Korea goes through two coaches before Advocaat takes over
Outright odds : 250/1
Group G Winners : 10/1
South Korea shocked the soccer world four years back when they beat Italy and Spain to get to the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup. It was a noteworthy accomplishment. In the group stage, an opening match win over Poland and a shock 1-0 triumph over Portugal ensured they became the first Asian team to qualify from the group stage since Saudi Arabia in 1994.
In the second round they defeated Italy in extra time, a result which saw winning goal scorer Ahn Jung-Hwan sacked by his employers at Serie A club Perugia. They edged past Spain on penalties in the quarter-final before a narrow 1-0 defeat against Germany in the semis brought their fairytale run to a close.
expectancies have risen considerably since then and Guus Hiddink is a hard act to follow. During qualification Korea went through two coaches before fellow Dutchman Dick Advocaat usurped in preparation for the finals in Germany.
South Korea were far from convincing during qualification and Hiddkink’s successor, HUmberto Coelho, lasted only 2 qualifying matches. He resigned after an embarrassing goalless draw against the Maldives whose recent pedigree includes a 12-0 defeat to Syria and 17-0 hammering against Iran.
Jo Bonfrere usurped and despite steering the team to their 5th successive World Cup finals, quit in Aug 2005 following lacklustre performances. Korea finished as runners up in their qualifying group but endured home and away defeats to Saudi Arabia and an away draw to lowly Uzbekistan.
While Hiddink enjoyed nearly half a season with the team 4 years back in preparation for the 2002 finals, Advocaat, in comparison, has hardly had an opportunity to begin to know his squad.
South Korea will no longer be seen as an unproven quantity and a number of players are excelling at club level in Europe. Hiddink took a number of quality players with him to PSV Eindoven following the last contest while Park Ji-Sung secured a move to Manchester United.
it may also be argued that Korea have struggled defensively since some of their veteran defenders retired since the last World Cup. Significantly previous captain and defensive lynchpin Myung Bo Hong who participated in the 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002 finals, eventually retiring with 135 caps.
recommended Bet
Following an exceptional run 4 years ago, South Korea could revert to their old ways of not making it past the group stage. Expectancy is at abest-ever record} high but they could suffer from a shock against Togo in their opening match who might be good enough for a draw.
Togo vs South Korea draw 9/4.
Do you love to see the world? Want to see some of the best places in the world? Visit famouswonders.com to get an idea of where to go for your next vacation. Make sure to also check out Changdeokgung Palace facts.
