South Korea will host Qatar in a World Cup qualification match this week with some question marks hanging above the team.
Korea will take on the Middle East visitors at Seoul World Cup Stadium at 8 p.m. Tuesday.
Choi Kang-hee, the much-maligned head coach, hasn’t been able to find his ideal combination on offense. Against Qatar, Choi left off Park Chu-young, a forward with Celta Vigo in the top Spanish league, an admission that his experiment of pairing Park with Lee Dong-gook has failed. Choi will instead stake his hopes on striker Kim Shin-wook.
Korea head coach Choi Kang-hee (Yonhap News)
Choi has even bigger problems on defense. Wingback positions on either flank of the pitch have given him constant headaches, and they’ve been a revolving door for underachievers. Korea will field an inexperienced backline. Captain Kwak Tae-hwi may not be available while dealing with a thigh injury.
At a press conference held at Seoul World Cup Stadium Monday, Choi vowed that the team will be better against Qatar.
“You will see an entirely different team,” Choi said. “The players are all feeling great. We will do our best to win tomorrow.”
Choi called the match “a must-win game,” since the result this week will set the tone for the remainder of the qualification round.
Cha Du-ri joins FC SeoulCha Du-ri, a former World Cup star for South Korea, has joined FC Seoul in the domestic K League Classic.
FC Seoul, the defending league champion, announced Monday that it has signed the 32-year-old to a two-year deal through the end of the 2014 season.
Cha had been released by Fortuna Dusseldorf in Bundesliga, the first-division German league, in February with two years remaining on his contract. (Yonhap News)
