All eyes will be on Seol Young-woo for the first match of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games against Kuwait.
Seol has a tough schedule ahead of him. He’s a key player for both Ulsan Hyundai and the Korea A team. Even during the K League break, Seol was sent to Team K League to play full-time against Atlético Madrid and the Coupang Players League. If he hadn’t been granted a rest against Jeju United on July 21, he would have played nonstop since June against El Salvador.
In September, he played full-time in both A matches. Coach Jürgen Klinsmann said of Seol, “After the Wales game, if there are no special circumstances such as injuries, conditions or performances of other players, we will cooperate with him to make him part of the Asian Games squad as much as possible,” but he was not given a specific reason to play against Saudi Arabia. Seol showed signs of fatigue at the end of the game, allowing the Saudi attackers to break through.
Seol has already played a lot. Considering that the distance between South Korea and England is around 9,000 kilometers, the plane ride itself is bound to take its toll. Add in the distance between Seoul and Hangzhou and other minor trips, and that’s over 20,000 kilometers in September alone. Add to that the fact that Seol was competing in both South Korea and England, and he didn’t have time to rest his body.
Coach Hwang Sun-hong also took this into consideration. Before departing for Hangzhou on the 16th, he told reporters, “Seol Young-woo needs time to adjust. I plan to go to China and train with him for a few days, and then I will review his physical condition and adaptability and use it,” he said, expressing reservations about using Seol.바카라
If Seol is rested, Hwang Jae-won and Park Kyu-hyun are likely to play at fullback against Kuwait. Hwang Jae-won is Daegu’s natural right back, while Park Kyu-hyun is the first choice at left back in Seol’s absence. Lee Jae-Ik could also play left fullback, but it’s not a realistic option due to the thin depth in the center of the defense, where Park Jin-Seop might have to drop down.
However, with the match against Thailand coming just two days after the Kuwait game, it’s not out of the question that Seol Young-woo could start. With Hwang’s announcement of a rotation between the first and second games, he’ll have to play in one of them. It’s also possible that he could start them in Game 1 and then rest them for Game 3 to give them enough time to recover their fitness.
In this case, we could see Seol Young-woo on the left and Hwang Jae-won on the right. This would be the ideal squad based on their current form, and with the importance of winning the first game, there’s a good chance they’ll be at full strength.