[Sports Seoul | Vienna (Austria) = Yongil Kim] “We haven’t fully recovered yet, but we’ll prepare properly.”
Ahead of an away friendly against Austria, South Korea coach Hong Myung-bo spoke at a press conference on the 30th (local time) at Vienna’s Ernst Happel Stadium. He pledged to rally the team after the 0-4 loss to Ivory Coast in Milton Keynes, England, two days earlier.
“This is our final tune-up before the World Cup roster is announced,” Hong said. “The players haven’t fully recovered from the match two days ago, but we’ll prepare well and aim for a positive result.”
He signaled that key players who missed the Ivory Coast start—captain Son Heung-min (LAFC), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) and Lee Jae-sung (Mainz)—are expected to return to the starting lineup. “Those players weren’t fit enough to start the last match. This time, every player will be available,” Hong said.
On Austria’s strengths, he warned: “They press quickly and are well organized. Our build-up play will be crucial. We need to build out from non-dangerous areas and be prepared to press immediately when we lose the ball.”
Hong also confirmed he’ll continue testing the three-center-back system ahead of the World Cup. “We played two days ago, so there isn’t much time to introduce something brand new or for full recovery. We’ll keep refining the three-back while applying it,” he added.
Below is an edited Q&A with Coach Hong Myung-bo
- How do you feel ahead of the Austria match?
This is our final evaluation before the World Cup roster announcement. The players haven’t fully recovered from the match two days ago (the 0-4 loss to Ivory Coast), but we’ll prepare and try to get a positive result.
- Will key players such as Lee Jae-sung, Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in start?
They weren’t fit enough to start the last match. Tomorrow, all players will be available to play.
- Ivory Coast relied more on individual play, while Austria is more organized.
Austria presses quickly and is well organized. Our build-up will be important. The key is where we lose the ball. We must build from safe areas and be ready to press straight away.
- You can use up to 11 substitutes in this match.
That was agreed with Austria before the game. I can’t give exact details now, but we plan to make many substitutions. We’ll decide based on how the match unfolds.
- Will you implement the systems you’ve been preparing, such as the three-back?
We won’t deviate much. We played two days ago and don’t have enough time for new preparations or full recovery, so we’ll make adjustments as the game goes.
- You suffered a heavy loss to Ivory Coast. How would you respond if you encounter a similar situation early in the World Cup?
We ran simulations for this last October after the Brazil game (0-5). We planned how to respond if a similar scenario happens in the finals. The players handled that challenge wisely and then went on to beat Paraguay (2-0). The Austria match is important. The World Cup schedule gives us time between matches, but playing again after two days will help the team’s mental resilience.
kyi0486@sportsseoul.com
