Confusion Up Front
If Park Chu-young Is Not the Answer at Striker, Who Is?
By Kim Tong-hyung
Staff Reporter
South Korea hasn't had a relevant striker since Ahn Jung-hwan began playing like a corpse about a year ago. And as it becomes increasingly apparent that Park Chu-young is not going to win him matches in important tournaments, South Korea manager Huh Jung-moo is now dragged back to the drawing board searching for answers to cure the national team's scoring malaise.
``The current makeup of our attacking unit is giving me a lot to think about," Huh told reporters in his return to Seoul Sunday, following South Korea's 3-1 victory over Turkmenistan in a World Cup qualifier in Ashgabat the previous evening.
``You have to admit that the domestic talent pool of quality attackers is shallow, and I hope that we can find players who step up and improve their games before the final qualifying round begins.
``I have analyzed the abilities of the players carefully before I picked them on my roster, but it's regrettable that some players with good potential weren't available due to injuries.''
South Korea is included among the 10 teams advancing to the fourth and final phase of the Asian World Cup qualifiers, which continue from September to June of next year and stake four berths to the 2010 tournament in South Africa.
A fifth Asian nation could also feature if it wins a playoff from the representative of the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC).
Huh's side, blessed with an easy draw in round three, so far has just been good enough to keep alive the country's hopes for a seventh consecutive World Cup berth.
However, for a team that struggled to flex its muscles against low-profile opponents such as Jordan and Turkmenistan, which made it a closer game than the score indicated on Saturday, it's hard to picture South Korea clicking against bigger names such as Japan, Iran and Saudi Arabia.
Chu-young Struggles as Target Man
Huh doesn't, and perhaps never will, have a large quantity of quality attacking talent at his exposal, so it is understandable that he is devoted to a safety-first 4-2-3-1 formation.
The idea behind the system is simple ― an enlarged midfield helps you win possessions and your opponents can't hurt you if they don't have the ball.
However, the whole tactical framework is dependent on an effective finisher who can be clinical with his scoring chances, even if they come far apart. And there is a Biblical amount of evidence suggesting that Park is not that man.
Park did score twice in five matches in the third round of the qualifiers, but both goals came on penalty shots. In between, the 23-year-old FC Seoul forward looked confused and disoriented as if he was dropped off at the wrong airport, failing to find his place on the pitch and develop a rapport with his teammates.
Huh puts part of the blame on the team's inability to get Park the ball where he wanted it, despite establishing an advantage in possession in most of the games.
However, it could also be said that Park's natural inclinations to drop deep and win the ball himself meant that midfield marauders such as Park Ji-sung and Lee Keun-ho were given less room to create havoc.
With the lack of cohesion in the offense becoming evident, Huh seems to be finally giving into the argument that Park may not be the player to function rightly in his system.
Limited Options
Huh seems particularly high on Suwon BlueWings forwards Shin Young-rok and Seo Dong-hyun and said he wishes to bring them up if they are healthy.
``Shin, Seo and Ha Tae-gyun all have great size for their positions and are starting to show their finishing abilities," said Huh.
``I really wanted to use them, but they were not in their top form health-wise.''
Shin, a 1.82-meter striker with good strength and aerial ability, is more of a main-striker type than Park and has scored five goals in 13 domestic matches this season.
The opportunistic Seo is less of a physical presence, but no one can dispute his nose for the net, which produced nine goals in 15 matches.
And then there is Jeonbuk Motors forward Cho Jae-jin, who had enjoyed automatic status with the national team before his recent snub by Huh.
Cho, an athletic 1.85-meter striker, is an old-school target man that is becoming a dying breed in Korean football. As evidenced by his play against France and Switzerland in the 2006 World Cup, Cho can win the ball in the air against the Gallases and Senderoses of the world, and his ability to hold the ball until the support arrives is impressive.
Cho has been producing for the Motors, scoring seven goals in 13 matches thus far, and if Huh is looking for a true center forward who can stretch the defense and serve as a pivot, the 27-year-old looks as the most logical choice.
``I had my own reasons in leaving Cho off the team, considering his fitness after missing out on winter camp and the makeup of the national team," Huh said.
``The door is always open to Cho,'' he said. ``If plays into better form, he will surely get my call.''