Hiddink, Get Over Cameroon

National soccer team led by Hiddink faces a highly regarded team. Korean team will host the evaluation game with Cameroon at the Suwon World Cup Stadium at 7 o`clock pm on 25th. This would be a crucial game to evaluate the Korean National team before the 2001 Confederation Cup.

The National Team has built up a systematic team play through Hong Kong Carlsberg Cup, Dubai International Competition and LG Cup at Cairo. But since opponents were relatively weak, it is hard to evaluate justly.

But the Cameroon National Team is a highly regarded team who had won the title in the Sydney Olympics and all starting members have played in the professional leagues in Europe. Therefore, the game with the Cameroon would certainly offer the chance to evaluate Korean team`s ability.

Cameroon`s best player, Mboma will not play in this game, but world-level players such as midfielder Olembe (Nantes) and Poe(Lyon), defender Song (West Ham United) will form the line-up.

Head Coach Hiddink will test the team tactics by fully using the `best 11` except Ko Jong-Su who participates in Asian Club Championship. Hwang Son-Hong, Seol Ki-Hyon, and Ahn Hyo-Yeon will be placed in the front offensive line, and Ha Seok-Ju, Lee Young-Pyo, Park Ji-Sung, and Song Jong-Gook will take the positions in the midfield line. Hong Myong-Bo, Lee Min-Sung, and Kim Tae-Young will play as defender, and Lee Wun-Jae is expected to play as a starting GK(goal keeper). Kim Do-Hoon, Yu Sang-Chul, Choi Yong-Su, and Yoon Jung-Hwan will support the starting members from the bench.

The formation will be a focal point of the evaluation which Head Coach Hiddink will array in the game with Cameroon. In the beginning of Hiddink’s coaching career, he had used 4-4-2 `four back system`, but he won the title in the LG Cup at Cairo by changing to 3-5-2 sweeper system. Soccer specialists have anticipated that Hiddink would use the sweeper system that places Hong Myong-Bo as a fixed defender in the rear. Because the Cameroon National Team is a strong team to the extent that Head Coach of Brazil has regarded as the strongest opponent, Korean team has to create a chance to score through side break-away and abrupt attack, maintaining a firm defensive line.

Kwon Soon-Il stt77@donga.com