Though I really want to see them, it wouldn't make sense to call up the youngsters too often already. It would not only threaten their club careers but also their mentals (remember they are still maturing and the high pressure of Korean fans might heavily influence their performances on the pitch). What could be an idea is trying to have as many friendlies in Europe as possible, so that they don't have to travel a lot. However, I think calling them up for WCQ games against Asian minnows is too risky imo (also in terms of injuries). On long term, if we want to see all of the promising youngsters at the WC2022, they need to successfully make the transition from talent to pro player first. I don't question their potential but calling them up too early can hurt their development. Of course it could work. I can imagine that, but what I am trying to say is that a radical change might probably not be the best solution to our problems. I'd rather prefer a rational, long term plan. Also remember that LKI, JWY etc will have to participate at the U20 WC and will also be a part of the Olympic team 2020. After that, there are still 1.5-2 years left for them to become an integral part of the NT. For now, it's more important that players like SHM, LSW, KCH, LJS, HHC, etc can step up and compensate Ki's and Koo's (and probably LCY's) absence and to find solutions for our weaknesses (FBs, DMs). About the FB/DM problem, Bento and KHB should work together as it is also a big problem of the U23. Forming a strong Olympic team is essential. If we fail at the Olympics, Kwon's EU career will be over and LKI/JWY/HCH, etc will have to participate in the next Asian Games (which only costs energy and precious time and can hurt the player's forms as we've witnessed). Even though it's gonna be very tough, we need to aim for a medal in Tokyo. What Bento needs to do is to analyze his mistakes and tactics, throw away his stubbornness and find a formation to make Son effective (now that Ki's gone, the more important it is). The KFA should give him at least a few more months, but at the same time, don't hesitate with sacking him, like they'd done with Stielike. Nobody wants another rushed manager change like the last 2 WC circles.
i disagree, clear upgrade over Kim SG. at the same time, i also agree w/ you that it wouldn't have made a difference at the Asian Cup. i don't think Kim SG was bad nor good. him & the defense.. in general, weren't really tested. the main issue.. at the asian cup for me, is inability to score goals (from clear cut chances too) & struggle to shoot on target. FBs are most concerning issue but i think everyone covered that extensively already.
If KFA wanted Korea to play possession football, and hired Bento for it, then it's their mistaken ideas that caused this fiasco. Possession football is hard to play, and can be extremely frustrating to watch. I believe Korea should play a direct game with long-range passes to the wings, whenever possible. Getting to the opposition goal in the minimum number of passes.
this will be unpopular opinion (as I usually make it seems), but i don't think Bento wants to play possession football. structuring & building your offense out from the back.. through ground does not mean possession football. Korea dominated possession at the Asian Cup because every team simply sat back against Korea & let Korea have possession. i don't have a problem with Bento committing to building the offense out from the back. since 2010, the backline of Korea did nothing but boot the ball & gave the possession back to opposition too quickly. absolutely no composure in the back & it forced Ki SY drop ridiculously deep every time. a smooth & structured transition out from the back will only help Korea in long term, especially against tougher opposition. on counter attack situation, it will be much more appealing on the eye w/ higher success rate. it's going to be painful process & transition but I hope Bento commits to it instead of backing out due public pressure. going to take a lot of hard work from backline & GKs.....
HIB possibly to Vancouver Whitecaps and KYG to Gamba Osaka. Still waiting for KMJ not looking good so far.
I think the best keeper should always be played, even if his distribution isn't the best. CHW is that keeper. Against tougher opposition, playing out from the back is suicide for underdogs. Brendan Rodgers insists on playing out from the back with Celtic. It resulted in some very bad moments. IMO, only slow teams with a roster full of solid technical players should ever go for possession football. Korea is not slow, and doesn't have a full XI of technically capable players. Some are, but some aren't.
i don't want to get into the debate who is better. tbh, i don't think it matters who start for Korea. Kim SG is better in distribution but not by much compared to Jo HW. i haven't shied away from opining Kim SG is awful w/ his feet & distribution too. as for playing out from the back & errors... well, i think it happens no matter how you play. unforced errors, stupid mistakes happen no matter how one sets up tactically or approach the game but you can control the destination of the ball transition through feet compared to simply booting the ball. again, on this "possession" football stuff. Bento isn't that guy... i don't think his record or his previous managerial stint suggest he is an advocate of such football. he is extremely conservative & defensive minded coach... edit - btw, i should have stated Korea started to boot nonstop since 2012 more or less.. not 2010.
