Coach Stielike uses ‘Godly tactic’

In retrospect, it could have been righteously called "Godly tactic." Coach Uli Stielike, who has led Team Korea to the Asian Cup final for the first time in 27 years, deployed rather unexpected tactic starting from the group league. It was a choice that shifted the direction of the Korean national team.

○ `We will fight to secure No. 1 spot in the group as well`

“If you ask me which one is more crucial between the match against Australia and the quarterfinal match, my answer is the quarterfinal match. But we will fight to secure No. 1 spot in the group as well,” the coach said ahead of the third group league match on Jan. 17. With Korea already having nailed the quarterfinal berth, many watchers predicted that the coach will let key players take rest. However, Stielike staged all-out battle, and won the match 1-0 to take the top spot in the group.

It was his first "Godly tactic." Schedule of the Asian Cup was fixed in Australia’s favor to help the country win the title as the event host. However, as Team Korea won the match against Australia, Korea in lieu of Australia garnered the advantage. “We have taken the favorable schedule set by Australia. Korea came to take rest one more day than the rival teams, while preparing for both the semifinal and final matches,” Coach Stielike said.

○ ‘We`ve never exercised together to form teamwork before the event’

In the second group match against Kuwait, Coach Stielike replaced as many as seven players who started in the first group match against Oman. Throughout the game, players revealed loopholes in team play and made a number of errors.

“We cannot win the title only with 11 players. We have to use all 23 members," Stielike said on the eve of the match against Kuwait. At that time, Lee Chung-yong was exited due to injury and key players including Son Heung-min, who caught cold, were not in the best condition to play. The players had no time to exercise together to form teamwork. However, players who were not key members had an opportunity to form teamwork and regain confidence in the match against Kuwait, the weakest team. “After the match against Kuwait, players came to have the idea that they could play as starters at any time. It was the moment that difference between key members and other members of the team became blurry,” said a source in the Korean national team. Through the measure, all players in the Korean team were able to reinvigorate their physical stamina, and were in the condition to stage all-out battle in the remaining matches.