As South Korea's U-17 national soccer team failed to advance to the round of 16 by losing all three group qualifying games at the 2023 U-17 World Cup in Indonesia last month, it was analyzed that the cause was defense and psychological conditions.
The Korean national team led by coach Byun Kyung-hwan was eliminated in this year's event held in Indonesia last month after losing to the U.S. (1-3), France (0-1), and Burkina Faso (1-2). It is the first time that Korea failed in all of its losses in this year's event.
Coach Byeon looked back on the entire process of the U-17 World Cup at the FIFA U-17 World Cup Special 2023 KFA Leadership Conference held at the YMCA International Youth Culture Center in Goyang on the 13th. "We revealed our lack of one-on-one defense, team defense, and response in case of defense transition," he said. "We tried to supplement it after the Asian Cup, but the same mistakes were repeated."
Choi Sung-hwan, a lecturer at the Korea Football Association, also pointed out the issue of switching defense. "When the ball was taken away in the last World Cup, the U-17 national team was ranked third among 24 countries in terms of immediately stealing it again. However, when the ball was taken away, the percentage of players who delayed the opponent team's attack was 23rd," he said. "That's how much the team revealed its weakness in switching defense."
Lee Im-saeng, chairman of the Korea Football Association's technology development committee, pointed out psychological problems. "Young players tend to experience more psychological ups and downs. This can be seen in bigger stages," Lee said. "You have to play more games with physically sluggish teams. Even if you are defeated and afraid at first, you can grow by bumping into each other."
Players who played in person also confessed that they had psychological difficulties. "I was confident because I started the World Cup after performing well at the Asian Cup," said Kang Min-woo (Ulsan Hyundai U18). "However, it was a time when I realized that the world stage was different." 스포츠토토
"Looking back now, I don't think I've been able to train a lot to overcome the pressure on a big stage like the World Cup," Yang Min-hyuk (Gangwon FCU18) said. "If I can play in the U-17 World Cup again, I want to train myself more physically and play in the tournament with more mental skills so that I don't lose the tempo even if I make mistakes."