“It wasn’t just the game that day.”

Lee Jae-seong (31, Mainz), the ‘core engine of the national team’, revealed the story behind the position change with his junior Lee Kang-in (22, Paris Saint-Germain).

The Korean national soccer team, led by Coach Klinsmann, will play the second round of the October international match against Vietnam at Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 17th. In the FIFA rankings, Korea, ranked 26th, is far ahead of Vietnam, ranked 95th.

Klinsmann recorded a 4-0 victory over Tunisia held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 13th, providing an opportunity to turn things around. The victory is even more meaningful because it was achieved without captain Son Heung-min, who is not in good health.

Lee Kang-in scored multiple goals, including his fantastic A-match debut goal, and Kim Min-jae’s header, wearing the captain’s armband, hit the opposing defense and led to a key goal. Hwang Ui-jo, who was substituted here, also scored a goal just before the end. Thanks to this, Korea achieved its first home win and consecutive wins under Coach Klinsmann.

Now the next opponent is Vietnam. The power difference is not small. Before coming to Korea, Vietnam met China and Uzbekistan and lost 0-2. In addition, ace midfielder Nguyen Quang Hai suffered a thigh injury, making it difficult for him to play. 

The person who has to control both the result and the process. At a press conference held a day before the game, Lee Jae-seong said, “The atmosphere is very good. We played well in the first game against Tunisia. We are preparing well in a good atmosphere. The coach gave us a break after the game, so everyone rested both physically and mentally. Especially at the Asian Games. “The players who visited were busy without any rest, so it must have been enough rest,” he said of the team’s mood.

Lee Jae-seong then strengthened his resolve, saying, “This game against Vietnam is also an important moment. For me, each game is important. Vietnam is a similar opponent to the team we will face in the second round of the World Cup qualifiers. I am preparing thinking that it is a real match.”

Jae-Sung Lee switched positions with Kang-In Lee during the last match against Tunisia. At Lee Kang-in’s request, Lee Jae-seong moved to the center and Lee Kang-in moved to the right. As a result, Korea’s attack gradually began to revive, and Lee Kang-in also scored multiple goals.

Lee Jae-seong said, “It wasn’t just in the game that day. Kang-in said that he feels comfortable on the right side as he has been playing on the right side a lot recently at the training ground. All of the national team’s second-line players can play both sides and the center. We decided between us. Rather, the coach gave us freedom, so the players could chat with each other on the field and change positions comfortably. That worked out well. In the future, when we look for a combination, our goal is to work out which position each player can play better in. role,” he explained.

Vietnam is a weaker opponent than Korea. However, Korea also has quite a bit of experience struggling against teams that were one level below the other in the World Cup Asia 2nd qualifying round.

Lee Jae-seong said, “We didn’t always play well when we faced teams that were weaker than us in terms of power. There were also games where we had difficulties. First, we need to prepare better mentally. Yesterday, the coach also said that we should focus more on the last pass or shooting training. “He emphasized that we need to prepare better so we can definitely overpower our opponents.”

He also said, “Also, victory does not simply follow just because the opponent is weak. It has always been like that. The players also know this well through experience. I and Heung-min need to tell the players once again. There are some concerns, but this time, “I hope that through the preparation process and experience, we can use the time to prepare to prevent something like that from happening in the second preliminary round,” he said emphatically.메이저사이트

Coach Klinsmann temporarily gave Kim Min-jae the captain’s armband in the last game against Tunisia. What did senior Lee Jae-seong think of captain Kim Min-jae when he saw him at the stadium?

He said, “Minjae played with an armband in the last game, but he always played a leader role even in games where he did not wear an armband. He played a leadership role a lot because he was able to see the players as a whole from behind, and he has enough qualifications. He will continue to lead the national team. “He is a player who needs to go out. I think he will become more mature through this experience and have a positive influence on the national team.”