Natl. football coach shoots down criticism of overreliance on stars

With South Korea having notched their first win in the ongoing Asian World Cup qualification round, head coach Hong Myung-bo on Thursday pushed back against the notion that he is relying too heavily on a few star players without doing much tactical work.

Hong returned home Thursday evening after coaching South Korea to a 3-1 victory over Oman in a Group B match of the third Asian World Cup qualification round in Muscat on Tuesday. It came on the heels of a goalless draw against Palestine in Seoul.

In the victory, Son Heung-min, captain for both South Korea and Tottenham Hotspur, scored the go-ahead goal and assisted the team's two other goals. Two other Europe-based stars, Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain, also played significant roles on offense.

When told that fans think he is only letting skilled players do their thing and hasn't given them any tactical framework, Hong responded, "Those views are completely different from mine."

"I think we made tactical changes at a critical juncture in the match and it worked really well," Hong told reporters gathered at Incheon International Airport, just west of Seoul. "So I don't agree with that notion, but I also don't plan on trying to change that. I just believe that my players executed our tactics to perfection with about 30 minutes left in the second half."

The latest bit of criticism against Hong is yet another indication of his standing among the disgruntled South Korean fan base. He was an unpopular choice from the moment he was hired in July, with the Korea Football Association also facing heat for giving Hong the job without putting him through a vetting process. Hong was lustily booed before, during and after the Palestine match at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Hong said it would have been better if South Korea had won both matches, but he was still pleased with the way South Korea opened the third round.

"This start gave us an opportunity to think about how we should prepare for remaining matches," Hong said. "I have spoken with my coaches and players about how to develop the team going forward. We were able to share our ideas and narrow our differences in thoughts."

Hong said South Korea must shore up their defense.

"Over the course of a match, you will run into some difficulties. You can't play perfect football for 90 minutes," Hong said. "And when you concede a goal in those situations, it can make life extra difficult. We have to get better in that regard."

The other teams in Group B are Iraq, Jordan and Kuwait. The top two teams from each of the three groups in the third round will qualify for the 2026 World Cup, while teams ranked third and fourth from those groups will move on to the fourth round.

Iraq and Jordan are expected to provide stiffer challenges for South Korea than Palestine, Oman and Kuwait. In February this year, South Korea lost to Jordan 2-0 in the semifinals of the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup, a result that cost then head coach Jurgen Klinsmann his job.

South Korea's next match is against Jordan on Oct. 10, followed by Iraq on Oct. 15.

"We've already started breaking down Iraq and Jordan, though it's still too early to tell how we're going to approach them," Hong said. "We can't afford to give points away in matches against those rivals." (Yonhap)