who took over the team in July, said his side is still in the process of selecting core players for the national team. The 46-year-old coach, however, emphasized that he will not select players who take their international match duties lightly.
 |
South Korea`s national football team head coach Shin Tae-yong watches the friendly match between South Korea and Russia at VEB Arena in Moscow on Oct. 7, 2017. (Yonhap) |
"We've had difficulties in reaching the World Cup, but we do have to get good results at the games," Shin said. "I'm not going to pick players who are careless and have easygoing style. The players need mental toughness and have responsibility."
Shin said he plans to field his best eleven from March next year. Although South Korea suffered a painful defeat to Russia after giving up two own goals, he said what's important is the World Cup.
"We don't have to be influenced too much on the result of friendly match," he said. "I'm now looking for the players who can be the backbone of this team. Once we have core players, then we can find new faces to support them."
For upcoming match against Morocco, Shin said he will deploy players who didn't feature in the friendly against Russia. For two friendlies in Europe, Shin has chosen 23 players who all play in foreign leagues.
"Before we think about the World Cup finals, we first need to test all the players," he said. "Since I need to have an idea of who my core members should be for this team, I plan to use all the athletes even if they hit the pitch for only a few minutes."
Against Russia, South Korean defender Kim Ju-young scored two own goals. When asked about what he said to the 29-year-old center back after the friendly, Shin said he didn't say anything special.
"You can make mistakes during the match, so I didn't say anything special to him," Shin said. "If I said anything in consolation, it would have added to the player's stress." (Yonhap)
