S. Korean attacking midfielder confident of earning nat’l team starting spot

PAJU, South Korea, Oct. 9 (Yonhap) — South Korean attacking midfielder Nam Tae-hee said Tuesday he is confident of earning a national team starting spot at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup next year.

Nam, who plays with Al Duhail SC in Qatar, is one of the 25 players selected for South Korea’s friendly matches this month. The Taeguk Warriors will host Uruguay on Friday and take on Panama four days later.

Nam had an impressive performance in a match against Costa Rica last month, scoring the second goal in his side’s 2-0 win. He also started in South Korea’s scoreless draw against Chile.

“We have many good players who can do well in the attacking third,” Nam said before training at the National Football Center (NFC) in Paju, north of Seoul. “I want to show good a performance in attack with my dribble runs. I’m confident.”

South Korean attacking midfielder Nam Tae-hee speaks to reporters at the National Football Center in Paju, north of Seoul, on Oct. 9, 2018. (Yonhap)

Nam, who has five goals in 40 caps, said he will adapt to Paulo Bento’s style of football with the national team and contribute to the team’s victory.

“I have been playing my club matches and tried to score goals and get assists,” he said. “But when I come to the national team, I get a different role, so I need to adapt to the national’s team style of play and show good performance.”

Nam said the national team analyzed their performance against Chile and checked things to improve.

“Against Chile, we opted for counter attacks because they were strong opponents, but it looks like we’ll have a similar game when we face Uruguay,” he said. “I remember that Uruguayans play a physical game. If we can show all we got, I think we’ll have a good game.”