Hong Myung-bo, a ‘complete’ battle to overcome the huge wave called Mexico > News

The most welcome news for the national team led by coach Hong Myung-bo is the normalization of the squad. Bae Jun-ho and Kim Tae-hyun, who had been suffering from injuries and limited to individual training, finally joined team training, and for the first time since entering Mexico, 'complete' training with all 26 Taegeuk Warriors was completed. Bae Jun-ho suffered an ankle injury in the warm-up match against Trinidad and Tobago, and Kim Tae-hyun suffered an ankle injury in training just before the Czech Republic match, and there were concerns that he would lose his full strength, but fortunately, both players recovered to a level where they could play in the second game. In particular, Kim Tae-hyun's quick recovery is expected to be a great help to coach Hong Myung-bo's tactical plan. His return as a rare left-footed center back will maximize the flexibility of the three-back operation, and the addition of Bae Jun-ho, the key to the side attack, will provide creative options to break the frustrating flow.

From a tactical perspective, Hong Myung-bo is putting all his effort into refining a customized strategy for Mexico. The coaching staff is distributing video data that closely analyzes Mexico's attack patterns, defensive organization, pressing methods, and set-piece situations to players by position to increase their understanding of tactics. Rather than simply relying on on-site training, we are fine-tuning the 'winning formula' through repeated video meetings every day so that the players can accurately implement the manager's tactical intentions in actual games. The environmental variable of high altitude is also a factor that cannot be ignored. Mexican athletes are already fully physically adapted to the high-altitude environment, so they are likely to have a physical advantage over our athletes who train in low-altitude, oxygenated environments. Therefore, Hong Myung-bo focuses on overcoming this physical strength gap through efficient energy distribution and organized pressure.

Another variable in this game is the referee's personality. FIFA assigned Gustavo Tejera from Uruguay as the referee for the match between Korea and Mexico. The Tehera referee adheres to a very strict judging style, issuing an average of more than 5 yellow cards per game, so much so that he issued 1,733 yellow cards in 344 official matches. He is adamant about carding any rough fights or repeated fouls without delay, so it is of the utmost importance that our players maintain their composure throughout the game. In particular, players, including defender Lee Ki-hyuk, who already received a warning in the match against the Czech Republic, are required to manage the game smartly by avoiding harsh fouls while not reacting sensitively to the referee's decisions. Rather than reacting emotionally to the strong pressure of the Mexican players, quickly understanding the referee's consistent standards and leading the flow of the game will be the key to winning or losing.

Historically, Korea has struggled against Mexico. Since winning the friendly match in 2006, the team has gone through a long winless tunnel without a single win for 20 years, but the experience of breaking the chain of consecutive losses by recording a 2-2 draw in the friendly match last year is a great source of confidence. This game is not just about breaking the jinx, it is also an opportunity to break the jinx of no wins in the second round of the World Cup at the same time. The key to defense is how to block Mexico's aces, Julian Quiñones and Raul Jimenez, and how effectively the attackers, led by Son Heung-min and Oh Hyun-gyu, attack the space behind Mexico's defense will be the deciding factor in the game. If Hong Myung-boho enters the stadium using the pressure of 45,000 spectators and the cheering of home fans as motivation, he has enough potential to create a new legend by winning two consecutive wins in the World Cup group stage for the first time in history.