The Key to Defeating Mexico? Will the 'Son Heung-min Shift' Be Deployed?

[Anchor]

World Cup news. After taking time to regroup following their victory against the Czech Republic, our national team has resumed training for what is effectively a battle for first place in the group against the host nation, Mexico. Notably, changes are expected in the attacking lineup.

Lee Jeong-Chan reports from Guadalajara.

[Reporter]

After a day of outings and rest yesterday (June 14) to refresh their spirits,

[Hwang In-beom / National Football Team Midfielder: We rested well.]

the team gathered at the training ground with much brighter expressions, despite the drizzling rain.

[Lee Jae-sung / National Football Team Midfielder: For our second victory!]

After warming up with strength training indoors, they headed to the pitch and poured out sweat during the session.

Head coach Hong Myung-bo carefully monitored the players' physical conditions, paying particular attention to those who had limited playing time in the match against the Czech Republic.

The area where Coach Hong is seeking change is the 'front line.'

To aggressively target the gaps left by the opponent's missing key defenders, he is considering the so-called 'Son Heung-min shift.' This involves starting Oh Hyeon-gyu—the 'joker' who scored the comeback goal despite suffering from a high fever—and moving Son Heung-min from striker to the flank to maximize attacking power.

[Hong Myung-bo / National Football Team Head Coach: Son Heung-min is in excellent scoring form... I believe the captain's role is essential to provide stability to the players around him.]

In particular, both Son Heung-min and Oh Hyeon-gyu scored in a friendly match against Mexico last year, raising expectations that they will be the 'winning cards.'

[Oh Hyeon-gyu / National Football Team Forward: Since it is Mexico's home ground, we will analyze the opponent well and prepare thoroughly to give 100 percent or more of what we are capable of.]

Lee Dong-gyeong, who scored two 'wonder goals' against Mexico during the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, is also waiting for the order to take the field.

The national team, which showed confidence by opening their training session for a longer period than usual, will begin full-scale tactical training tailored for the Mexico match starting tomorrow.

Reported by Hwang In-seok | Video by Park Jeong-sam | Graphics by Jang Chae-woo
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.