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| South Korean winger and captain Son Heung-min waves to fans after a friendly match against Egypt at Seoul World Cup Stadium, Tuesday. Yonhap |
By John Duerden
It is not easy to arrange four international games in the space of 12 days, and credit should be given to the Korea Football Association (KFA) for giving the South Korean national team a perfect start to its preparations for the World Cup. The tournament kicks off in November and Korea's group, which contains Uruguay, Portugal and Ghana, is one where Korea could finish winners or end up at the bottom.
After recent performances, the top of the group looks less likely but there are some reasons to be optimistic. The four games, all at home, brought a defeat, a tie and two wins but the results are by no means a be-all and end-all.
In reverse order, Tuesday's 4-1 win over Egypt was a fine way to end the June games but it should be remembered that the North Africans were missing most of their best players, including Mohamed Salah of Liverpool who shared the English Premier League golden boot with Son Heung-min this season.
Son has shown some of his best-ever form for his country this month and is full of confidence and determination after a fine season in one of Europe's top leagues. Head coach Paulo Bento needs to decide exactly where to use his star but a happy, fit and in-form Son is integral to Korea's hopes. This month he has scored spectacular goals, looking dangerous with his running and creative with his passing.
Fellow attackers Hwang Ui-jo and Hwang Hee-chan, based in Bordeaux and Wolverhampton respectively, had their moments but continue to be inconsistent. Cho Gue-sung reminded all of his talents with a long-range rocket against Egypt. Kim Jin-su came in at left-back to add some energy and support to the attack and, as everyone knew, the absence of central defender Kim Min-jae was felt.
Defensive issues allowed Paraguay to take a 2-0 lead last week but it was encouraging to see how the Koreans fought back to tie the game. That followed a fairly comfortable win over Chile.
The real worry was the thrashing at the hands of Brazil. It was a reminder that Korea still has a long way to go, and many who follow the Taegeuk Warriors will hope it was a wake-up call to improve. None of the team's opponents in the group will be of the same quality as the five-time world champion who barely broke its stride in administering the 5-1 thrashing.
There was some disquiet at the KFA over the tactics utilized by Bento but the boss has rallied the troops well, though will not have that much more time with the full roster before the opener against Uruguay.
There is not much more time. The East Asian Cup against Japan, China and Hong Kong kicks off next month but those are games just for local-based players as the European-based stars will be back with their clubs.
The next international meeting is in September and that will be it before all 32 teams head to the Middle East in November. At the moment, there are still questions about South Korea and fans are just going to have to wait until the World Cup to get them answered.
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