South Korea defender Kim Min-jae let his frustration show after the national team's listless performance left much to be desired.
After the Taeguk Warriors were held to a 0-0 draw against Venezuela at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium on Friday, Kim could not contain his anger, saying the defenders had been left to fend for themselves.
The team struggled to build attacks throughout the match, with repeated errors during goalkeeper-initiated buildup play. South Korea also repeatedly conceded dangerous counterattacks after losing possession, piling pressure on the backline.
Kim worked hard to cut off those counterattacks and keep a clean sheet, but the frustration mounted. He was eventually substituted off for Kim Tae-hyun in the 80th minute, and his emotions boiled over as he headed to the bench.
Broadcast footage captured Kim exchanging words with head coach Moreno with a visibly exasperated look before sitting down and flinging off his boots.
Kim made no effort to hide his disappointment in a post-match television interview.
"It was a game where we needed a turnaround, and I'm frustrated we couldn't get the result," he said. "There are many things that need to improve."
Asked specifically about the team's four-back system, Kim said the whole team needed to fight, press and defend together. "Today, the defenders were pitiful," he said. "It didn't feel like everyone was fighting together as a unit. Even if we had won 7-0 or 9-0 on Saturday, I wouldn't have felt good about it."
Kim also had pointed words ahead of the team's final match of the September-October A-match window — a clash against Uzbekistan.
"The most important thing is for the team to come together as one," he said. "Individual brilliance means nothing — we need to play as a unit to get results." He added that every player needed to put their head down and work hard to raise the team's level.
Son Heung-min agreed with Kim's remarks about the defenders bearing an unfair burden, saying the sentiment was shared across the squad.
"The forwards have their own thoughts too," Son said after the final whistle. "I understand what Min-jae said. He has been a rock for us at the back every game. I think the forwards need to do better."
Son also offered an apology to his defensive teammates. "As captain and as a teammate, I'm sorry and I'm grateful," he said. "There's no such thing as perfection in football. Getting close to perfect takes a lot of time and a lot of sacrifice. We need to execute that better going forward."
betterj@heraldcorp.com
