South Korea players pose before a football match against Ivory Coast on March 28 at Stadium MK, Milton Keynes, Great Britain. Reuters-Yonhap

The World Cup is almost here, and the roster is soon to be announced or already has been announced by the time you read this. Now the countdown really begins. It is fair to say that ahead of next month’s games in Mexico against the host nation, the Czech Republic and South Africa, the mood in South Korea is gloomy. But there is always hope.

One is that low expectations are not always a bad thing. After an uncertain, though successful, World Cup qualification campaign, and then the 4-0 loss to Ivory Coast in March and subsequent 1-0 defeat to Austria, few are predicting an exciting time. But at least the players and coach Hong Myung-bo know that there is a lot to do and that preparations have to be excellent. There will be no complacency.

Preparations seem extensive. On Monday, the team will leave for Salt Lake City, Utah, to prepare. With the first two Group A games taking place in the Mexican city of Guadalajara, around 1,600 meters above sea level, it is crucial that the players have time to acclimatize to the conditions. At that altitude, it is harder for players to recover and they become dehydrated more quickly.

The Taegeuk Warriors are spending almost a month in the U.S. and then Mexico. This leads to concerns that the players may become bored and restless, but in terms of fitness, it can only be a good thing. Should Korea go far in the tournament and have to return to Mexico and play at altitude once more, they should be better prepared than most other teams.

There have been two warm-up games arranged. On May 30, there is a test against Trinidad and Tobago, and then four days later, another game against El Salvador. Plenty has been said of the choice of opposition, ranked 102 and 100 in the world, respectively. Many believe that Korea is avoiding tough opposition as there is a fear of a big defeat. The 4-0 loss to Ghana just before the 2014 World Cup set the tone for a terrible tournament. Hong was in charge then, and memories are still fresh.

So fragile is the team’s confidence that a serious loss would mean starting the World Cup under a much darker cloud. A couple of wins would help at this point. The danger is, of course, that failing to beat these two teams, perceived to be much weaker, would result in a real crisis. Losing to Brazil is one thing. Losing to El Salvador is very different.

The major concern at the moment, however, is the ankle injury to Hwang In-beom that has ruled the Feyenoord midfielder out of the rest of the Dutch league season. Not as famous as Son Heung-min, Lee Kang-in or Kim Min-jae, Hwang is nevertheless just as important and sets the team’s tempo. All are hoping he is fit to play.

“Honestly, I’m worried,” coach Hong said. “He was a key player in the team. He is currently unable to play because of the injury and is in the recovery phase. During the remaining time, he must focus on recovery. I’ll consider alternatives while watching the speed of his recovery.”

Many will be doing the same, but with most teams losing stars to injuries, things could be worse. The hard work starts now.

Source: Korea Times News