Growing list of injuries leaves Korea with very few options

Football

Published: 29 Aug. 2023, 15:23 Updated: 29 Aug. 2023, 17:59

Growing list of injuries leaves Korea with very few options

Korean national team head coach Jurgen Klinsmann reacts during a friendly against El Salvador at Daejeon World Cup Stadium in Daejeon on June 20. [YONHAP]

Still winless after four games at the helm of the Korean national team, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann is facing an increasingly difficult international break as a growing list of injuries has removed almost his entire offensive line.

Klinsmann has already lost Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in, out until at least the international break with a quadriceps injury.

Lee Kang-in to miss September friendlies, Asian Games questionable

That absence is likely to be felt keenly, with Lee having played all four of Klinsmann’s games in charge. The young midfielder, long considered Korea’s biggest rising star, has taken on an increasingly large role in the national team since bursting on to the senior international scene at the Qatar World Cup last year.

Lee Kang-in [EPA/YONHAP]

Injuries are the biggest variable when preparing for international matches,” Klinsmann said in a press conference Monday. “In particular, Lee Kang-in's injury will complicate things for us.

“But I have to accept this reality and use it as an opportunity to make new plans. I hope Lee Kang-in recovers quickly and settles in with his club. I also hope he will play in the Asian Games in full health."

But while Lee was not called up, Klinsmann has gambled on a number of other key players that are currently out of action.

Midfielders Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers, Oh Hyeon-kyu of Celtic and striker Cho Gue-sung of FC Midtjylland are all injured, or have at least been pulled from recent games due to injury concerns.

Hwang Hee-chan [AFP/YONHAP]

Hwang Hee-chan left Wolves’ Saturday game against Everton with a hamstring injury, although as of press time Tuesday the club has yet to comment on how significant the injury is or whether his shortened game was just a precaution.

With 53 caps and 10 goals to his name, Hwang Hee-chan is one of the most experienced midfielders on the national team and his absence is likely to come as a significant blow.

Hwang Hee-chan leaves with possible injury as Wolves beat Everton

Although he has been plagued by injuries in recent years, Hwang has a knack for turning up with a spot of magic when the moment requires it — like the goal that beat Portugal and carried Korea through to the round of 16 in Qatar — exactly the sort of thing that Klinsmann needs to break his disappointing run in the manager’s chair.

Cho, who became the first Korean ever to score two goals in a single game at a World Cup in Qatar, has missed two games with a thigh injury. Midtjylland have also kept mom on whether he will be returning any time soon, but any leg injury could present a major hurdle for the speedy forward.

Cho Gue-sung [EPA/YONHAP]

While Hwang Hee-chan and Cho are both injury concerns, Oh has already been out for two weeks with a calf injury sustained during a preseason game. Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers ruled the midfielder out for six weeks on Aug. 9, theoretically taking him out through the start of the international break.

Oh Hyeon-gyu out for up to six weeks with calf injury

But all three players have made it on to the roster, with Klinsmann saying that he has spoken to all three clubs and checked their progress. Despite those reassurances, whether they will actually be fit to play remains to be seen.

Oh Hyeon-gyu [AP/YONHAP]

It’s not only the injured players that are a concern this September.

Hwang Ui-jo, the second-highest scorer currently active on the national team, finally appears to have earned the chance to prove himself with Nottingham Forest this season after spending his first year with the club on loan, but as of press time Tuesday he’s yet to actually make a single appearance.

Hwang Ui-jo [SCREEN CAPTURE]

Veteran midfielder Hwang In-beom is also yet to kick a ball as he has been excluded from the roster while embroiled in a legal dispute with the Greek club over his current contract.

Both Hwang Ui-jo and Hwang In-beom have been key elements of the national team for the best part of a decade and a good part of the team’s tactics are built around the two players and Hwang Hee-chan. Even if all three are available, the lack of experience so far this season and potential injury for the Wolves midfielder could spell serious concerns.

Hwang In-beom [NEWS1]

With so many potential issues, even more pressure than normal is likely to fall on the shoulders of talismanic captain Son Heung-min, who, along with Mainz 05’s Lee Jae-sung, is the only of the regular midfield or attacking starting lineup guaranteed to be fit in mid-September.

If necessary, the rest of the offense will have to fall back on less tested players, like Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors’ Moon Seon-min with 14 caps, and relative newcomers like rising star Hong Hyun-seok of KAA Gent, who has two caps to his name, and Yang Hyun-jun of Celtic, who is yet to appear for the national squad.

Luckily for Klinsmann, the defense remains largely unscathed. Bayern Munich’s Kim Min-jae and Ulsan Hyundai’s Kim Young-gwon will be holding the back like together as they have done for nearly 50 games, with the ever-present Kim Seung-gyu of Al-Shabab expected between the sticks for his 75th appearance.

Klinsmann will lead a training camp in Britain from Sept. 4, making it easier for those Europe-based players that are fit to take part. Korea will first face Wales in Cardiff on Sept. 7, before heading north to take on Saudi Arabia in Newcastle on Sept. 12.

BY JIM BULLEY [jim.bulley@joongang.co.kr]