Li Yongbo thinks Korea blundered by tweaking Doubles teams in Thomas Cup Finals
Korea experimented with its Doubles squad in title match of the Thomas Cup Finals and China’s head coach Li Yongbo stated that this unnecessary move let their competitors down.
China secured its first Thomas Cup on home soil by sealing a splendid 3-0 victory in Wuhan on May 27, 2012.
Korea fielded a unique combination of Lee Yong Dae and Kim Sa Rang in first Doubles tie and the scratch pair could not forge a fruitful chemistry against World Number one duo Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng.
Li Yongbo believes their opponents got panicked and made fatal mistake by splitting their established pairs in crucial match.
He said, “I was surprised with their line-up. If I was their coach, I wouldn’t have taken the risk of tweaking the doubles. It showed the Koreans didn’t have faith in their own players.”
The scratch pair Yong Dae-Sa Rang surrendered against higher ranked Chinese couple after reading 16-21 and 23-25 score on the board.
Though, they matched their rival’s skills to some extent in second set but they committed unforced errors in final stage and paved path to success for Cai Yun-Fu Haifeng.
The badminton guru thinks that the Koreans could not build up a strong bond as they were playing together for the first time.
He also added that absence of experienced Doubles campaigner Jung Jae Sung turned huge blow for their counter-parts.
Li Yongbo said, “This Korean pair lost a few points towards the end because they lacked understanding and started to make mistakes. The Korean team were incomplete without Jung Jae-sung.”
However, the debutant shuttler Kim Sa Rang managed to register his presence in prestigious team event as the badminton legend Li Yongbo commended his craft in court and declared him a future star.
He said, “But credit must be given to first timer Kim Sa-rang. He played well and has a bright future.”
Moreover, he also praised the joint effort of his boys in Thomas Cup Finals and especially mentioned World and Olympic champion Lin Dan for his brilliance in the game.
For the record, China bagged its fifth consecutive and overall ninth title on Sunday, May 27, 2012.
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