Country: South Korea
Korea: The tigers of Asia
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Nickname: The Taeguk Warriors, Red Devils, The Tigers of Asia
Coach/Manager: Huh Jong-Moo
The former South Korean midfielder is no stranger to big events, having scored against Italy in Mexico during the 1986 World Cup, and later returning as trainer and coach of the USA team in 1994. He led the Warriors to the final round of the 2010 World Cup with two games to spare.
FIFA Ranking: 47
World Cup Group Campaign:
June 12 vs. GreeceJune 17 vs. ArgentinaJune 22 vs. Nigeria
Recent Form/News:
South Korea has appeared in every World Cup since 1986, but did not actually make their presence felt till they co-hosted the event, in 2002. Not only was the event a huge success off the field, but also on it, as the team romped to a stunning fourth place, beating the likes of Portugal, Italy and Spain en route to the semi-finals. In the 2006 edition, however, the team failed to negotiate their way past the group stages, in spite of obtaining 4 points. It was the only instance in the 2006 World Cup where a team with 4 points had not made it through to the knockout rounds.
Huh Jung Moo
On paper, though, South Korea appears as the strongest team from the Asian contingent. They qualified top of their Group, remaining unbeaten in the entire campaign. However, pundits will point out that the unbeaten run consisted of 7 draws, and 7 wins. Moreover, in the second round of qualification, the team registered victories only twice, against bottom-placed Saudi Arabia and UAE. They struggled to claim a draw against traditional heavy-weights Iran.
South Korea also disappointed in their East Asian Championship, losing in the finals to China (for the first time in 32 years). Even in the pre-World Cup friendlies, they have had mixed fortunes, beating the highly favored Ivory Coast and Japan, but losing to World Cup non-qualifiers Belarus and Zambia. However, this takes their record to only three defeats in their last 36 games. So which team will turn up in South Africa?
Squad Preview:
Even the most casual of observers will have no trouble in claiming that the South Korean captain, Park Ji-Sung, will be the player to watch out for. Park, who plays for Manchester United, is also called as “Three Lung Park” for his tireless efforts on the field. This, however, is not just his quality, but the entire team’s characteristic. Ji-Sung will be ably paired up with Chu-Young Park (2009 Asian Footballer of the Year), who didn’t have a very good outing in 2006, but has scored 4 goals already in the South Korean qualification campaign.
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Another important player to watch out for, is Chung-Yong Lee. The 21-year old midfielder has impressed all with his balance and pin-point crosses when playing for the Bolton Wanderers in the Premier League. Also to keep tabs on, is experienced campaigner Lee-Dong Guk. The 31-year old has had an injury scare of late and might even miss the opener against Greece, but will prove to be a rock when he turns up on the field in his country’s colors.
Back in 2002, the South Korean team mostly consisted of K-League players, and were a largely unknown quantity. But their successful semis run, and regular strong performances on the international stage, has paved the way for many top clubs to scout outstanding young Korean players. Several of their players play abroad, with striker Chu-Yong playing for Monaco and midfielder Sung Yong for Celtic.
Probable Starting 11:
G Jung Sung-Ryong, Seongnam (South Korea)
ParK Ji Sung plays for the Red Devils, will be playing a crucial role for his national side
D Lee Young-Pyo, Al Hilal (Saudi Arabia)D Kang Min-Soo, Suwon (South Korea)D Lee Jung-Soo, Kashima (Japan)D Cha Doo-Ri, Freiburg (Germany)M Park Ji-Sung, Manchester United (England)M Ki Sung-Yong, Celtic (Scotland)M Kim Jung-Woo, Gwangju (South Korea)M Lee Chung-Yong, Bolton Wanderers (England)F Lee Dong-Gook, Jeonbuk (South Korea)F Park Chu-Young, AS Monaco (France)
Author’s Prediction:
Though the author supports all Asian teams and would like to see them do well in this World Cup, he especially will look out for the South Koreans. Against the largely predictable but highly tactical Greece, South Korea should be able to steal a point at least. Argentina, one of the tournament favorites as always, will prove to be tough nuts to crack. Against Nigeria, too, it’ll be very difficult. The author suspects a tough battle for second spot.
