Hiddink Gave a Lecture on `European Soccer...`

"The USA team is as same level as the European teams. On the whole, the players are in good physical constitution. In order to earn a win in the finals, the Korean team should be able to overpower the opponent players who will try to control the field with power and speed."

Guus Hiddink, head coach of the national team, gave a lecture on `European soccer and Korean soccer` to active soccer coaches in the seminar celebrating the completion of the National Football Center at Paju yesterday. In this lecture, Mr. Hiddink made a concrete evaluation on Korea`s first round opponents, Portugal, Poland, and USA, which attracted much attention.

Mr. Hiddink evaluated that while the Poland team was a typical team playing in powerful European style with good side attacks, the Portugal team could be seen as `South American-style European soccer` for which players had excellent personal skills with outstanding teamwork. It was his evaluation on the USA team that attracted most attention in this lecture. Mr. Hiddink said that the USA team should be regarded as one of European teams just like Poland and Portugal.

Currently, 8 USA players, including Earnie Stewart belonging to NAC Breda of Dutch Honor Division, are playing in the European professional leagues. Mr. Hiddink stressed that he would establish the detailed counter-strategy against the USA team of European style with power and speed.

Meanwhile, Head Coach Hiddink said confidently that the Korean team could advance to the second round of the World Cup finals, emphasizing the achievements since he began to lead the national team in January.

Mr. Hiddink pointed out the lack of dialogue among the Korean national team players as the biggest difference from the European players. He talked frankly that as the national team was divided by three age groups such as young age (18-23 years old), middle age (23-27 years old) and old age (28-32 years old), they not only ate separately, but also they have not talked with each other even in casual times. Such a bad culture of the national team resulted in the ill-organized teamwork in the actual game. Despite that players should shout to notify the location and to point out a fault each other like the European payers do, for Korean team, the young players have never thought of raising their voices to elder players. However, Mr. Hiddink said that the situation noticeably improved now.

Mr. Hiddink repeatedly stressed that "the Korean national team has pursued simultaneously the selection of players with abilities comparable to the world-known players, and the development of play system, which currently completed 90 percent of the purpose. If the Korean team participates in the World Cup finals after making up for the weak points to be located in the evaluation games with the stronger teams rather than the weaker teams, it will be able to advance to the semi-quarter finals."

Yang Jong-Koo yjongk@donga.com