South Africa's Weaknesses: Flanks and Space Behind; A 'Son Heung-min Shift'?

[Anchor]

To secure second place in our group, a victory against South Africa is crucial. This is why a more aggressive approach is needed compared to our previous matches. Changes to our attacking tactics are expected to exploit South Africa's weaknesses.

Ha Seong-nyong reports.

[Reporter]

In their first match against Mexico, South Africa conceded the opening goal after losing the ball due to high pressure, and in their second match against the Czech Republic, they allowed the opening goal after their defensive flanks were exposed.

To exploit the opponent's tendency to make frequent defensive errors under pressure and their vulnerability to penetration behind the flanks, head coach Hong Myung-bo is considering changes to the starting attacking lineup.

There is a possibility of deploying a 'Son Heung-min shift,' where Oh Hyeon-gyu, who excels at high pressure with his high work rate, is placed at the front, while Son Heung-min is moved to the left flank to target the space behind the defense.

Although Son remained scoreless in the two matches where he played as the lone striker, he continues to demonstrate sharp space-penetration abilities with sprints reaching speeds of over 35 km/h. Moving him to the flank could sharpen the team's overall attacking prowess.

Additionally, the option of 189cm tall striker Cho Gue-sung is worth considering, as he could provide an aerial advantage against South Africa, whose starting defenders have an average height of 179cm.

[Cho Gue-sung/National Football Team Striker: The players have all talked about how we must win the third match (against South Africa), and we will prepare well to ensure we win.]

The use of new wing-backs is also expected.

South Africa's left-back, Modiba, is not particularly fast, with a top sprint speed of under 30 km/h. This opens up the possibility of starting wing-backs with attacking backgrounds, such as Yang Hyun-jun, known for his fast dribbling, or Eom Ji-sung, who delivers sharp crosses. Alternatively, 'mixed-race Taegeuk Warrior' Jens, who excels in pressing and overlapping, could also be a starter.

[Hong Myung-bo/National Football Team Head Coach: Since we have watched South Africa's two matches, we need to prepare well and play more systematically during the remaining time.]

The national team will travel to Monterrey, the venue for the match, in two days to begin specialized tactical training aimed at securing a victory.

(Video coverage: Hwang In-seok, Video editing: Park Ki-deok)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.