▲ In 2018, coach Paulo Bento is entering Incheon International Airport to take office as the coach of the Korean national team. Seoul Newspaper DB
It’s already 4 years ago. Since we had to advance to the round of 16 at the World Cup, we had to find a good coach. Paulo Ventura sought former Portuguese national team coach. The career was brilliant and the price was expensive. When he asked if he could shave it off, he didn’t even snort. He was a very blunt manager.
I couldn’t even bargain the price and only asked for a good team. He brought a tactic called ‘build-up’ that Korean soccer did not use in the World Cup. He thought, ‘I’ll do something else later’, but God only builds up for 4 years. Now there is a voice saying to do something else, but there is no reply pretending not to hear. Then, in September of last year, in the early stages of the World Cup Asian regional qualifiers, they barely managed to win due to poor performances. At the point of a year before the World Cup, it was cramped, boring, and nervous.
“Can you go to the round of 16 in the World Cup finals with that build-up? When I said, “Stop doing something else,” he said, “You have to boil enough to make rice, or does uncooked rice make rice if you rush it?”
I was stunned and said, “No, you mean only build-up for 3 years? Director, you are stubborn. The World Cup is just around the corner.” Then the director did not break his stubbornness, saying, “But I can’t give up my current style.”
It was difficult to change the director because there was not much time, so I had no choice but to give up and give up.
“Then, do as you please.”
“Well, if you press on, it gets rougher and slower. Tactics should be made properly, but can we change them?” It’s a bit of a loose language. And prepare for one more year of build-up.
With English Premier League (EPL) top scorer Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and “monster defender” Kim Min-jae (Napoli), I thought I could make it to the round of 16 this time, but it seemed that I had to commit to the next World Cup, so it was unpleasant. . Even Lee Kang-in (Mallorca), who is said to be the future of Korean soccer, does not write because it does not fit the style. “Do you have the guts to be a director like that? He is an unkind and blunt manager.” The more I thought about it, the more angry I got. I got tired of watching it and became a spectator.
After four years of building up, it was only right before the Qatar World Cup that he looked as if he had done something. And when the World Cup in Qatar started and I played the game, it was crazy that the national team was doing well. It’s better than what I used to do, it’s really good. Can you meet a manager who prepares strategies and tactics with such consistency? I regretted my attitude toward the director. “I’m sorry, Director Bento. Good job.”
Reporter Kim Dong-hyun