▲ South Korean national football team defender Kim Min-jae challenges for the ball against Venezuela during an international friendly match at the Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium on October 2.
South Korean national football team's key central defender Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) has missed team training for two consecutive days, making it likely that he will sit out the upcoming match against Uzbekistan, the final game of the four-match series since the launch of the "Moreno" regime.
Kim did not participate in the national team's official training session held at the Korea Football Park in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, on October 5, the day before the friendly against Uzbekistan, instead carrying out individual training indoors.
The national team will face Uzbekistan at 8:00 PM on October 6 at the Yongin Mireu Stadium.
This marks the final match of the four-match series played during September and October under interim head coach Robert Moreno (Spain).
According to a national team official, Kim also worked out separately when the team reconvened on October 4 following an overnight break and day off after the match against Venezuela on October 2, which ended in a 0-0 draw.
The official stated, "Kim has undergone separate recovery training for two consecutive days," adding, "It is not a severe injury that would warrant his release from the squad, but rather fatigue accumulated from playing numerous matches recently."
Kim has started as a central defender in all three matches of Moreno's tenure so far: the match against Ecuador on September 24 (3-0 win), the match against Uruguay on September 28 (1-4 loss), and the recent game against Venezuela.
During the Venezuela match, after being substituted in the 35th minute of the second half, he was spotted talking to coach Moreno with a frustrated expression and was later seen taking off his football boots while sitting on the bench.
In a post-match interview, Kim expressed his frustrations candidly, saying, "The entire team needs to fight, compete, and defend together. Today, the defensive players felt pitiful," and adding, "Overall, it didn't feel like everyone was fighting together. Even if we had won 7-0 or 9-0 today, I wouldn't have felt good about it."
Regarding the upcoming match against Uzbekistan, he emphasized, "First of all, it is important for the team to unite as one. Rather than individuals shining, the team must play as one to secure results," and stressed, "To elevate the team's level, every player must 'bury their heads' and work hard."
The national team put forward left-footed center-back Kim Tae-hyeon (Kashima) as the player attending the official press conference that day.
If Kim Min-jae is unable to play against Uzbekistan, Kim Tae-hyeon is expected to pair up with Lee Han-beom (Bruges) in the starting lineup.
Kim Tae-hyeon expressed his determination, stating, "I believe we haven't sufficiently shown the fans what they want to see on the pitch," and added, "Tomorrow's match is the last of the four-game series, and we will play well to secure a victory and repay them."
Regarding the players' reactions and fans' criticisms following the Venezuela match, he said, "From my perspective as well, it didn't feel very well-organized, but the coach came in on an interim basis and it is difficult to build chemistry in a short time," and added, "Since Min-jae is a key player who leads the team well, I think he must have felt very frustrated. The players need to unite again and strive to show the fans what they want to see."
(Photo: Yonhap News)
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