'Lee Kang-in well-known,' Mexican coach's demeanor is ominous: "He knows exactly how to stop LEE, and that is..." [World Cup On-site]

*This content was translated by AI.

Mexico national team coach Javier Aguirre did not hide his vigilance one day ahead of the match against South Korea. In particular, he highly praised the growth of his former protégé Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), whom he directly coached during his time at Mallorca in Spain's La Liga, and expressed his intention to closely monitor him.

Mexico national team coach Javier Aguirre issued a challenge at a pre-match press conference held on the 17th (local time) in the afternoon at Estadio Akron in Guadalajara, Mexico, stating, "South Korea is always a team that causes great trouble to opponents. It will never be an easy match, but Mexico is perfectly prepared."

In the group stage of this tournament, the head-to-head principle takes precedence in case of tied points. Both teams secured three points each by defeating Czechia and South Africa in their first matches, respectively, setting up a head-to-head clash. Therefore, it is highly likely that the outcome of this match will determine which team finishes first in the group.

Coach Aguirre's focus was on South Korea's key midfielder, Lee Kang-in. Regarding Lee Kang-in, he offered high praise, saying, "He is a very strong player. He can handle both defense and attack and can take on an attacking role from the front."

He then unceasingly laid out specific tactical analysis. Coach Aguirre explained, "Lee Kang-in is a player who is truly difficult to stop. Unlike his usual role as a midfielder at his club, Paris Saint-Germain, he is deployed closer to a wide attacker in South Korea's 4-2-3-1 formation."

Furthermore, he warned, "Lee Kang-in effectively widens the field by moving from the wing into the center and delivering sharp passes. He excels at this. Not only is his one-on-one dribbling ability threatening, but his long-range shooting is also very dangerous."

He showed confidence regarding measures to control Lee Kang-in. Coach Aguirre stated, "We have clearly instructed the Mexican players on tactics and completed video analysis. I hope we can suppress Lee Kang-in's influence in tomorrow's match."

He also warned, "The area where Lee Kang-in truly exerts his power is from the midfield to the attacking zone leading to the front. Mexico will not only target Lee Kang-in but will also fight to win the ball against the entire South Korean team. We will take the initiative in defense and control the flow of the game."

He also recalled the memory of struggling against South Korea during a friendly match in September (2-2 draw). Coach Aguirre confessed, "What Mexico learned painfully from that match was the speed of South Korea's transition between offense and defense. As soon as we lost the ball in midfield, we were completely caught off guard by the opponent's long passes and fast speed."

Coach Aguirre continued, "In the World Cup matchup against South Korea, we will never repeat such mistakes. We have focused our training on how to neutralize the speed of South Korean players running toward the front and on tactics to maintain a compact team shape within 40 meters during both attack and defense, emphasizing that we are fully prepared."

Even more, Coach Aguirre did not hesitate to praise, "South Korea runs incredibly hard, fights fiercely, and never gives up the ball until the very end. They possess players with world-class skills."

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*This content was translated by AI.