`Hiddink Soccer` Has Became Stronger

The Korean national soccer team `Hiddink Squad` is transforming its face in a variegated and magnificent way.

As the player positioning in offense routes, defensive teamwork as well as best-11 selection have gone through multiple transitions, the Hiddink`s squad has been transforming its team color to a dazzling chromatic color. The old-fashioned play styles such as side attack following long pass and man-to-man pressing defense now belongs in the discolored black-and-white photograph book.

▼ Transformation Started With Breakdown Of Position

Head Coach Guus Hiddink has consistently enforced the principle of prioritizing all-round players, which he has been emphasized since he began to instruct the team in January. And he proved its effectiveness in game with USA on 9th, in which he tested the daring offensive tactics.

In this game, the Korean team showed its dazzling transformation of position to the USA team. Unlike the USA team that maintained the fixed positioning, the Korean team was disturbing the opponent defenders with triangle offensive line comprised of Hwang Sun-Hong, Lee Cheon-Soo and Choi Tae-Wook from the beginning of the game. In the 31st minute of second half, Song Jong-Gook took a central defense position in lieu of Yoo Sang-Cheol as right midfielder Choi Sung-Yong substituted for defender Choi Jin-Cheol. And in the 35th minute, Hiddink replaced Park Ji-Sung for Kim Do-Keun for the sake of variety in the midfield line.

As a result, the sweeper position of Hong Myung-Bo, who was a starting point of offense as well as a termination of defense in the past Korean soccer, lost its significance, and all players came to participate in both offense and defense with strong pressure along with short and quick pass. Now, the entire national team members are moving just like a living organic body.

▼ Nobody Knows Who Will Be Starting Members

As the position of national team has been changing, nobody can assure his permanent status within the team. While Goh Jong-Soo were out due to his injury, rookie Choi Tae-Wook has shown his great potential with a great enthusiasm, and Song Jong-Gook and Yoo Sang-Cheol are competing for the central defense position, which had always been reserved to Hong Myung-Bo. The front line became a fierce battleground for Hwang Sun-Hong, Seol Ki-Hyun, Kim Do-Hoon, Choi Yong-Soo and Lee Dong-Gook, and the goal keeper position will also be decided through the harsh competition between Kim Byung-Ji and Lee Woon-Jae.

As the competition for starting members within the team became intensified, all players could not but demonstrate their ability over 100 percent in every game under such a tensed atmosphere. It is a bonus effect that the team does not have to exclusively depend on certain one or two players.

▼ Strong Physical Strength Is The Only Way To Survive

Coupled with such a transformed competitive atmosphere, the play style of the national team has also been modified to a large degree. Focusing on the short and strong pass work instead of long pass, the team has been able to reveal its tremendous power of instant counter attacks following the pressure. The Korean team is still short of the game-finishing ability needed to win a sure victory, but gained at least the confidence to equally compete with the opponent outside the penalty area.

Martin Nesirky, chief editor of Reuters` Korea office who had covered the 1990 Italy World Cup and the 1994 USA World Cup, evaluated that "the Korean team played a strategically dynamic first half. The play that the Korean team showed in the first half was strong enough to contend with the European teams such as Poland and Portugal, which will face in next year`s World Cup."

The only remaining issue is that the indefatigable physical strength is a necessary condition for playing soccer in a Hiddink`s style. It was because of the sudden decline of stamina that the teamwork slacked in the second half of the game with the USA. This is the very reason why Hiddink has placed more weight on the result of physical test to convene the national team members.

Bae Keuk-In bae2150@donga.com