*This content was translated by AI.
The Guardian, a British daily newspaper, reported on the power rankings of 48 participating countries in 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup on the 1st (local time). South Korea, which recently lost 0-4 and 0-1 in warm-up matches with Ivory Coast and Austria, respectively, was shockingly ranked 44th.
The only countries that have lower power rankings than Korea were Cabo Verde (45th), Quiraso (48th), and Haiti (47th) and Saudi Arabia (46th), which will play in the World Cup finals for the first time in 52 years.
The "Guardian" focused on South Korea, citing the team's ace Son Heung-min's sluggishness and problems with the three-back defense system. In particular, he pointed out the difficulties of Korean defenders who did not play as a three-back in their clubs but had to adapt to this tactic in the national team.
It was also mentioned that public opinion about Hong Myung-bo was not good in Korea. For this reason, the "Guardian" analyzed that "there must have been fans who expected a change in the national team (change of coach) as South Korea suffered a crushing defeat in Austria like the Ivory Coast game."
Meanwhile, among Mexico, the Czech Republic, and South Africa (South Africa), which belong to Group A like Korea, Mexico is the country that has received the highest evaluation from the 'Guardian'. Mexico, ranked 16th, was considered to have played leading football in warm-up matches against Portugal and Belgium.
In addition, Mexico's defense was highly evaluated. This is because Mexico has well prevented attacks from two teams with excellent personal skills and both drew. In particular, he added that the results of the two warm-up matches are positive, given that there are many injured players among Mexico's main players.
The Czech Republic (35th) was also introduced as the first team to reach the World Cup finals in 20 years after beating Denmark in the playoffs. In addition, South Africa, ranked 29th, is led by players from its club Marmelody Sundowns, making a hopeful analysis that they can work well together and expect a 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup in terms of technology.
If the results of the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup group qualifying match are based on this power ranking, South Korea will finish at the bottom of Group A and will be eliminated from the round of 32. However, the Guardian's power ranking for World Cup participants is not absolutely reliable because it was selected with weight on the results of the recent A-match.
However, it is painful that South Korea lost two consecutive warm-up matches two months before the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup without scoring a single goal.
What's more serious is that "Team Defense" with 10 field players disappeared in two warm-up matches. In the midfield, as well as the three-back defense line, they often gave up space easily while facing opponents one-on-one. It was also not done properly for the players around them to pressure each other while helping each other.
Team defense has been a great help every time Korea has achieved a round of 16 or higher in the World Cup so far. In the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, trap defense, which instantly surrounds two or three opposing players and creates traps, was the driving force behind the semifinal myth. At the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, South Korean players were able to quickly fill the empty spots of their defenders and cut the flow of their opponents' attacks.
There are many voices of concern that 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup could lead to disasters such as the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. This is because the results of the warm-up matches ahead of the 2014 and 2026 World Cups were the same. South Korea, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo in 2014, lost 0-1 at home to Tunisia in Seoul in May and was completely defeated by Ghana 0-4 as its defensive organization collapsed in the U.S.
The most urgent issue for Korea to avoid such disasters as 2014 is the revival of team defense above all else. Although he lost, Lee Jae-sung (34, Mainz), who served as a lubricant in the match against Austria, clearly showed why team defense is important.
Lee Jae-sung delayed the opponent's attack development speed with active cooperation defense in the defense as well as forward pressure. Lee Jae-sung also played an important role in the Korean national team during the last World Cup in Qatar, along with Hwang In-beom (30, Feenoord), to cover empty spaces or help teammates competing for the ball.
South Korean soccer's hopes of playing more than 100 minutes of physical strength in Mexico's highlands can arise from a defense that does not allow runs early in the game. To do so, it is imperative to establish a cooperative defense strategy. The reason why Austria's offensive development was not smooth in the first half was because the cooperative defense centered on Lee Jae-sung worked.
After the Austrian game, Kim Min-jae (30, Bayern Munich), the core of the national team's defense, said, "If we can't defend one-on-one, we have to face Lee Dae-il." This is something the national team, whose team defense has collapsed, should not miss.
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*This content was translated by AI.
