Kim Eun-joong’s solution to overcome strong Italy is ‘side’
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- on Jun 08, 2023
The Korean U20 national soccer team, which is aiming for a second consecutive final, is about to play in the semi-final against strong Italy. Kim Eun-joong-ho finished the final tempering with a bright expression, but the point they considered most important was ‘side’.
Korea, led by coach Kim Eun-joong, will play the semi-final match against Italy at the La Plata Stadium in La Plata, Argentina on the 9th at 6:00 am (Korean time).스포츠토토
Korea, which reached the semifinals for two consecutive times for the first time in Asia, will challenge to advance to the finals for two consecutive tournaments following the 2019 Polish tournament (runner-up).
In the 2019 tournament, Korea advanced to the final with Lee Kang-in (Mallorca)’s performance, but was blocked by Ukraine and unfortunately took the runner-up. There are many fans who want Kim Eun-joong to relieve that regret.
A day before the match against Italy, Kim Eun-joong held his last training session at the Estancia Chica training ground near La Plata. The training, which started at 4:00 pm local time (4:00 am on the 8th, Korean time), lasted about an hour.
In contrast to the general practice of disclosing only part of the training session the day before the game, coach Kim Eun-joong opened the entire training session to the media. Coach Kim, after gathering the players before training, encouraged them to “let’s do well with what we prepared,” saying, “It’s hard to climb up to a high place, but it’s a moment to fall.”
The Taegeuk warriors with bright expressions warmed up lightly and intensively refined the promised pattern play. Coach Kim emphasized counter-attacks and development of attacks using flanks throughout training. The set piece, which I had a lot of fun in this tournament, did not practice separately.
Coach Kim Eun-joong ordered, “Don’t hesitate and deliver the ball quickly as soon as the opposite side is empty”, and the players opened the attack with a pass that made great use of the left and right.
The Taegeuk Warriors were divided into two teams and played a mini-game to boost their physical condition. All the players sweated heavily in the training comparable to the real battle. After tactical training, the strikers practice shooting, and the defense and midfielders intensively prepare to defend against strong opponents’ attacks.
Coach Kim, who finished the last training session, said with a smile, “Our players are in better condition now that reporters are coming from Korea.”
Manager Kim Eun-joong said, “Since the players are under a lot of spotlights, they go back and forth mentally,” but said, “It is positive that the strength to endure is coming out as the game goes on.”
He said, “We have been preparing for each game as if it were the final,” and “just as we have prepared well, we will do our best (in Gyeonggi-do tomorrow).”
Kim Eun-joong’s main center back, Kim Ji-soo (Seongnam), also said, “It’s an honor to reach the quarterfinals. We were able to rise to this position because we worked hard with one heart and one mind.” showed high confidence.