Nat’l football team coach demands more than just talent from players

Hong Myung-bo, head coach of the South Korean men’s national football team, is a firm believer in intangibles when assembling his squad. He thinks it will take more than just talent and skills to build a team that can go deep into the FIFA World Cup next year.

Hong on Monday announced his 26-man squad for a pair of World Cup qualifying matches set for June. South Korea will play Iraq in the southern Iraqi city of Basra on June 5 and then host Kuwait in Seoul on June 10 to finish up the third round of the Asian qualifiers.

With South Korea a point away from punching their ticket to the big tournament, Hong went with relatively unproven players in the domestic K League 1 over promising youngsters based in Europe with some national team experience.

On the surface level, Hong’s logic is straightforward. Some Europe-based players have been idle for weeks after their club season ended, while K Leaguers are in midseason form, not having yet played half of the domestic season. The coach prioritized current form over past success and reputation.

And yet, when asked how he would motivate an eclectic gathering of players when only a draw in the next match will secure a World Cup spot, Hong launched into a four-minute monologue about his philosophy behind player selection.

“Players today have great abilities and they draw interest from clubs in Europe. And I think it’s a great thing for South Korean football,” Hong began. “However, we play a team sport here. And I don’t think I have to tell you what important elements are when building. I always make them the top priority.

“And when gift and skills override things that are important to a team sport, then we will end up as a talented team with zero cohesion and trust among players. That way, it’ll be impossible for us to take the next step,” Hong continued. “I am not here to argue national team players have to be all patriotic. But I do believe it’s extremely important to have the right mindset when you’re picked to represent the country. I’ve had a chance to talk to some players when putting together this squad. Some really wanted to be on the team, but some others weren’t quite as desperate.”

Hong said it’s one thing to have South Korean players compete for prestigious European clubs, but having a strong national team is another matter.

“I have to make that work, and that’s a big task for me as head coach,” Hong said. “We can only go back to glory days that way. That’s what I’ve felt since I took over the team last year.”

With South Korea’s spot in the World Cup virtually secured — a draw against Iraq will get the job done — Hong may as well begin looking ahead to next year. But the coach said he is only focused on the next game, calling it “the most important match for us.”

“I do have some plans inside my head and I’ve put them together based on my past experience (as head coach at the 2014 World Cup),” Hong said. “But I don’t think it will be too late if I share them with you after we first accomplish our goal of qualifying for the World Cup.”

Hong acknowledged that the team is far from perfect and said the goal is to “become a team that can get better every day.”

“Honestly, it’s difficult to predict now what kind of football we’ll play at the World Cup and how far we can go at the tournament,” Hong said. “The important thing is for players to consistently play well and to make it difficult for our coaching staff to leave them off.”