Son Heung-min is hurt and public opinion is bad… The Korea-Japan Football Dilemma

When Son Heung-min complains of thigh pain, a medical team is dispatched to examine the injured area. [AP=연합뉴스]

Tottenham Hotspur Son Heung-min, 29, fell. Both the team and the Korean soccer team ahead of Japan and Korea are in a somber atmosphere from the sudden departure of Ace.

Son Heung-min was injured in the 17th minute of the first half against Arsenal in the 2020-21 season English Premier League (EPL) round 28 in the 2020-21 season held at the Emirates Stadium in London on the 15th. He complained of pain in the back of his left thigh (hamstring) after sprinting once. It was eventually replaced two minutes later. After the game, Tottenham coach Jose Mourinho said with a dark expression, “I don’t know how long it will take to return.” Tottenham lost 1-2.

British local media analyzed Son Heung-min’s injury as “a result of overwork.” Football London said, “Son Heung-min played in all 27 EPL games this season and played 2343 minutes until just before Arsenal. He pointed out, “If you add up to the Europa League and Cup competitions, 41 matches will reach 3140 minutes.” “Son Heung-min played too much,” said Alan Smith, commentator on Sky Sports in the UK.

The recovery period is unknown. Son Heung-min also hurt his hamstring in September of last year. At the time, he broke the expectation of “at least 2-3 weeks” and returned to the ground after a week. If it takes more than two weeks to recover, they will not be able to participate in the national team evaluation match in Yokohama, Japan on the 25th.

On the 15th, the Korean national soccer team coach Paulo Bento, who announced the convocation list of the national team before Korea and Japan, said with a calm expression, “I will decide whether to exclude (Son Heung-min’s) entry after watching the results of the inspection of the team.” As a Bento coach who was trying to confront Japan as the best member of all over the world, Son Heung-min’s vacancy is a variable of concern.

Korea-Japan soccer team list (24 players)

It is also unclear that Hwang Hee-chan (Leipzig) will join the national team. Although the name was put on the list, the team is in the position that “if the self-quarantine is not exempted when returning to the national team, it cannot be sent”. Hwang Eui-jo (Bordeaux), Lee Jae-seong (Holstein Kiel), Hwang In-beom (Rubin Kazan), and Kim Min-jae (Beijing Guoan) have also failed to convene. Coach Bento said, “We are thinking about the best way to operate the national team in consideration of the specificity of the situation (according to Corona 19).” Bento has also selected six key members of the Olympic national team, including Lee Kang-in (Valencia), Jung Woo-young (Freiburg), Jo Young-wook, Yoon Jong-gyu (Lee Sang Seoul), Lee Dong-jun (Ulsan), and Um Won-sang (Gwangju). We plan to check their competitiveness through actual battles. Last year, Ulsan Hyundai’s Asian Champions League championship, Yun Bitgaram, was also called.

The national team convenes at Incheon International Airport on the 22nd and goes straight to Japan. After going through Korea and Japan on the 25th, I return to Korea the next day. Coach Bento said, “Our mission and role is to lead the national team as best as possible, as far as the conditions allow. I will thoroughly follow the quarantine regulations.” This remark was made with concerns about the expedition in Japan, including 15,000 signatures on the Blue House national petition asking for “Stop the Korean-Japanese match of football”.

Reporter Song Ji-hoon [email protected]