I suppose booting is bad if the selected CF is short. But I believe it is more useful to boot the ball in time, than try to play out from the back, and then absolutely panic under an opposition press. Another flaw of possession football is that...it is passive. Pass-backs as soon as the opposition press a bit aren't going to score goals. In this aspect, it makes sense that a defensive coach might fancy possession football. Keeping the ball and doing safe passes is the firmest sign of an intention to go for a draw. Problem is- Korea is expected to win the Asian Cup, and play offensive football. Using military terms, I think the Taeguk Warriors need a blitzkrieg tactic, with "fire at will" instructions regarding chances for shots. Basically, treat games like a war with Japan or North Korea. LOL
balance is key, of which.. it requires the GK to be.. well, intelligent. I will use Liverpool as an example. Klopp doesn't give a shit about possession but often dominate possession. Also, the ability to distribute & build out from the back is key in his system. Korea failed in final 3rd. building out from the back wasn't really the issue. offensive players didn't know how to unlock packed defense & FWs failed to score on clear cut chances.
JWY and LY were the real culprits for Korea's loss. We had better players on the bench but Bento's favoritism got in the way.
What about the 2012 generation (LCY, KJC, KSY, JDW, KJS...) ? They've been nonchalant their whole career, delighted to be substitute in middle table European teams and passionless in general. At best they had, each of them only one good season but they almost constantly got called up (maybe not Ki who had more success). With KNT, they screwed everything up from the awful 2014 WC campaign to the terrible 2019 AC disappointment (The only thing positive I can remember is Ki's performance at the 2015 AC). They utterly failed under 5 successives coaches (CKH, HMB, Stielike, STY and Bento). Some of them already disappeared (HJH, PJY, KBK) and fortunately for the others their retirement date is fast approaching. What a lazy ass generation, better call up K League players.
not sure how they were passionless in general. they made moves to supposed better clubs before. for rightly or wrong reason... and it didn't work out for them except Son to a degree (Leverkusen to Spurs is more or less side move imo but that is beside the point). you could argue they screwed up everything up from 2014 WC campaign but hardly anyone came up through the ranks for Korea after 2012 Olympic generation. the so called K League players.. from 2015 Asian Game winners and so forth all failed big time. the Ryu SW/Moon CJ generation is even bigger failure..
KMJ and KMH were one of the few that were exceptional in this tournament and to a lesser extent, HIB.
Well, since the very beginning the expectations were low for this generation (back in 2013, their u-20 team was described as the worst ever in Korea football). Most of them didn't even join European teams while KJC and cie were the so called "golden generation". When we assess their career, we realized they've been pretty poor since they won the bronze medal in the UK. Honestly, I don't get the comparison : I was talking about the core players and not about a generation which was considered as untalented since the very beginning. If we're kind, yeah, he was decent but personally I would say pretty invisible. KJS was awful defensively. KJC and JDW don't deserve to be called up anymore. Honestly, KSY since 2015 has been disappointed, nonchalant on the pitch and useless defensively (he had some classy games here and there though). As an example, watch at 0:44, against Qatar in 2017, he didn't pay any attention to the player behind him, watching the ball, passive attitude. It led to the 2nd goal. He would have been more useful with true defensive midfielders around him. And his final message on Instagram while the team was still in competition was like "the straw that broke the camel's back".
i wasn't making an comparison but arguing against 2012 is passionless. i only brought them up because after 2012 gen, no other talents really came up nor did they even bother to challenge (or good enough) themselves in Europe like 2012 group. not sure who called them the "golden generation" & i don't have a problem with you arguing they didn't live up to expectation but passionless? especially when guys like Koo JC sacrifice by doing this (likewise for Ki SY and many others)... https://sports.news.naver.com/kfootball/news/read.nhn?oid=139&aid=0002103475
You guys are looking too much into this. Injuries to KCH, KJC, LJS, KSY and HIB coupled with a "physically empty" Son as he said was the reason we didn't win. Team got thin, guys got tired, so they played like sh!t. If our team was healthy, we have a different conversation right now. On paper, there's no team in Asia that's stronger than us. Not Japan with their experimental line up and not Iran with their underwhelming European players.
If we play like the way we did in those friendlies (chile uruguay) then I think he is the right man for the World Cup. The AFC grass roll style seemed to be a shock to him so i want to give him benefit of doubt.
Enough mitigating circumstances/positives (short time-frame, performance in friendlies) that Bento shouldn't be let go. But the football was dreadful, some of the selection decisions baffling, and motivation clearly an issue, so we should be remain wary/keep an eye out for other options. If/when we decide Bento can't take the team any further, we should sack him immediately. No point in wasting time with a dead end, like we did with Stielike, or depriving the next manager of valuable time like we did with Hong Myungbo or Shin Taeyong. Just wanted to touch on the point of possession. No doubt our implementation of it was awful. But the solution isn't to ditch it entirely, as a lot of you seem keen on. Within the AFC, playing possession is a requirement, not an option. It's not a matter of pride but pragmatism. Most AFC sides won't sit back and let us counter. We don't have to (and shouldn't) play tiki-taka, but figuring out how to break those teams down is mandatory. Playing on the break requires that the opponents bring their game to us, which the vast majority of Asian sides won't do. That's simply the reality. Lastly, for those pining for Stielike or STY....