Said it before, but we're definitely looking more modern now, and although it's only been three games thus far, the formation and tactics are suiting us quite well. I also noticed how well Bento is utilizing the players and getting the most out of them(Especially our fullbacks), something his four predecessors failed to do(Shin Tae-yong, Stielike, Hong Myung-bo, Choi Kang-hee. Having a good manager matters, Bento may not be a world class manager, but he has the necessary tools to become one. Still too early to speak of, but I am liking what I am seeing so far, and I don't think anyone can deny that, let's keep this momentum going. It's been a while since I've last heard a delighted Ahn Jung-hwan commentary(Perhaps the win over Germany at the Wc, and the Asian Games win), but he seems content with Bento as well, he's been saying how much faster, stronger, better we look since his debut, as opposed to how shit we looked under the likes of Shin Tae-yong and Stielike. The last 6 years or so has gotten the entire country with their backs turned, now it's huge sigh of relief, especially with the 2002 FIFA World Cup atmosphere our fans provided at the packed Seoul Sang-am World Cup stadium, and with our first win over South American giants Uruguay in 36 years to top it off is just amazing.
Btw, this is our second game where we scored off set pieces against strong oppositions. Also, Bento is the second Portuguese manager in charge behind Coelho to have faced Uruguay, and he came out victorious(Coelho lost 2-0).
Tabarez rates us highly, also considers Korea as a rival country to Uruguay. Thank you for the kind words.
https://m.sports.naver.com/kfootball/news/read.nhn?oid=139&aid=0002098700 JHS had the most touches and passes on the team yesterday. A guy who spectated the match live said that JHS' offball movement to receive the ball from guys like KSY and KYK is amazing, and that this positioning and proactivity might be the invisible "something" managers love about him. Seems like he'll become an important part of Bento-ball so I hope he works on the defensive side of things as well.
I re-watched the match yesterday and here are some of my observations on JHS. 1. Bento often has both our fullbacks pushed forward at the same time during our attacks. When that happens, we more or less play 3 at the back with KSY dropping back as the middle CB in the deepest CB position. In other scenarios, you will see HC pushing up on the left and LY holding back. JHS will at times interchange positions with KSY and push forward into midfield. In a way, it was very reminiscent of how Spurs often play under Pochettino (more on that later)... 2. JHS has cut down on his ridiculous long balls under Bento. I remember seeing only about 3 long ball attempts from him (all unsuccessful) during the match. He needs to continue distributing the ball and not trying to play KSY's role. 3. JHS is fundamentally flawed as a CB and will always be due for 1 or 2 crucial mistakes if he keeps playing as a CB. It is what it is. He's nearing peak and will never be a better CB than KMJ. But his other attributes will make him useful in the near future. For example, in this match, he gave up a stupid foul in a dangerous area near the flag (same area as where Greece fouled us in WC10 and KSY whipped in that cross for an early goal). And he let Cavani just ghost him on a set piece where he was almost punished if not for the linesman. 4. So back to the earlier Spurs reference, JHS is a poor man's version of Eric Dier. And that's why I think he will continue featuring in Bento's system. Once KSY retires (it's inevitable), it makes sense for JHS to slot into KSY's position and KMJ and KYK to play as CBs. That will allow us to keep playing fullbacks that push up at the same time while using a 3 at the back system when that happens. The trick will be to replace JWY with an actual playmaker worthy of the role. LKI (or PSH or even HIB or KJM) need to step up after the AC. That way, JHS is never relied upon as a deeplying playmaker. Instead, he's tasked with keeping it simple and pushing the ball to LKI to be the playmaker. When KSY retires, unless Kim Jungmin steps up in the next season or two, our time having a regista build up play from a deeper position will likely end for the next year or two. And instead, we'll have to rely on LKI to build up play from a far more advanced position imo. 5. For better or worse, JHS is one of our weapons on set pieces. When we're not playing SHJ, JHS is one of two legitimate (albeit limited) options/targets on set pieces. 6. All of this is assuming PJH is nearing the end of his KNT career and cannot step into the CDM role (instead of JHS) to play alongside JWY (or LKI, etc.).
Ouai merci. FRI morning heavy work day on East Coast time. was never gonna be able to watch this. and thanks to one and all for all the commentary and post match analysis. we are on the up and up ladies and gentleman. what a diff a good Bento Box meal can do for our players eh?
lol. But no joke b/c the sheer amount of female fans in our matches. I wouldnt be surprised if thats a factor.
Curious how BSK rated NTH in this match. He was disappointing for me but in the second half after the 2-1 lead, the commentators were speaking highly of his performance. Thoughts?
Not much of a defender. He's probably one of our best crossers from the fullback position. That's about it.