To nobody’s shock, Tottenham ahead Son Heung-min is main South Korea’s squad for a 3rd straight World Cup as coach Paulo Bento is pinning his hopes on his celebrity striker who’s recovering from a fractured eye socket .
Bento additionally chosen Napoli defender Kim Min-jae and Mallorca attacking midfielder Lee Kang-in, however named tempo Ulsan Hyundai winger Um Won-sang to his 26-player roster on Saturday for the event in Qatar. left the
Son, who has scored 35 targets in 104 worldwide appearances, has not performed since November 2 when he suffered a fracture round his left eye following a collision with Marseille’s Chancel Mbemba whereas enjoying for Tottenham within the UEFA Champions League.
While recovering from surgical procedure, Son mentioned this week that he appears to be like ahead to enjoying with a protecting masks in Qatar, assuring followers on Instagram that he “won’t miss it for the world.”
But there are issues whether or not he’ll have the ability to show something near his high kind after an injury-related layoff, with Bento capable of fastidiously construct his offense round Son’s velocity, two-foot capturing reflexes and dead-ball accuracy. Spent years
At a media convention in Seoul, Bento mentioned it was unclear whether or not Son would have the ability to resume coaching with the nationwide workforce, including that his scenario was being analyzed daily.
Officially down from 26 gamers on their roster, Bento Suwon is shifting Samsung ahead Oh Hyon-gyu as an emergency reserve, stepping in if Son or different injured gamers will not be match sufficient to play. Can maintain
“The most important (thing) is that he recovers as much as possible, feels comfortable,” Bento mentioned of Son.
Son received the Premier League’s Golden Boot final season after sharing the scoring lead in English soccer’s high flight, cementing his case because the nation’s biggest ever participant.
Prior to Son’s damage, some analysts regarded Bento’s squad as South Korea’s strongest ever, at the very least on paper, Son was thought-about an everyday in European soccer by many gamers of their 20s and 30s. Getting minutes was supported.
Yet even when Son is match, South Korea is seen as an outsider to crash out of Group H, which additionally contains Uruguay, Portugal and Ghana.
Son isn’t the one injured participant in Bento’s roster. Kim Jin-su, who has been Bento’s first alternative at left fullback, is affected by a hamstring damage. Kim’s health is necessary as Bento depends closely on his fullback to supply breadth to the assault, though the place he leaves behind has created defensive issues South Korea has struggled to repair.
Qatar marked South Korea’s eleventh and tenth consecutive look on the World Cup. The nation has reached the knockout rounds solely twice – within the semi-finals at dwelling in 2002 and the final 16 on the 2010 event in South Africa.
South Korea superior by means of Asian qualifying however has regarded weak in current friendlies, together with a troublesome 1-0 win at dwelling to Iceland on Friday. That match got here at the price of defender Park Ji-su, who suffered an ankle damage that dominated him out of the World Cup squad.
With Son recovering from damage, different attackers reminiscent of Wolverhampton winger Hwang Hee-chan and Jeonbuk Hyundai ahead Cho Gyu-sung Hwang Ui-jo are beneath strain.
Despite the workforce’s defensive issues, Bento nonetheless has a strong heart again pairing within the type of the least skilled Kim Young-gwon and Napoli star Kim Min-jae, who brings a uncommon mixture of measurement, velocity and power to the workforce.
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South Korea
Goalkeeper: Kim Seung-gyu (Al Shabaab), Jo Hyon-woo (Ulsan Hyundai), Song Bum-kyun (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors)
Defenders: Kim Min-jae (Napoli), Kim Young-gwon (Ulsan Hyundai), Kwon Kyung-won (Gamba Osaka), Cho Yoo-min (Daejeon Hana Citizen), Kim Moon-hwan (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Yoon Jong-gyu (FC Seoul), Kim Tae-hwan (Ulsan Hyundai), Kim Jin-su (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Hong Chul (Daegu FC)
Midfielder: Jung Woo-young (Al Sadd), Son Joon-ho (Shandong Taishan), Paik Seung-ho (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors), Hwang In-beom (Olympiakos), Lee Jae-sung (1.FSV Mainz), Kwon Chang- Ho (1.FSV Mainz) Jeong Woo-yong (SC Freiburg), Lee Kang-in (Mallorca), Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Na Sang-ho (FC Seoul) and Song Min-kyu (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors)
forward: Hwang Ui-jo (Olympiakos), Cho Gye-sung (Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors)
With inputs from TheIndianEXPRESS
