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On the morning of May 30, one day before the opening of the World Cup, the coaching staff and players of the Korean soccer team are gathered in a small banquet room on the 2nd floor of the Gyeongju Hyundai Hotel, their training camp. They have come under the command of Coach Hiddink, who wants to go over analytic data on the games and as the lights are turned off, the warm-up game with France appears on the screen and he points out one by one the problems in the offensive and defensive lines, and problems in location with a laser pointer.
Coach Hiddink has recently given his positive views on entering the second round and sees the improvement in the team. "Wait and see. WeˇŻll be one of the 16," he said, for the first time giving a positive outlook to the team personnel. In a private conversation, he said, "I will make the players show their best skills. I want people to coolly evaluate our team's position (FIFA ranking 40)." Considering that Hiddink was someone who did not waste words, his "transformation" was quite notable.
Hiddink kept his lips firmly shut on who would play in the match with Poland. However, in the practice games, a "best 11" outline can be seen. The basic format is 3-4-3, with Hwang Seon-hong at the lead of the offense. Hwang has fully recovered and staked everything on this tournament with his "retirement announcement." Wings will be covered by Park Ji-sung and Seol Ki-hyun, who scores in the match with France. Yoo Sang-chul and Kim Nam-il will break through Olisadebe and Kryszalowicz and Lee Young-pyo and Song Jong-guk will be midfield in offense and defense. The three backs consisting of Hong Myung-bo, Kim Tae-young, and Choi Jin-cheol depend on whether Hong recovers or not.
After "prep tests" with Scotland, England, and France, the players have confirmed their possibilities and their morale is soaring. However, it is impossible to hide the nervousness for the "real test." One member of the representative team said, "I see some players unable to sleep at night and I can feel the pressure of the final stage." Coach Hiddink's voice becomes louder as he says, ˇ°Easy, easy,ˇ± requesting a composed and calm game. Players will look at the opening match of France and Senegal to experience the on-the-scene situation.
(Chae Sung-jin, dudmie@chosun.com )
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