2024-01-23 02:05:00
Hwang Hee-chan ‘I’m in very good physical condition’
The return of Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), the ‘key striker’ of the Korean national soccer team led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany), is approaching.
Klinsmann will play the third match of the group stage of the ‘2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup’ against Malaysia at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar at 8:30 pm (Korean time) on the 25th.
As of the 23rd, Korea is 2nd in the group with 1 win, 1 draw (4 points) and aims to advance to the round of 16 as well as 1st place in the group with a win against Malaysia.
They showed somewhat poor performances in the match against Bahrain (3-1 win) and against Jordan (2-2 draw). He exposed several shortcomings, including defensive instability and spacing issues between midfielders, but among them, blunt attack stood out as the biggest disadvantage.
The attacking team was formed with world-class striker Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Cho Gyu-sung (Midtjylland), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), and Lee Jae-seong (Mainz), but their sharpness was lacking.
In particular, Cho Gyu-seong, who played as the main striker, has recently had an inaccurate zero score, so a change in player selection is needed. For this reason, Hwang Hee-chan’s absence is even more disappointing.
If Hwang Hee-chan had been present, Son Heung-min could have been appointed as the frontline striker to form a more explosive offensive line. Son Heung-min’s main position is on the side, but before being called up to the national team, he scored many goals at the front line.
In addition, if Hwang Hee-chan shakes up the left flank and Lee Kang-in and Lee Jae-seong take on the role of lubricant, various attack routes can be established.
Moreover, the disappointment was doubled in that Hwang Hee-chan got injured while showing great performance in the English professional soccer Premier League (EPL) before being called up to the national team. If Klinsmann’s upward trend had continued, it is highly likely that he would have advanced to the round of 16 more easily.
Hwang Hee-chan, who missed the first and second games due to a hip injury, is fortunately making a quick recovery.
During training on the 21st, he showed up 30 minutes earlier than other team members and showed light movements, such as exchanging the ball with the coach. He improved his condition with a bright expression, such as making a ‘V’ sign with his finger towards the reporters.
However, he is not expected to play in the game against Malaysia on the 25th. Coach Klinsmann said, “The goal (of the current recovery training) is to quickly return Hwang Hee-chan to team training. I think it will be important to see how he improves day by day,” and suggested that he will be played when he is in perfect physical condition.
As it is expected that the team will pass the group stage with ease, Hwang Hee-chan is expected to be used in a tournament that requires destructive offensive power.
Not only Hwang Hee-chan, but also Kim Jin-su (Jeonbuk Hyundai), who was excluded from the last two games due to injury, is expected to play when his physical condition improves.
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