Team Collective and Wing Attacks Become Capital for the South Korean U-23 National Team

The euphoria of Indonesia's escape made the public forget about South Korea's strength, which has superior player quality.

AFP/KARIM JAAFAR

Thousands of Indonesian supporters witnessed the Group A match of the AFC U-23 Championship between Jordan and Indonesia at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Sunday (21/4/2024).

The 2024 U-23 Asian Cup quarter-final match between Indonesia and South Korea will certainly be witnessed by millions of eyes of the Indonesian public. Apart from the brilliant performance of "Garuda Muda" in the group stage, the performance of "The Taeguk Warriors" is in top condition.

The South Korean goalkeeper has never taken the ball out of the net during three matches in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup qualifying round.

Interestingly, in the first two matches, the goal of South Korea was guarded by Kim Jeong-hoon. However, in the last match against Japan, Coach Hwang Sun-hong entrusted the goalkeeping duties to substitute goalkeeper Baek Jong-beom.

The substitution of players is not without reason. This is because, in the last group stage match, both South Korea and Japan had already secured their places in the quarter-finals.

The two coaches appeared to be experimenting with modifications to their team's tactics. The difference is that Japan still relies on several key players in certain positions, which South Korea does not do.

Hwang's courage to adapt in this match is what Indonesian Coach Shin Tae-yong needs to anticipate.

This match is also a reunion for two former players of the South Korean national team who once played together in the 1990s. In fact, on December 7, 1996, they defeated the Indonesian team with a score of 4-2 in the 1996 Asia Cup.

Back to Hwang's ingenuity in formulating his team's tactics. In his notes during the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup group phase, Hwang applied 4-2-3-1 tactics against the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and resulted in a 1-0 score with one goal disallowed for being out of position ( offside).

Even though it was cancelled, the first goal was born from the skill of the winger deceiving the UAE player and the ability of the second line attacker to exploit shooting space.

Using the same tactics, Hwang and his colleagues were able to achieve a 2-0 victory against China. In this match, China played their best after losing in the previous match and needing a victory to advance to the next round.

The Chinese attackers immediately pressed South Korea, which tended to initiate attacks from the backline. However, the solidity of South Korea's midfield that dropped back to help the defense line was able to suppress China's attack pressure.

Additional credit should be given to South Korean goalkeeper, Kim Jeong-hoon, who remained calm and was able to block five targeted shots from Chinese players. In this match, Lee Young-jun showed his sharpness as a deadly attacker for South Korea, scoring two quality goals.

AFP/KARIM JAAFAR

Jordanian defender Amer Jamous had an aerial duel with Indonesian midfielder Witan Sulaeman in the Group A match of the U-23 Asian Cup between Jordan and Indonesia at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar on Sunday (21/4/2024).

From these two matches, the 4-2-3-1 tactic that Hwang relies on has high flexibility when building attacks or defending or losing the ball (off positioning).

When building an attack, this tactic is applied with a wider position to create space for players who do not have the ball. The scheme of ball control between players is the key to South Korea's strategy.

The scheme is more or less like this, two defensive midfielders will move up to become midfielders controlling the midfield. Meanwhile, two midfield players who have the ability to dribble and cross will spread out to the wings. The remaining midfield player becomes a second-line attacker to assist the lone striker.

When holding or losing the ball, midfield players will promptly drop back to the defense line, while attackers press the opposing players.

Two defensive midfielders will assist the backline, creating a numerical advantage in South Korea's defense. This is what makes it difficult for Chinese and UAE players to find opportunities to shoot towards Kim Jeong-hoon's goal.

This scheme is actually quite similar to the tactics used by the Japanese national team during the group stage qualifications. Therefore, when they met, both team coaches applied different tactics from before. This is where Hwang's expertise is proven with a 3-4-3 tactic that made Japan struggle in the midfield duel.

