World Cup 2014: Korea look to rising son

World Cup 2014: Korea look to rising son

Son Heung Min has already been a hero once this season.

An expectant nation hopes he can repeat the trick in Brazil.

The South Korean nodded in a late winner to secure qualification for the most prestigious of football tournaments. But his jersey colours were those of Bayer Leverkusen and the tournament was the Uefa Champions League.

His header earned his Bundesliga club fourth place and a dramatic invitation to sit at Europe's top table next season. His mission now veers from highly improbable to near impossible.

The South Koreans are strangely subdued. Their World Cup group is formidable and old Asian rivals Japan look the continent's most likely contenders to progress to the knockout stages.

Their "Sonsational" striker leads the line, shackled with a dreadful pun for a nickname, but his partner is likely to be Watford's Park Chu Young.

He has led his country's scoring charts since the previous World Cup, with 11 to his name, but Fabio Capello's Russia and Belgium's dark horses are not particularly perturbed by personnel from Watford.

NOT IMPRESSIVE

They may not know much about Park's goal-scoring form for South Korea. They'll know even less about Watford.

The World Cup draw was unkind to the Taeguk Warriors, throwing them in Group H almost as afterthought with Belgium, Russia and Algeria.

Any chance of progress will involve squeezing between Belgium and Russia, a daunting prospect considering South Korea's lackadaisical and mostly uninspiring qualifying campaign - they finished above Uzbekistan only on goal difference - and their relatively inexperienced coach.

The first Asian player to represent his country at four World Cups, Hong Myung Bo's reputation as a player is beyond compare.

Rightly revered in his homeland, the "Korean Libero" commanded respect as an intelligent centre half, which has carried over into his coaching career.

But it's been a brief one so far. He took over the national job only in July, succeeding the unpopular Choi Kang Hee, who was lambasted for his rudimentary long-ball game.

Apart from working with South Korea's youth squads, Hong has no other top-flight coaching experience.

He does have the players on side though. He guided some of them to an Olympic bronze at London 2012.

He has brought a dignified serenity back to the dressing room, largely by bringing the ball back to the ground and encouraging a swift, counter-attacking style.

Hong is concerned only with the numbers on a player's performance stats, rather than a birth certificate.

Son is 21, but likely to be granted the freedom of the final third to drop in behind Park or drift ahead of him when the opportunity presents itself.

Under Hong, South Korea is no country for old men.

Just 25, Ki Sung Yueng already qualifies as a midfield veteran; a battle-hardened survivor of a gruelling relegation struggle with Sunderland.

Unwisely farmed out on loan by Swansea at the start of last season, Ki proved a reliable presence at the base of Sunderland's midfield under Gus Poyet.

Handed the thankless Steven Gerrard defensive midfield, Ki always offered himself as support to bail out the Black Cats' jittery defence.

Swansea's new manager Garry Monk wants him back. Poyet wants him to stay. Hong needs him to repeat his combative heroics to hold off the Russian advance in their pivotal Group H opener.

South Korea's defensive fragility, particularly at set-pieces, became increasingly apparent during the fraught qualification process.

Lee Chung Yong enjoyed a solid season at Bolton Wanderers out wide and is a post-World Cup transfer target for Hull manager Steve Bruce, but the winger will be expected to backtrack regularly.

The 25-year-old's strengths encapsulate those of his country. He's relatively young, fast and dynamic.

His effervescence can be exhilarating going forward. But he'll require all of those rare skills going back.

In an irony not lost on the manager, Hong's organisational and leadership attributes that defined his international career as a dependable sweeper are lacking among the current crop of South Koreans.

They are dashing, but lack discipline.

An early, gloomy exit looms large on the horizon for South Korea; unless Son rises once more.


This article was first published on June 11, 2014.
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