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Taeguk Warriors manager faces starting XI headache for World Cup qualifiers

Published: 19 Mar. 2025, 14:09 Updated: 19 Mar. 2025, 17:36

PAIK JI-HWAN
[email protected]

Korean national team manager Hong Myung-bo, far right, trains his squad at Goyang Stadium in Goyang, Gyeonggi, on March 17. [YONHAP]

Korea faces Oman in a 2026 World Cup qualifier on Thursday without injured center-back Kim Min-jae, but his absence may not be manager Hong Myung-bo’s only concern with his selection, which has seen more downs than ups recently.

Hong’s squad for the March international break includes regular picks based in Europe such as Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur, Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers and Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain, who all have seen less time on the pitch with fewer goals than before in recent club fixtures.

Son’s impact on the left wing has still been visible for Tottenham intermittently with 11 goals and 11 assists across 40 appearances this season, but he has not been a prolific goal scorer in his past six Premier League matches, during which he only picked up one goal and three assists.

Tottenham Hotspur midfielder Son Heung-min looks dejected after a Premier League match against Fulham at Craven Cottage in London on March 16. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

The Spurs captain’s time on the pitch has also decreased recently, as he only played 23 minutes during a league fixture against Manchester City on Feb. 26 and 45 minutes in each of the following two matches against Bournemouth and Fulham.

Son's 40 appearances across all competitions this season and less playing time in recent matches suggest that he is too exhausted to play a full 90 minutes, which Hong may have to consider for the upcoming two qualifiers against Oman and Jordan.

The squad does have Bae Jun-ho of Stoke City, who proved during the October and November breaks that he is able to deputize for Son by bagging one goal and two assists.

The national side's right flank also has its own problems, as regular right winger pick Hwang is in the middle of his least prolific season at Wolves with just two goals and one assist across 22 appearances. Both of those goals came not from the right side but as a No. 9.

Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Hwang Hee-chan, right, vies for the ball during a Premier League match against Aston Villa at Molineux Stadium in Wolverhampton, England, on Feb. 1. [REUTERS/YONHAP]

Deploying Hwang as a No. 9 is an option for Hong, but the manager has already called up three traditional strikers — Oh Se-hun of Machida Zelvia, Joo Min-kyu of Daejeon Hana Citizen and Oh Hyeon-gyu of KRC Genk — for his preferred 4-2-3-1 formation.

Hong has other right winger options, including PSG’s versatile midfielder Lee, who has executed the role in France occasionally.

But Lee has not been impactful in any role in the past five Ligue 1 fixtures. Other than one assist during a match against Lyon on Feb. 23, he has not made a single goal contribution.

Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Lee Kang-in, right, vies for the ball during a Ligue 1 match against Lille at Parc des Princes in Paris on March 1. [AP/YONHAP]

He also played significantly less in those previous five matches, featuring for 16 minutes against Lyon, 15 minutes against Lille on March 1 and 10 minutes against Marseille on March 16.

This contrasts with the first half of the season, when Lee was a regular starter that provided more goals than assists. Since his brace against Angers SCO on Nov. 9, he has failed to get on the scoresheet, although he has bagged a few assists.

Another available pick for Hong is Celtic winger Yang Hyun-jun, who is returning to the national team with three goals and two assists in his past five appearances in Scotland.

The No. 10 role in the national team provides Hong some relief, however, as Lee Jae-sung of Mainz has joined the squad on the back of another solid performance. His diligent movement in the Bundesliga has seen him rack up one goal and three assists in his past five appearances.

The veteran midfielder has proved to Hong that he can execute a more attacking role, as he scored two goals in the past six World Cup qualifiers.

But Hong’s midfield lineup has another issue with a recently-recovered Hwang In-beom.

Feyenoord midfielder Hwang In-beom, right, in action during a Champions League match against Lille at Stade Pierre Mauroy in France on Jan. 29. [AP/YONHAP]

Usually playing as a central midfielder covering great distances, Hwang joined the national squad after only playing one league game for Feyenoord following an injury that had kept him sidelined for a month.

Hwang's inability to showcase his best skills could be fatal for Korea, as he is a core component of the national team, executing not only defensive duties but also acting as an engine that provides long passes to the front.

The upcoming two qualifiers against Oman on Thursday and Jordan on March 25 will determine whether Korea directly qualifies for their 11th straight World Cup before their final two qualifiers in June.

Korea sit at the top of Group B with 14 points, three points clear of second-place Iraq as of press time Wednesday. The top two teams from Group B book direct tickets to the World Cup alongside the top two teams from Group A and C.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [[email protected]]