DOHA– Having played the full 90 minutes in 20 out of Napoli’s 21 matches so far this season, South Korean defender Kim Min-jae has recently faced questions about his fatigue.
That he committed a rare gaffe in his own zone against Udinese Calcio over the weekend only fueled concerns that Kim was tiring at the worst possible time for South Korea, with their first World Cup match in Qatar only days away.
But Kim, who celebrated his 26th birthday Tuesday, said he was doing just fine, thank you very much.
“I’ve played a lot of matches for the club, but I think it’s the same for everyone else,” Kim said at a press conference before South Korea’s training session at Al Egla Training Facility in Doha. “I just want to join the boys as soon as possible and get going.”
Though Kim is only playing in his first season in Serie A, accolades have been flooding in. The league named him its Player of the Month for September. Kim was recently voted the Player of the Month for October by the Italian Footballers’ Association.
Behind Kim’s strong defense, Napoli sit atop the Serie A tables with 13 wins and two draws for 41 points, eight clear of AC Milan. Napoli are the only undefeated club in Italy. They also boast the highest goal difference with plus-25, from 37 goals scored and 12 conceded.
“I am having a blast in Italy,” said Kim, who previously played for clubs in South Korea, China and Turkey. “Every match has been a battle. I hope I can share my experience in Italy with my teammates here on defense.”
While Son Heung-min, the beloved captain and superb offensive talent, is clearly the face of the South Korean national team, Kim is the rock on defense. Against favored opponents, like Uruguay and Portugal in Group H, it could be argued Kim may be an even more important player than Son for South Korea.
Kim said he has learned a lot from Son just by watching him.
“I’ve come to realize just how much pressure he has to deal with. He’s an important player for our team, and I have faith in him,” Kim said. “On defense, I must not make any mistakes. I am ready to make sacrifices for this team.”
During his regime, Bento has mostly used four defenders, with Kim and another center back handling the middle. But in South Korea’s final tuneup before the World Cup, against Iceland last Friday, Bento deployed a back-three setup for the first time in three years. Kim was not available for the match, which didn’t fall within the FIFA international window.
“I’ve played more often in the back-four system, but if the coach wants us to play with three backs, I’ll be ready,” Kim said. “Whether we have four backs or three backs, I am prepared to execute whatever needs to be executed.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency