The 2021-22 season was a very successful one for South Korean star winger Son Heung-min in terms of individual accolades. He won the EPL Golden Boot with 23 goals, becoming the first Asian player to do so, and has firmly cemented his place as one of the most dangerous and lethal wingers in world football.
At 30, he should still have a few more seasons in his prime to continue terrorizing defenses with his pace and shooting ability. He is undoubtedly South Korea’s star player. If the Taegeuk Warriors are to progress to the knockout stages, it goes without saying that they need him to play well.
South Korea, whose best historical finish in the World Cup was fourth in 2002, haven’t gotten out of the group stages since the 2010 World Cup. However, that doesn’t mean that there haven’t been some memorable moments for the South Korean team.
In 2018, South Korea pulled off a famous 2-0 win versus world powerhouse Germany, sending the Germans home. The win also helped Mexico advance to the knockout rounds. This prompted Internet memes of “Korean Jesus”, referring to the Korean keeper Jo Hyeon-woo, who made six incredible saves for his clean sheet.
Some ecstatic Mexican fans ended up taking shots of tequila with a South Korean ambassador in Mexico City. Being eliminated from the World Cup had never felt so wholesome.
Part I. Bento
Four years later, this South Korean team looks very different.
2018 national team coach Shin Tae-yong is no longer with the team and Jo Hyeon-woo is now only a backup, with current national team manager Paulo Bento preferring Al Shabab FC’s Kim Seung-gyu over him.
Bento is a Portuguese manager with previous managerial stints at Sporting and the Portuguese national team amongst his most noteworthy roles. A former defensive midfielder by trade, Bento wants his players to press and build up play from the back. This is the reason why Kim Seung-gyu has been a regular starter in Bento's side.
Bento has employed mostly a variation of the 4-3-3 and 4-4-2 formation during his current tenure as South Korean boss. While the results have been solid with a trophy in the 2019 EAFF E-1 Football Championship and successful qualification for the World Cup, Bento’s stubbornness and rigid style of football leave much to be desired.
Ironically, these were the same reasons many Portuguese fans disliked him.
While Bento got results, he relied heavily on a star winger in Cristiano Ronaldo (Son) for offensive output and his conservative style of football didn't go over well with fans.
Building up from the back is something that should be worked on, especially in modern football where many teams often press high.
That style of football is the future, and Bento should be commended for improving that aspect of South Korea's play. Being comfortable on the ball should be a requirement for modern footballers.
However, a good manager also has to consider the strengths and weaknesses of his team. The current South Korean team does not have many defenders adept at build up play. Against sides at the World Cup like Uruguay who possess attackers that can press and win the ball in dangerous areas, this could be a death trap.
Earlier this year, Brazil blitzed South Korea en route to a 5-1 win playing aggressive, high pressing football. The Brazilians' high press forced numerous mistakes around the Korean penalty box, leading to high percentage chances.
Scoreline-aside, it was more concerning that Bento did not make many adjustments in response to the high octane Brazilian attack.
Unfortunately, we haven't seen Bento make many adjustments in response to offensive, high pressing teams. Make no mistake, South Korea will win or lose playing the "Bento way".
Another point of discussion is Bento's over-reliance on his favorite players, such as Son.
In international friendlies Son has played under Bento, he has played the full 90 minutes in 16 out of 18 games. In the other two matches he was actually subbed out, Son played 61 minutes vs Georgia and 83 minutes vs Costa Rica.
That’s an incredible 1584 minutes out of a possible 1620 minutes.
In the 2018-19 season, Son played 48 matches for Tottenham alone. He ended up playing 17 more matches for the national team that season, including the Asian Games, the Asian Cup, and international friendlies.
Amid cries from fans and media alike to give Son more time to rest during an especially grueling time for Son, Bento stubbornly called him up for friendlies in June 2019 against Australia and Iran anyway.
In a similar vein, he also left Lee Kang-in on the bench during both this September’s friendlies, even though Kang-in had flown halfway around the world from Spain to be there.
Lee Kang-in is one of South Korea’s brightest talents, and an important part of the future of South Korean football. There aren't many players in the current squad with his vision and quality on the ball.
Yet Bento hasn't played him in over a year.
The last time he played for the full national team was all the way back in March '21, in a 3-0 loss to archrivals Japan.
With all of this being said, it would be ignorant to not talk about the good things he's done for the national squad.
As previously mentioned, he's improved Korea's pressing and build-up play. He is averaging 2.20 points per match over his South Korean managerial career. Players like Hwang In-beom and Hwang Ui-jo have played some of their best football under him.
And let's be honest. South Korea just doesn't have enough talent, especially in defense. A manager can only do so much.
And yet, it just doesn’t seem to be enough; there’s something missing.
Son hasn't quite found his form with Bento. Neither has Hwang Hee-chan, who looks more comfortable up top next to a target striker.
The pressure is on Bento to be more creative and flexible. Will his faith, or what some would call stubborn belief, in his tactical system pay off in the World Cup? Can he lead this team into the round of 16?
As fans of South Korean football, let's hope that he can.
Now let’s talk about the squad he’s assembled to accomplish that goal.
Part II. The Squad
Projected Formation (vs. Uruguay): 4-1-4-1
Bento could also employ a 3 back system against a strong Uruguay side in the opening match, something I would like to see. I had been hoping to see a 3 back system and Bento finally tried it out in the final friendly before the World Cup against Iceland.
Goalkeepers:
Bento clearly favors Kim Seung-gyu over Jo Hyeon-woo. After his incredible World Cup and rise to stardom overnight, Jo Hyeon-woo was widely expected to lock down the position for years to come.
