SHIN TAE-YONG
Are you concerned that your best player, Son Heung-min, might be burned out by the time he arrives in Russia?
We’re trying to implement the same 4-4-2 formation that Tottenham use. Son gets a lot of chances when playing for Tottenham because they have great players like Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen. I hope Son can perform in the World Cup like he currently does for his club, but I’m concerned that Son’s red-hot form could cool down around the World Cup period. No player can maintain his best form all season long. I’m really worried that Son’s form might go down from May, with his concentration waning and him becoming physically fatigued.
What sort of condition will your players be in when they arrive in Russia?
The players in the K League and the J1 League will have no problem because they are in the middle of the season, but those who play in Europe are at the end of their season and will be tired. It’s difficult to do the same training together. I’m thinking how I should rest these players and make nutrition plans. I think we fought well against Poland. It’s positive that we didn’t give up even though we were two goals down. It’s also encouraging that we were able to score two goals against the opposing players with good physique. We should stay focused until the final whistle. I’ll make sure our players keep their concentration and have
a strong mentality until the end.
What are your thoughts on your group opponents this summer?
We can analyse Germany based on their first two World Cup matches, so we’re not currently focusing on Germany. But we are thoroughly looking into our first two opponents, Sweden and Mexico. We’ll collect everything, even personal information on the opposing players, and will provide that to our players. We know that we are facing good teams as this is the World Cup and you expect to face good teams. They have to face us and it is up to us to show that we are a good team. I’m sure no South Korean fans want to see us losing all three matches. Whether we lose or win all three matches, I think what fans want to see from us is us giving our best. Keeping that in mind, our players must be united.
Will you follow the famous curling team at the Winter Olympics and ban phones?
I don’t think the curling team did well just because the athletes didn’t have their phones. They had the benefit of competing at home and had a lot of other things to do during their downtime. Our players will be on the road for quite a while. They’re going to have to find ways to wind down and stay sharp in between matches. They probably love their phones more than their coach anyway!