Changing tactics late, generational change attempts still...'protecting the reputation a long way of

The South Korean national soccer team, led by head coach Hong Myung-bo, won one and drew one of their two Asian qualifiers for the 2026 North and Central American World Cup in September.

A shock 0-0 draw at home to 'underdogs' Palestine in the first leg left fans angry at the KFA for letting them down, but a 3-1 win away to Oman in the second leg, which concluded on Nov. 11, gave them their first three points.

Experts were positive about Hong Myung-bok's first victory, which came against the odds. The third round of World Cup Asia qualifiers will feature some of the continent's best teams.

However, despite the victory, the team still has a lot to work on in terms of tactics and game content.

Hong Myung-bo came out with his favorite 4-2-3-1 formation.

The lineup was similar to the one against Palestine, but there were five changes in the starting lineup and a bigger change in tactics.

Hong lined up with Oh Se-hoon (Machida) up front, with Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) in the second line from the left.

The team played as close together in the center as possible, with the left and right fullbacks Lee Myung-jae (Ulsan) and Seol Young-woo (Zvezda) dropping high up the field.

Hwang Hee-chan opened the scoring in the 10th minute, but from the midway point of the first half, Oman took control and harassed the Korean camp.

Park Chan-ha analyzed that Hong's mistake of misreading the opponent led to Korea conceding the lead midway through the game.

“Korea's attacking shape seemed to be prepared with the expectation that Oman would play a tight defense,” Park said. ”However, Oman is not a tight defense, and the excessive advancement of our fullbacks made it easier for them to attack from the flanks.”

After struggling midway through the first half, Korea conceded the equalizer just before halftime.

The Omani dominance continued until the middle of the second half.

“Oman pushed harder after the goal, and we didn't respond properly until the beginning of the second half,” said commentator Park Moon-sung, pointing out that Hong's tactical change was late.

Hong made his first substitution in the 23rd minute of the second half.

He brought on Lee Jae-sung (Mainz) and Hwang Mungi-Ki (Gangwon) in place of Oh Se-hoon and Seol Young-woo, and dropped Park Yong-woo (Al Ain), who was struggling with opposition pressure, to form a three-back with Kim Min-jae (Munich) and Jung Seung-hyun (Al Wasl).

South Korea then regained the initiative and won the game through Son Heung-min's final goal.

After reverting back to a 4-2-3-1 in the closing stages to stabilize, South Korea sealed the 3-1 victory in stoppage time thanks to a wedge from In-Ju Gyu (Ulsan).

The tactical change turned out to be the right one. However, it could have been an easier win if the change had been made earlier.

Apart from the wins and losses, it is also very disappointing that the team did little to experiment with generational changes during this two-game series.

Yang Min-hyuk (Gangwon), the K-League's “Young Gun,” Jeong Ho-yeon (Gwangju), the most stable and consistent midfielder in the K-League from last year to this year, and Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City), who has been a revelation in the English Championship (Division 2), have not played a single minute in the two games.

South Korea is currently an “old team” with an average starting age of nearly 30.

A generational change is urgently needed to improve their chances of qualifying for the World Cup.

The change of generation needs to happen quickly, even for the sake of European veterans like Son Heung-min (Tottenham) and Lee Jae-sung (Mainz), who are the mainstays of the national team.

“The national team's uneven performance is due to the tendency to 'rotate' the main players,” says Park Moon-sung. In addition, it would be difficult to manage their physical condition if they continue to play full-time during the grueling third qualifying round schedule, which involves traveling back and forth between Korea and the Middle East,” said Park.

“It's understandable to a certain extent now that the coach has just changed, but in the future, the team should make a concrete plan for young players such as Bae Jun-ho and Yang Min-hyuk to grow to a level where they can support the main players to some extent,” he said. 안전놀이터