Asian Cup http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Qatar-c2986 2011: Group C Preview
South Korea Vs. http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/India-c750:
In yet another big game, 2 of the favorites of the tournament, South Korea and Australia, take on each other for the Asian Cup in Group C. In the second game of the same group, http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Bahrain-c2847 will take on minnows, India, but fans will be more focused on the big
game between South Korea and Australia.
Looking at the current form of both sides, it seems that the South Korean side is stronger, brimming with talent that has already hit the European leagues with a bang. Young stars like http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Lee-Chung-Yong-c21873 from Bolton Wanderers and Son-Heung Min from Bundesliga
side, Hamburg, have already started showing their worth in Europe.
Cho Kwang-Rae’s side is also a very organized unit and they proved their resilience against Bahrain, when they were a man down, but still managed to win 2-1. These traits can be considered a hallmark of a team that is destined for glory for years to come.
The 4-0 win against India should not be very reassuring for the Australian team as many expected the Socceroos to beat the South Asian side with an even longer lead. A poor second half display saw them have almost 86% of the possession of the ball and still
they couldn't manage to increase their lead. The Australian attacking unit missed many easy chances and could have played significantly better considering their potential.
Coach, Holger Osieck used a diamond shape for the midfield against the minnows and he is expected to use the same strategy against the South Koreans, with http://www.senore.com/Football-soccer/Tim-Cahill-c35085 and Harry Kewell lined up as strike partners.
Cho, the South Korean boss, on the other hand, will be looking to improve on his team's defence by using a three man line-up at the back.
It is not certain if the experienced Korean manager will use this strategy for just this game or for the rest of the tournament, but it seems that he took a leaf out of the Egyptian management team’s book; the Pharaohs used the same strategy against the
Australian side during a recent friendly match, and it worked out pretty well as the Egyptians comfortably won 3-0.
The match is bound to be a very fascinating affair from a tactical point of view. The South Korean side is always mobile with respect to its formation and they tend to fill in whenever there’s a gap in the ranks. On the other hand, the Australian side is
very disciplined when it comes to formation, and each player covers his designated zone throughout the match.
With India as their next opponents, a win against Australia will guarantee South Korea qualification to the next phase of the competition. A loss for Australia, on the other hand, can make their next game, against Bahrain, a bit tricky. Apart from this,
a win in this match will play a significant psychological role for either of the teams, going into the knockout stages of the competition.
The game between Bahrain and India is surely not going to be for the first place, or even second for that matter, as both sides have already lost their opening fixtures, but the two sides would definitely want to get something out of the tournament. There
should be no pressure on either of the teams to deliver, as they were never really expected to top the group.
Tags: