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Second time alarm? Hong’s pre-World Cup 'experiments' cast doubt on success in return as manager.

Published: 02 Apr. 2026, 18:03

Hong Myung-bo, the head coach of the Korean national football team, speaks at a press conference at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, England, on March 27, one day ahead of the match against the Ivory Coast. [YONHAP]

Korea returned battered and broken, its World Cup outlook even darker than before, from the hurricane that was its European trip, as coach Hong Myung-bo’s latest tinkering “experiments” did little to steady the ship.

Even Son Heung-min, Korea’s workhorse, looked off his game, with the British newspaper The Guardian ranking Korea No. 44 out of 48 teams in its latest World Cup power rankings.

Son failed to score in three straight internationals, including Saturday’s match against the Ivory Coast and Wednesday’s game against Austria. He has also gone eight straight matches without an open-play goal for LAFC this year, fueling talk that the forward’s age may finally be catching up to him.

“Son is the center of our team. I have never doubted that for a single moment,” Hong told reporters after returning through Incheon International Airport on Thursday from two away friendlies in Europe.

Team Korea’s abysmal results triggered The Guardian to rank Korea No. 44 out of 48 teams in its latest World Cup power rankings released on Wednesday.

“So unpopular has Hong become that there were those who wanted a similar result in Vienna in the hope there would be a change, but a 1-0 defeat against Austria means the window ends with more questions than before at both ends of the pitch,” wrote the newspaper.

Responding to criticism that Son’s performances had fallen short of expectations, Hong explained that the captain had been less than fully fit from the start of camp. “He had symptoms when he first joined the squad,” Hong said. “From what I’ve seen, Son is doing a very good job as our captain and as a veteran.”

When asked whether Son should remain an automatic starter, Hong responded, “It’s too early to discuss that.”

Son Heung-min lies down in the grass during the Korea's match against Austria at Ernst-Happel-Stadion in Vienna on March 31. [YONHAP]

Hong also indicated that his broader experimentation is largely over. “We have finished all our experiments with positional balance and squad composition,” he said. “I think we are more or less complete tactically.”

He added that the World Cup squad needs to be settled by mid-May and that he plans to use both data from this trip and continued observation of K League matches to finalize his choices.

The 4-0 loss to the Ivory Coast in particular appeared to impact Hong’s priorities.

“This time, it made me think even more that we absolutely cannot concede first at the World Cup,” Hong said, signaling that defensive stability has become his top concern.

Hong also noted that data showed a sharp drop in the players’ high-intensity output after the first-half hydration break.

“Tactical issues matter, but we also have to prepare well physically,” he said. “We’ll think about special methods tailored to the World Cup, such as training for 22 minutes and resting for three.”

This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
BY PARK RIN [[email protected]]