sportstotomen   Album Posted Jan.29th, 2024, viewed 93 times

‘Bull’ came back healthy Klinsmann’s expanded options

Hwang Hee-chan of the Korean national soccer team, ahead of the round of 16 match against Saudi Arabia in the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup, is training at the Al Egla Training Center in Doha, Qatar, on the 28th (local time).

“Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton)’s physical condition has improved a lot. “He is also available as a starter in the round of 16.”

The Korean national soccer team, led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann, will play the round of 16 of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup against Saudi Arabia at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar, at 1 a.m. on the 31st (Korean time).

The national team, which was disappointed in both content and results in the group stage, lost face by finishing in second place. The atmosphere has calmed down a lot, but the good news is that Hwang Hee-chan, the national team's mood maker, is joining the team's training normally with a smile on his face and giving strength to the team.

Hee-chan Hwang injured his left hip during training in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE) earlier this month. Even after arriving in Qatar, where the tournament was held, he only did personal training and did not contribute to the team's strength for a while.

Then, Hwang Hee-chan, who joined the team training on the 23rd, came on in the 17th minute of the second half of the final group match against Malaysia, replacing Cho Gyu-seong, and played about 40 minutes until extra time. Although it has only been two days since he returned to training with his team, Hwang Hee-chan showed off his unique aggressive appearance and confident shooting.

Hwang Hee-chan, who improved his sense of the game by participating in the game against Malaysia, is now preparing for the game against Saudi Arabia. He continues to improve his physical condition, so he could be considered a starting pitcher.

South Korea national soccer team Son Heung-min and Hwang Hee-chan. /

An official from the national team said, “Hwang Hee-chan’s physical condition has improved so much that he can play the full 90 minutes. “He originally expected to be selected from the quarterfinals, but the treatment went well and the player worked hard, so his condition improved faster than expected,” he explained.

With the addition of Hwang Hee-chan, Korea's offensive line has expanded its range of operation.

In the last three games, Coach Klinsmann placed Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Cho Kyu-sung (Mittwieran) at the front line and used Lee Jae-seong (Mainz) or Jung Woo-young (Stuttgart) as left-wing attackers. On the right was Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain).

Hwang Hee-chan is a striker who can play on the left and right sides as well as the front line. He has played in every position for Wolves this season and has received rave reviews. He scored 11 goals, resolving his somewhat lacking goal-scoring ability.

If Hwang Hee-chan is deployed to the front line against Saudi Arabia, Son Heung-min can take on the most familiar left-wing striker role. As Son Heung-min showed active movement on the left side in the second half of the match against Malaysia, his side movement is expected to revitalize the team's attack.

In place of Cho Kyu-sung, who is still underperforming, Hwang Hee-chan may step up as a front-line striker and play as a top two with Son Heung-min. Both are excellent at individual dribble penetration and space penetration, so it is a combination that can put pressure on the Saudi defense. In addition, as Hwang Hee-chan is a striker who is attracting attention in Asia, the checks on Son Heung-min may be reduced.

As 'Bull' Hwang Hee-chan regained his health, Coach Klinsmann was happy to think about the offensive combination. Since he was in the best form right before the competition, expectations are growing. 토토