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▲ Coach Bento |
[정필=김아영 스포츠전문기자 [email protected]] “There is still time until the World Cup, but the preparations are almost complete.”
Coach Paulo Bento of the men’s national team said he would use the friendly match ahead of the Qatar World Cup as an opportunity for development. Bentuho will play a friendly match for the national soccer team invited by Hana Bank in Costa Rica and Goyang Sports Complex at 8 pm on the 23rd. Afterwards, the second friendly match against Cameroon will be played at the Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 pm on the 27th.
This September’s friendly match against A-match is expected to be the last mock test ahead of the Qatar World Cup to be held in November. This is a golden opportunity for Europeans and domestics to work together. At a press conference held at Paju NFC on the 19th, coach Bento said, “We will prepare in the best way for Costa Rica and Cameroon. After giving the players who played over the weekend and European players enough time to recover, I will play as best as I can in the next two matches.”
Bento has predicted that he will play in a different way than before in this friendly. Although he did not give a detailed explanation, it seems that customized tactics aimed at the World Cup finals will be in operation. “It will improve our play,” Bento said. We will try to play the two games in a slightly different way than before.”
Of course, the key is to play to win. “You have to show the fans a good performance,” Bento said. The most important thing is to show a good image so that the fans can be satisfied and our players can be proud.”
Bento expressed his satisfaction with the progress so far ahead of the World Cup. He said, “There is still time until the World Cup, but so far, preparations are almost complete.
Regarding Son Heung-min, who scored a goal before joining the national team after experiencing sluggishness for a while, he said, “It wasn’t something to worry about at all. If you focus on goals and assists, you focus on one player, but in fact, soccer is more than that. (Son Heung-min’s silence on goal) is nothing to worry about at all, and it can happen while playing soccer. The most important thing is for Son Heung-min to arrive at the national team in good condition and play the game.”
Coach Bento said, “Just because Son Heung-min didn’t score in six games in the league doesn’t mean he didn’t play well. When he evaluates a player, he doesn’t just look at goals, assists and passes, he looks at other factors as well. He added that his performance in his team is important, but how he can play with us is more important.”