Kim Eun-joong’s U20 team will face the Super Eagles of Nigeria on Friday (June 5) on the road to the semifinals of the FIFA U20 World Cup 2023. The key to victory will be to shut down the opposition’s counterattacks and stay focused on defense.
먹튀검증 South Korea conceded five goals in four games in the group stage and round of 16. In three of those games, they conceded goals, all from penalties. While some of the calls were unfair, a lot of the blame can be put on a lack of defensive focus. We needed to be more focused and play safe inside the penalty box.
Nigeria has three wins and one loss in four matches in the tournament. They have scored six goals and conceded three. In attack, the team was characterized by accurate long balls and pace. They tried to play long balls from the back to find space behind the defense and took advantage of their strikers’ quick feet.
Kim Eun-Joong-ho will need to pre-empt Nigeria’s use of the long ball and increase his defensive concentration inside the penalty box. It is important to press from a higher point and reduce the accuracy of the long ball, and not to foul the attackers who quickly penetrate the penalty box.
In particular, you need to perfect your mental image of the situation in which you conceded the penalty. Unnecessary physical contact and hard tackles can lead to bad results. You should also familiarize yourself with the penetration and dribbling patterns of the Nigerian attackers, as they are very fast.
As the old saying goes, “don”t fix your laces under the oak tree”. This is something that Kim Eun-Joong-ho should take to heart after being banned from taking penalties. In the penalty box, it might be a case of ‘PK allowed even if it’s a swipe’. In defense, it is first safe, second safe.