Nat'l football team coach high on versatile young players

In announcing his 26-man squad for Korea's two World Cup qualifying matches in November, head coach Hong Myung-bo reserved particularly high praise for Hannover 96 midfielder Lee Hyun-ju on Monday.

The 21-year-old has been thriving in the 2. Bundesliga, the second division of club football in Germany, while on loan from the reserve squad of Bayern Munich. He previously had four appearances from the under-23 national team and now has a chance to collect his first cap for the senior side.

"I've been keeping an eye on Lee Hyun-ju in Germany. His playing time has been trending up, and he has been performing better and better," Hong said at his press conference at the Korea Football Association House in Seoul. "We don't have his type of player on the national team. We think he can be a good option for us going forward."

Specifically, Hong said Lee doesn't need much space to make plays, which the coach said will come in handy as Korea will likely face low blocks against underdog teams.

"Some players need extra space, but based on what I've seen so far, he is the type of player who can still thrive without much room to operate," Hong said. "Considering how well he can play in the face of tight defense, he can be really good for the national team."

Lee was one of four players on the squad without senior international experience. Since taking over the team in July, Hong has been trying to mix fresh faces with more established players, with an eye toward the future.

Among outfield players, Pohang Steelers defender Lee Tae-seok and Gimcheon Sangmu FC midfielder Kim Bong-soo were called up for the first time. Gwangju FC goalkeeper Kim Kyeong-min received his first callup at age 33.

Hong complimented their consistency throughout the K League season and said he hoped the new players would spark some healthy internal competition.

Also on defense, Lee Gi-hyuk of Gangwon FC made the national team for the first time since July 2022. Hong called the 24-year-old "an interesting player."

"He is so versatile, and we can use him in many different positions," the coach said. "He can play as center back, left fullback and midfielder. Anyone with that kind of versatility is really important for the national team. We're trying to put him in a position to succeed and to help the national team at the same time."

Hong has cycled through a few youngsters on defense and said he is still in the process of identifying the right mix of players.

"We've had players who made the team just once and didn't come back, or those who've been with us a couple of times. But that doesn't tell the whole story," Hong said. "We want to put different players through training and see how they may fit into our picture for the future."

Korea, leading Group B in the third round of the Asian World Cup qualification, will face Kuwait on Nov. 14 and then Palestine five days later, both away from home. Korea should be able to handle both opponents with relative ease — they occupy the last two spots in the group — but Hong insisted they will be as difficult a set of matches as any Korea has played so far.

This is why Hong, for all the praise he heaped on intriguing young talent, is reluctant to do much experimenting with his lineup. Ultimately, usual suspects, such as Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in and Lee Jae-sung, will be asked to carry the day.

"People say the next two opponents are underdogs, but I think these will be extremely tough matches. We'll do our very best to get the results we want," Hong said. "We'll monitor how players feel physically and how they approach training sessions, and put together lineups regardless of their age. But I can absolutely say these matches will be even more important than the ones we played in October." (Yonhap)