Also read: Achievements of the U-23 National Team, Garuda Muda's Achievements Were Not Magic Overnight

Solidarity of the U-23 national team

The South Korean players are also considered mature in terms of quality. The squad composition is dominated by players who play in the domestic league (K League Division 1 and 2).

It is noted that only Jeong Sang-bin (forward, 21 years old) plays for Minnesota United FC (United States League) and Kim Min-woo (left-back, 22 years old) who still has a contract with Fortuna Duesseldorf II (German League Division IV).

Actually, the South Korean team called up Yang Hyun-jun (Celtic FC, Scottish League), Kim Ji-soo (Brentford FC, English League), and Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City, English League), but they cancelled their joining as they did not receive permission from their respective clubs.

This is certainly disproportionate compared to the composition of the Indonesian national team when viewed from the players' club origins. The Indonesian squad includes Nathan Tjoe-A-On (from SC Heerenveen in the Dutch League), Ivar Jenner (Utrecht U21 in the Dutch Division 2 League), Marselino Ferdinan (KMSK Deinze in the Belgian Division 2 League), Justin Hubner (Cerezo Osaka in the Japanese League), and Rafael Struick (ADO Den Haag in the Dutch Division 2 League).

Despite that, the quality of South Korean players cannot be underestimated. The collectiveness of South Korea has succeeded in achieving good results in matches during this year. From seven official matches, South Korea only lost once and won in six other matches.

In March 2024, South Korea became the champion of the WAFF U-23 Championship 2024 or the West Asian Football Federation Cup which is equivalent to the ASEAN Cup (AFF). In the qualifying round, South Korea defeated Thailand, 1-0.

The next victory was obtained against the host Arab Saudi with a slim score of 1-0. In the final round, South Korea won through a penalty shoot-out after drawing with Australia 2-2 until the end of overtime.

In preparation for the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup, Hwang pitted his team against Saudi Arabia in a friendly match.

The match ended with a 1-0 victory for Saudi Arabia. This defeat seems to be a learning experience for the young South Korean squad to improve and succeed in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup.

Also read: Nathan Returns, Indonesian U-23 Team Full Strength Against South Korea

Anticipate South Korean flank attacks

The strategy of ball domination and widening the game pattern has repeatedly been applied by South Korea in the 2024 U-23 Asian Cup. As previously discussed, wing attacks become the team's mainstay in building the attack, combined with the ability of players to pass and find empty spaces.

In three group stage matches, almost all of South Korea's goals were initiated through wing attacks, either through crosses into the opponent's penalty box or short passes between players.

The accuracy of passes between players is also quite high, with an average ball possession rate of 58.7 percent in three matches. However, wing attacks and the accuracy of opposing players often become gaps for Indonesia's defense line.

Nonetheless, "The Taeguk Warriors" squad still has several weaknesses that can be exploited. South Korea's defense line often appears panicked when in possession of the ball and under pressure from the opposing team.

The same is true for quick counterattacks that are often not anticipated in the midfield and create open spaces that Indonesia can later utilize.

PSSI

Indonesia U-23 coach Shin Tae-yong gave directions to his protégés in the Group A match of the 2024 Asian U-23 Cup against Jordan, on Sunday (21/4/2024), at Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium, Doha, Qatar.

The record of not conceding any goals and consistently winning in the group stage is a remarkable achievement for An Jae-joon and his team. Looking at the young South Korean squad's journey in just one year, the solid performance and collective play of this team can be considered well-established, both technically and mentally. This is certainly a note that Indonesia needs to anticipate in the future.

So, don't let the euphoria over Indonesia's qualification become a "Trojan horse" that infiltrates the players' competitive mentality on the field.

The euphoria filling the timelines of social media is an expression of pride and relief for the Indonesian national team's performance, which has struggled to achieve success in the international arena.

The Indonesian national team players still need to step on the earth and fight fully to realize the hopes of the country.

(Compass R&D)

Also read: Indonesia meets South Korea, Shin Tae-yong's wish finally comes true