However, Paulo Bento had other plans. His system is predicated on playing out from the back, and Kim Seung-gyu’s superior technique with his feet instantly made him a Bento favorite. Kim Seung-gyu isn't a bad shot stopper either. Albeit facing some light competition, Kim still has racked up a remarkable clean sheet record of 60.7% for his international career.
With 12 clean sheets as the K League clean sheet leader this season, Song Bum-keun will be the third goalkeeper for the Taegeuk Warriors. Guess who was second with 10? League champion Ulsan Hyundai's very own Jo Hyeon-woo.
Noteworthy Stats (under Bento):
Kim Seung-gyu: 33 caps, only 3 losses (Qatar, Japan, Brazil) as the starting GK.
Jo Hyeon-woo: 13 caps
Possible starter: Kim Seung-gyu (lock it in)
Defenders:
Defense has long been a problem for the Taegeuk Warriors. While South Korea haven't conceded much in continental play, there are clear weaknesses for stronger opponents to exploit. South Korea will need to find a solution to their defense, which is especially prone to defensive lapses on the flanks.
The defense is led by current Napoli star Kim Min-jae, AKA “Monster”, who is one to watch this World Cup. With his blend of physicality, speed, and defending, he will arguably be the most important player for South Korea.
While there are attackers for South Korea who can step up if Son has an off game, the same cannot be said for its defense. South Korea will go as far as its defense takes them.
Of course, Kim Min-jae cannot do everything himself, and he will need plenty of help from his teammates.
Veteran 32 year-old Kim Young-gwon will likely partner Kim Min-jae as the starting CBs in Qatar, and former Hoffenheim LB Kim Jin-su is projected to be the starting LB over Hong Chul, if he recovers from nagging muscular injuries caused by fatigue.
Kim Moon-hwan is the favorite to start at the problematic RB spot, but must beat out players like Kim Tae-hwan or Yoon Jong-gyu. Lee Yong was once a favorite of Bento’s at RB, but he is 35 and won't be on the flight to Qatar.
Noteworthy Stats:
Kim Min-jae (Serie A): second highest rated CB in the Serie A on WhoScored. 3.9 clearances per game (seventh in all of Serie A), 1.1 blocks (third in Serie A).
Possible starters: Kim Moon-hwan - Kim Min-jae - Kim Young-gwon - Kim Jin-su
Midfielders:
South Korea has talent in midfield, but lacks power and defensive presence. Feisty Hwang In-beom is an excellent passer with an eye for a through ball. However, the Olympiacos midfielder lacks strength and size at only 64 kg.
Lee Jae-sung is a creative player who can inject a quick tempo into a game with his short passing and movement, but he too, lacks size and physicality.
If Hwang In-beom and Lee Jae-sung both start in midfield, it could be a problem against physical opponents. Al Sadd’s Jung Woo-young at DM adds some much-needed bite in midfield, although he is prone to rash challenges.
Other options in midfield include Lee Kang-in (see Part I), Paik Seung-ho, Son Jun-ho, Kwon Chang-hoon, etc.
Apart from sheer physicality, South Korea are missing a calming influence in midfield.
It’s too bad Park Ji-sung, the legend himself, wasn’t born a decade later. Someone with Park’s experience, defensive acumen, technique, and performance in the clutch would have been a perfect fit with this group.
Please excuse me as I go off and daydream about Son Heung-min and Park Ji-sung playing on the same team.
Noteworthy stats:
Lee Jae-sung had four assists in World Cup Qualifying, tied for most on the team.
Possible starters: Jung Woo-young, Hwang In-beom, Lee Jae-sung
Attackers:
Son is the main attraction, and for good reason. He is the reigning Golden Boot winner in the EPL and Korea’s biggest star. If he's healthy for the Uruguay match, he would be the first name on the team sheet. But even without Son, there are quite a few options for South Korea in attack.
Both Lee Jae-sung and Lee Kang-in have experience on the wings, and they can play there if necessary.
26 year-old Wolves attacker Hwang Hee-chan will likely be the starter on the opposite flank, offering pace, power, and dribbling skills on the wing. Meanwhile, Hwang In-beom’s Olympiacos teammate Hwang Ui-jo (that’s a lot of Hwangs) could be the starter at the lone center forward spot.
Hwang Ui-jo has scored 15 goals under Bento, and when healthy is a firm favorite of his. However, Cho Gue-sung scored 17 goals in the K League this season, winning the Golden Boot there, and could also offer Hwang Ui-jo stiff competition up front, especially considering that Hwang Ui-jo has not been scoring lately in Greece.
Coming off the bench will be players like former Bayern Munich starlet Jeong Woo-yeong, who plies his trade in the Bundesliga with Freiburg, and speedy Na Sang-ho and Song Min-kyu.
Noteworthy stats:
Son Heung-min: three goals for South Korea at the World Cup, tied with Park Ji-sung and Ahn Jung-hwan for most all-time.
Possible starters: Hwang Hee-chan, Son Heung-min, Hwang Ui-jo
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Possible Starting XI (4-1-4-1):
Kim Seung-gyu;
Kim Moon-hwan/Kim Min-jae/Kim Young-gwon/Kim Jin-su;
Jung Woo-young;
Son Heung-min/Hwang In-beom/Lee Jae-sung/Hwang Hee-chan;
Hwang Ui-jo.
Preferred Starting XI (3-5-2)*:
*If Son is injured
Kim Seung-gyu;
Kim Min-jae/Kwon Kyung-won/Kim Young-gwon;
Kim Moon-hwan/Jung Woo-young/Hwang In-beom/Lee Kang-in/Kim Jin-su
Hwang Hee-chan; Cho Gue-sung
What’s your preferred XI for Korea Republic in this World Cup? Leave it in the comments below!
Want more from our newest writer Trey Tak? You can follow him on Twitter @FadeawayTreyTak and head to his Medium blog here: @takwrites.