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[스포츠서울 | 정다워기자] Umbert Coelho, Johannes Bonfrere, Pym Behrbach, and Uli Stielicke. It is the foreign commander who was sent off without stepping on the stage of the World Cup finals.
Since Guus Hiddink of 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup and Dick Advocaat of 2006 Germany World Cup, no foreign leader has led the Korean national football team to the World Cup. In many cases, the baton was handed over to a domestic manager without fulfilling the contract period due to various reasons such as poor grades or loss of leadership. Coach Coelho took over in February 2003 and left the team after 14 months. Bonfrere also led the team in June 2004 and was sacked in August of the following year. Advocaat, who directed the World Cup in Germany, also served for a short time from October 2005 to June 2006. Advocaat’s successor, Bareback’s tenure as manager is 11 months.
Ahead of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, coach Stielike suffered an extreme slump in the final qualifying round. With two matches remaining, they lost to Qatar and were in danger of failing to qualify for the finals. In the end, Stielicke was sacked after 33 months of work. After that, coach Shin Tae-yong managed to advance to the finals as a relief pitcher, but he did not achieve much success in Russia.
Coach Paulo Bento, who took over in August 2018, is still cruising. Despite the variable that last year’s match did not normally take place due to Corona 19, it is holding its position without any major threat. In March of this year, they faced their biggest crisis with a 3-0 defeat in Japan, but they turned around by winning all three matches in the second qualifying round of the World Cup in June. He served as the head coach of the national football team for 36 months, making him the longest-serving manager in history.
It is clear that it is a ‘long run’, but the real mission given to coach Bento is actually the final qualifying round for the World Cup. It is a difficult challenge that is completely different from the previous 2nd qualifying round. It is even evaluated that Korea was placed in the worst group ever in this preliminary round. Korea will compete in Group A with five Middle East countries including Iran, the United Arab Emirates, Iraq, Syria, and Lebanon. There is not a single East Asian country. You have to fight the heat and bed soccer on long-distance expeditions.
Kim Pan-gon, chairman of the National Team Strengthening Committee of the Korea Football Association, who appointed Bento coach, has one goal from the beginning. Bento will lead Korea in the World Cup finals. The will to end the brutality of the foreign leader who was sacked after falling into a slump in the final qualifying round and to spend four years as a single manager is valid. In order to prevent the development of Korean football and the meaningless consumption of human resources, coach Bento must persevere.
The atmosphere isn’t bad yet. Above all, it is worth noting that, unlike in the past, the collaboration between coach Bento and the coaching staff is consistent. Four coaches brought by Bento and two domestic coaches Choi Tae-wook and Kim Young-min are still with them. The outstanding breathing of the seven players is the driving force behind the current national team.
How you spend the first half of the final qualifier matters. Even coach Stielicke struggled and managed to win the first match against China, and in the second game, he started uneasy with a draw with Syria. It is not easy for a ship that shakes on its first voyage to regain its center of gravity. The speed and atmosphere of the ship may change depending on how the game is played against Iraq (Seoul World Cup Stadium, Seoul World Cup Stadium, 7th) and Iraq (September 7, Suwon World Cup Stadium) to be held in September.
The key is whether Son Heung-min, who is known to have suffered an injury in an English Premier League match, joins. Son Heung-min is a player who helps the team just by being there. There is a big difference between having Heung-Min Son and not having one. If Son Heung-min is injured and cannot participate in the final qualifying round, coach Bento will be in trouble.
However, both games will be held in Korea in September. There is no need to digest the unreasonable schedule of going back and forth between Korea and the Middle East. Europeans have avoided the murderous schedule of moving to Korea and then back to the Middle East. This is a positive factor for Bentuho, who opens the curtain for the final qualifying round.
weo@sportsseoul.com
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