I couldn't solve the "Korean soccer Korea's agony," "Jungwon annihilation," Hong Myung-bo-ho said, "We have to experiment with the World Cup... Hong Myung-bo Team." "Looking for a combination" [the scene of Cheonan]

*This content was translated by AI.

The chronic homework of the South Korean national soccer team is still a defensive midfielder position. With no key combination found even just three months before the 2026 FIFA North-China World Cup, the injuries of leading main players are occurring one after another.

At a press conference to announce the list of European away warm-up matches held at 2 p.m. on the 16th at Korea Football Park in Cheonan, Chungcheongnam-do, head coach Hong Myung-bo said, "There are positions where we have to order completeness, and there are positions where we have to experiment before the World Cup." "In particular, the central midfielder needs to find a combination," he said, expressing his deep concern about the midfield.

The weight of the national team's midfield has dropped sharply. Jung Woo-young (Katale Toyama, Japan's second division league), who played the role of a housekeeper during the 2022 Qatar World Cup, has already entered the twilight of his career, and Park Yong-woo (Al Ain), who played as the mainstay at the 2023 Asian Cup, is uncertain to participate in the World Cup due to a fatal injury. On top of that, even Won Doo-jae (Corpacan), who was selected as a substitute for Park Yong-woo, was recently ruled out for the season due to shoulder surgery, effectively failing to go to the World Cup.

To make matters worse, even Hwang In-beom (Feyenoord), the core of the national team's midfield, was reported to have suffered a foot injury earlier in the day. Hwang In-beom strongly stepped on the top of his right foot by his opponent in the 40th minute of the first half in a home game against Excelsior in the 27th round of the Eredivisie, Netherlands. Coach Hong Myung-bo said, "I heard about Hwang In-beom's injury this morning. We still have to wait for the results," he said, explaining that he had a list of 27 people, including Hong Hyun-seok (KAAHent), in preparation for possible absences.

In the midst of this crisis, the cards that director Hong Myung-bo took out are Park Jin-seop (Joji FC, China) and Kwon Hyuk-kyu (Carlsruhe, Germany's second part). In response to Park Jin-seop, head coach Hong Myung-bo mentioned the value of tactical use, saying, "I am playing as a two-volanch in my team." In the case of Kwon Hyuk-kyu, "There is no tall player in the defensive midfielder, but we are trying to use it in the fight for the right to provide blocking the opponent's long ball. We need to continue experimenting," he said, explaining the background of the selection.

Therefore, in this warm-up match, the two players are unlikely to be used together when using an authentic defensive midfielder, and there is a high possibility that Park Jin-seop will be the mainstay and Kwon Hyuk-kyu will serve.

In fact, South Korea recently started to find a combination of Kastrov and Kwon Hyuk-kyu in the match against Ghana, Kim Jin-kyu and Won Doo-jae in the match against Bolivia, and Hwang In-beom and Kim Jin-kyu in the match against Paraguay.

However, there are still question marks against the strong teams that will meet at the upper stage of the tournament. During last year's warm-up match with Brazil, Baek Seung-ho and Hwang In-beom were selected, and in the second half, Park Jin-seop, Won Doo-jae, and Kim Jin-kyu, all available resources were used to experiment, but they were defeated 0-5 and exposed the limits of the midfield.

In addition, Castrov's change of position, which was classified as a mid-field resource in the national team, is also notable. Castrov, who was classified as a midfielder at the time of his last call-up, was listed as a defender on the list. Coach Hong Myung-bo said, "Kastrov is also being used as a defense in his team, and as a result of the interview, I found that he is not training as a midfielder much," adding, "It is a card that can be tested as a defender in the national team now."

This March's two away games are actually the last mock test before the final entry is confirmed. Coach Hong Myung-bo reaffirmed the principle that "it is difficult to say that the final selection list was completed at this point, but position competitiveness is the most important," adding, "I want to pick the best player in May and go to the World Cup." Coach Hong Myung-bo's concerns still seem to be deep with less than three months left until the first game of the finals.

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*This content was translated by AI.