[KoreaTimes 2006-02-28 17:18:55] By Kim Hyun-cheolStaff Reporter
At a press conference, members of the South Korean national football team appeared cautiously confident about what they might accomplish in their bid to remake history in this year’s World Cup in Germany.
The squad, along with coach Dick Advocaat, met reporters for the first time since their return from overseas training.
Many of the players displayed a strong determination to realize success in Germany, and leading that were foreign-based players.
``I’m certain we can reach further than the round-of-16,’’ said Park Ji-sung, South Korea’s leading athlete who plays for England’s Manchester United. ``And we’re all set to prove the world it [Korea’s semifinal berth in 2002] was not a product of sheer luck and home turf advantage.’’
Another Premiership player, Lee Young-pyo of Tottenham Hotspurs, put a higher grade on the current squad than that of 2002. ``It’ll be difficult to revive the things we did four years ago, but all of us are full of confidence,’’ he said. ``In every way we are a better team than in 2002.’’
One of the 2002 squad, defender Choi Jin-cheul, was in accord with the two, also praising his teammates by noting: ``Younger players are putting in a lot of effort to make something. I believe we can make our goal too.’’
There is still competition going on within the squad to book their spot to the final entry. A total of 23 players are allowed on the team roster and 18 for each of the matches, while 23 players, excluding the six foreign-based players, went on the overseas training trip.
``I still don’t know if I can make it to Germany or not. I think I’ve been quite lucky so far,’’ Lee Ho, one of the most impressive young players on the squad, said cautiously. But not all of the players were so shy.
``There will be a spot for me if I go on like this,’’ Lee Chun-soo, another 2002 member, said. ``I’m different from at the 2002 World Cup, and better now.’’
Park Chu-young, whose performance was below most expectations during the program, didn’t seem to lose steam. ``What counts is to stay to the finals. I have more to show and I have more to learn, and the rest is up to them (coaching staff) to judge,’’ Park said.
South Korea is drawn in Group G in the German World Cup with France, Switzerland and Angola.
It will have to vie hard to secure a berth to the round-of-16, given to the top two teams in each group, with Switzerland. With most of its players young and equipped with energy and speed, Switzerland is a team South Korea will have to get over to go further than the first round.
Though its most brilliant days have passed, France is a favorite to top the group.
Back in 2002, ``les bleus’’ was named one of the squads fit for the World Cup title as a defending champion, but suffered a stunning 1-0 opening loss to Senegal and eventually fell to a miserable elimination.
Still the Europeans outshine their opponents in the group. France will play Slovakia on Wednesday, and its squad is full of international top-level athletes.
It added emerging striker Louis Saha of British club Manchester United, Nicola Anelka of Turkey’s Fenerbace and defender Philip Mexes of Italy’s AS Roma. Excluded this time include Ludovic Giuly of Barcelona, Gibril Cisse of Liverpool and Robert Pirres of Arsenal.
Like many other African debutants, such as Senegal in 2002, Togo’s recent outcome has blasted its bubble a bit.
At this year’s African Nations Cup, it was grouped with Cameroon, Congo and Angola, another World Cup qualifier which will play Korea in today's friendly, and ended up losing all three matches for an elimination. It also led to another internal problem as its head coach, Stephen Keshi, was sacked from the post, although most players were against the decision.
South Korea will take on France, Switzerland and Togo in its group qualification. Starting with Togo on June 13 in Frankfurt, it will play France on the 18th in Leipzig and Switzerland four days later in Hanover.
