Colin Bell looks for refresh as South Korean women's football training kicks off in Paju

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Colin Bell looks for refresh as South Korean women's football training kicks off in Paju

Published: 28 Nov. 2023, 12:24 Updated: 28 Nov. 2023, 16:35

PAIK JI-HWAN
paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr

Korean women's football team manager Colin Bell, center, instructs his players at Paju National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi on Monday. [YONHAP]

South Korean women’s football team manager Colin Bell started a training session on Monday at Paju National Football Center in Paju, Gyeonggi as he attempts to implement a new style of play with his squad ahead of next year’s friendlies.

Bell called up 23 players for training, which runs through Dec. 3, despite not having any more international tournaments this year.

It's the first time Bell has called up his squad since Korea crashed out of the second round of the Paris Olympic qualifiers early this month.

No more friendlies are scheduled for the national team this year, but speaking to reporters at the NFC on Monday, Bell said that the training will focus on adapting new tactics that he looks to cultivate.

His call to implement new tactics onto the team is likely because South Korea’s so-called golden generation is nearly over.

Veteran players Ji So-yun and Cho So-hyun, two of the most capped players in national team history, are both in their 30s and may not be able to perform at the highest level when the next World Cup rolls around in 2027.

The duo has so far led the team during international tournaments, and younger players like Chun Ga-ram and Casey Yujin Phair, who competed at this year’s World Cup in July and joined Bell’s training again on Monday, may have to play bigger roles in the near future.

Phair, who became the youngest-ever player to compete in the World Cup at 16 years and 26 days old, showed some potential that she could become a key player for the team, as the forward displayed agile movements on the pitch even against two-time World Cup champions Germany in the group stage.

Bell said that he has worked on rebuilding his squad with younger players since the end of the World Cup and looks to reach the 2027 World Cup with that team.

This year’s World Cup result — crashing out of the group stage with one draw and two losses — was disappointing for Bell, who took the helm in 2019 and prepared four years for the tournament.

His squad looked for some redemption at the Hangzhou Asian Games that took place in September, but they failed to medal after losing to North Korea in the quarterfinals.

Bell said he will work to reach the level that players need to be at in order to compete on the international stage.

He previously said during this year’s World Cup that the WK League players are not used to playing at a high intensity, as the league does not induce the players to perform at that level.

Most of the players that headed to the World Cup were from the WK League, including veteran midfielder Ji from Suwon FC.

The WK League, consisting of only eight teams, does not have a promotion-and-relegation system, which makes the league less competitive than the leagues with it.

Bell also said on Monday that countries with strong women’s football teams have competent domestic leagues, which are training grounds for key players called up to their national teams.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]