Nat'l football coach goes back to familiar faces for spark

Those 13 points are actually deceiving: South Korea have won all four of their matches by one goal, and that one draw came against heavy underdogs Syria. South Korea also lost to China 1-0 on the road in March, only their second loss to the Asian neighbors in 32 meetings.

South Korea are hoping to qualify for their ninth consecutive World Cup finals but are holding on to the last automatic qualification berth in the group. Entering the home stretch of the qualification, Stielike selected some old mainstays who will be counted on to do as much off the field as on it.

The two prime examples are defender Park Joo-ho and midfielder Lee Chung-yong. They were not part of the team that played China and Syria in the World Cup qualifiers in March. Park has hardly played for Borussia Dortmund in Germany, while Lee has been a forgotten man for Crystal Palace. And two months ago, Stielike left them off at the expense of others who were actually playing for their clubs.

The narrative has changed somewhat for the German coach, who said Park and Lee bring more to the table than just their playing abilities.

"I understand their situations with the clubs haven't changed much, but I took into account some past experience this time around," Stielike said at a press conference announcing his roster. "In recent matches, some young players couldn't handle the pressure and failed to play the way they're capable of playing. And I felt we needed some veterans who could help keep the team together and make younger players stronger mentally."

Lee, 28, has 75 caps and has played in each of the past two World Cups. Park is 30 and has played in 31 international matches.

"When there's no margin for error, we'll need players who can bring some stability to the rest of the team," Stielike added. "I don't know if they're fit enough to play the full 90 minutes, but even if they can't, I thought they still had the ability to be the leaders."

Another player back on the national team after an extended absence is Gangwon FC forward Lee Keun-ho. His last match for South Korea came in January 2015 at the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup.

He leads the current edition of the national team with 19 goals in 75 matches. Lee is one of three forwards for Stielike, and will be asked to provide some much-needed punch up front after South Korea were limited to one goal in their past two contests.

"I called him up because he's been pretty sharp of late, and I think he's in the best form of the season," Stielike said. "He covers a lot of ground and can be a dangerous attacker."

Lee, who spent a season with El Jaish in the Qatar Stars League, said the upcoming match in Doha is "a must-win game" for his team.

"I want to contribute to our attacking brand of football and help us pick up three points," Lee said. "As important as it is to score, I also hope to be a leader for the younger players. As one of the oldest players on the team (at 32), I feel a great weight on my shoulders."

Tottenham Hotspur winger Son Heung-min joins the team on a high note. He has just concluded his most successful season with 21 goals in all competitions and holds the new single season scoring record by a South Korean player in Europe.

Son has scored 17 times in 53 matches for South Korea, but his last goal came against Qatar last October and he has generally been less consistent with the national team than with his English Premier League club.

Stielike explained that playing with unfamiliar teammates on the national team after just a few days of practice has limited Son's effectiveness.

"On Tottenham, he's working out with the same group of teammates on a daily basis, and it naturally leads to fine performances on the pitch," the coach said. "Also on the club, he's surrounded by other world-class players like Harry Kane. On the national team, he's the biggest star and he's expected to do everything. I think it can put some pressure on Son."

From the roster that faced China and Syria, Stielike dropped two lanky strikers, Lee Jeong-hyeop and Kim Shin-wook. Along with Lee Keun-ho, FC Red Bull Salzburg's Hwang Hee-chan and FC Augsburg's Ji Dong-won are the two other forwards this time. Lee Keun-ho and Hwang are more shifty types who can create space on their own; when Lee Jeong-hyeop or Kim Shin-wook were in action, fullbacks and wingers kept trying to send in long crosses for their heads and the strategy proved too predictable.

Stielike said he'd like to see his forwards penetrate deep into the offensive zone and control the ball more, instead of simply waiting for passes that may or may not come. He added he likes the versatility of his forwards and midfielders, saying Son is among those who can play either on the wings or up front. (Yonhap)