On paper, South Korea may be the massive favorites over Vietnam in their men's friendly football match scheduled for Tuesday, but South Korean midfielder Lee Jae-sung said on the eve of the match that he wasn't taking them lightly.
It's precisely when South Korea take on underdogs that the players have to be sharp mentally, Lee said.
South Korean midfielder Lee Jae-sung speaks at a press conference at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 16, 2023, the eve of South Korea's friendly match against Vietnam. (Yonhap)
South Korean midfielder Lee Jae-sung speaks at a press conference at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 16, 2023, the eve of South Korea's friendly match against Vietnam. (Yonhap)
"There were matches where we didn't play well against weaker teams," Lee said Monday at his prematch press conference at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, the venue of the friendly kicking off at 8 p.m. Tuesday. "During our training session yesterday, the coach (Jurgen Klinsmann) kept telling us we have to focus on our shooting and finishing. We have to be thoroughly prepared in order to dominate our opponents tomorrow. Having the right mindset is the most important thing."
South Korea are ranked 26th in the world, and Vietnam check in at No. 95. The two countries haven't played each other since 2004. In 24 meetings so far, South Korea have recorded 17 wins, five draws and two losses.
"Just because our opponents are supposed to be weaker, we won't be just handed a victory. It's been that way in every match," said Lee, midfielder for Mainz 05 in the Bundesliga. "I know that from experience. I hope we can learn from this experience and have smooth sailing at the World Cup qualifiers next month."
Lee and South Korea enjoyed a 4-0 rout over Tunisia last Friday. Klinsmann gave the team some time off over the weekend, and Lee said he has come back refreshed, mentally and physically.
South Korea head coach Jurgen Klinsmann (L) and midfielder Lee Jae-sung attend a press conference at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 16, 2023, the eve of South Korea's friendly match against Vietnam. (Yonhap)
South Korea head coach Jurgen Klinsmann (L) and midfielder Lee Jae-sung attend a press conference at Suwon World Cup Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on Oct. 16, 2023, the eve of South Korea's friendly match against Vietnam. (Yonhap)
Lee also thanked Klinsmann for giving attacking midfielders like himself free rein. Against Tunisia, Lee and fellow midfielder Lee Kang-in switched positions midmatch, with the latter moving from center to right wing. Lee Kang-in scored two goals after the shift, and later thanked Lee Jae-sung and Klinsmann for allowing the change to happen.
"Even during training leading up to that match, Kang-in talked about preferring to play on the right side because he's been doing that for his club (Paris Saint-Germain) and at different competitions," Lee Jae-sung said. "We've been pretty comfortable talking to each other about our positioning. And all of us are versatile enough to play anywhere on the field. The coach has also given us freedom to move around, and it led to some good performances against Tunisia."
Source: Yonhap News Agency