Deploying LKI as a lone striker in the friendly defeat to Japan last year must be the worst decision-making of all time any KNT manager has ever made thus far.
Re LKI, I honestly don't know how he would fit into the lineup. We know he's too slow to play in the wings but he's also a defensive liability in the middle.
He did very unfortunately. I thought he was protesting against KFA for lack of support in setting up friendlies during the time when COVID-19-control was very strict.
Kim Sang-sik has been on hot seat all season long. His contract renewal was at its stake during the KFA Cup final as he had already failed to lead Jeonbuk to ACL and K-League titles, respectively. That's why he abused KJS throughout the season. He's been not only detrimental to Jeonbuk but KNT as well.
Outside of Son and Kim Min-jae, it's situational and will vary depending on who Bento sees fit for Uruguay, Portugal, and Ghana. One match we might see Kim Moon-hwan, Lee Jae-sung, Hwang Hee-chan start, then the next we'll likely see Kwon Chang-hoon, either Yoon Jong-gyu or Kim Tae-hwan, and Song Min-kyu start. Kim Seung-gyu is our main starting GK, although there's a chance that he could start the first two matches then the last starting Cho Hyun-woo.
Both Bento and Hwang Sun-hong used Lee Kang-in as a false 9, and both times it ended up being a disaster/mistake.
Almost everyone agrees that he should stay away from the KNT and management in general. Perhaps, Choi Kang-hee will be returning to Jeonbuk next season.
I remember when Kim Sang-sik played CB for the national team. In the 2006 World Cup, he used to pass only to the same player even when another player was wide open.
Listened to a Podcast over here. They are having a WC special. And they went through Japan and SK today. Fun fact they had Kim MJ as the most important player / player to watch, for SK . And they commented on him as the " the best cb in the world now" . And one of the presenters is an Serie A expert. Really nice to hear. He is getting recognition all over.
Kim Minjae is one of the most overrated players ever. He's still in the honeymoon phase with Napoli, where he is admittedly having a good season, and his mistakes that directly lead to goals are barely criticized. He's never been tested in high pressure KNT matches and thus never had a chance to be exposed eg HJH vs Algeria 2014. He is a real physical beast who has highlight plays, but can he play "solid" and mistake-free chukgu? That is still a question that he will have to answer in Qatar.
If Son can't go for the first game, I would roll with LKI and HHC two top and park the bus with the rest of the guys. Get the ball to LKI in a good position 3 times and he will make 2 good chances. Give 2 good chances to HHC and he may score one. 1-0 Korea Also I just want us to beat Portugal and prevent them from advancing. Bento is not going to have a home to return to
Kim SG will be the nr 1 goalie? Didnt even know he went to Saudi . To the best team. 6 clean sheets in 8 games. Guess thats counts for something.
JHW isn't the same JHW that denied almost every shot back in 2018 anymore. Due to aging, his response to shot after shot seems to be slower than 4 years ago. His critical weakness in kicking game unfortunately remains as is.
KMJ has been tested in the Champions League and Serie A. I am more concerned with his fitness level. If I am not mistaken, he only missed a game in this season thus far while playing the remainder full time. The way Luciano Spalletti deploys KMJ and dictates his coverage requires KMJ to continue to sprint throughout a game. This has happened week in, week out.
He's not "overrated". He deserves all the praise, considering how he's played so far. Other than the mistake he made in the previous match, he did not really make mistakes that "directly" led to goals. Sure, he could've done better in some situations, but even world class defenders make a bunch of mistakes as well. His performance in the last match was expected. He played 22 matches full time within 88 days, which is insane. He must be tired as hell. And his stats in most of these matches are absolutely amazing.. Honeymoon phase? You are talking as if KMJ is some kind of a new player who suddenly came out of nowhere and started playing well just for one season. He's been excelling in every single league he's been at for years. Series A is the best league for defenders to grow for a reason and he was named the best player of the match there, and you think he's overrated? lol okay. Do you still think JSR is the best goalkeeper we've ever had btw? I remember arguing with you about him years ago.
Kim Jin-Su is back training so it seems he'll be good to start against Uruguay. HHC resting due to an hamstring issue but it doesn't sound significant.
Someone above asked about best XI. Here are my thoughts against Uruguay. With SHM healthy: KSG KMH -- KMJ -- KYK -- KJS SJH - HIB KCH -- LKI -- HHC SHM Without SHM: KSG KMH -- KMJ -- KYK -- KJS JWY (Sr.) -- HIB KCH -- LJS-- HHC HUJ (Edited to add that I haven't seen enough to have an opinion about the RB position -- maybe KTH should get the nod ahead of KMH.) In reality, I think that Bento will be aiming for a draw against Uruguay (which is reasonable), especially if we'll be without SHM, and have a sneaky feeling he will opt for back three to deal with Nunez and Suarez. KSG KMH -- KMJ -- KYK -- KKW -- KJS KCH -- JWY (Sr.) -- HIB -- HHC HUJ
There's no doubt that we're blessed to have a defender with the physical caliber and European experience of Kim Minjae. People are saying, however, that KMJ is our most important player over even SHM. In my opinion that's crazy, just because you can perform at the club level with good teammates and structure around you doesn't mean it will automatically translate to the national team. He hasn't proven anything yet on a big international stage. If he performs well and we make it through the group, then yes, the legend of Kim MJ will begin. I think that it's more likely that we'll see 1 or 2 disappointing blunders from him that come from unnecessary risk taking or over-eager positioning that swing a result to the other team.
That goes for the whole team if we should listen to you ? Its not easy to be fantastic with players that is far from your level?