Not the most ideal group, but not the worst either.
Mixed reactions to this group will be pervasive in the Korean camp. On one hand, we are more than capable of competing against Mexico, RSA, and whichever UEFA team makes it out of their qualifiers… on paper. We no doubt have the star power to get out of this group… on paper. And we avoided our likely worst-case scenario of Brazil or Argentina, Norway, and another UEFA side from pot 4. We really can’t complain how this draw went, even if it could’ve gone better.
But then reality sets in: we’re playing Mexico in Mexico. All our matches will be in Guadalajara or Monterrey; had we been drawn into Los Angeles, NY/NJ, or Atlanta we’d essentially be the home team. South Africa topped a group that included Nigeria and are a well-coached team (unlike us). And whichever team makes it out of UEFA won’t be easy either.
And most damning of all: we’re one of the worst coached sides in the World Cup. Despite world class names like Son Heung Min, Lee Kang In, and Kim Min Jae (pretty sure no other team can match these guys player for player), we have no identity. We have no play style. We lose to Asian minnows all the time. We rely on moments of individual brilliance (usually from the above three) to carry us. Despite recent wins against USA, Paraguay, Ghana, and Bolivia and a very exciting back and forth 2-2 draw against Mexico, most of us will have felt a bit disappointed by the way we played and how the same mistakes repeat over and over again. The Ghana coach Otto Addo even pointed out that his side only lost because they were missing their key players, couldn’t finish, and that Japan was a level above us – the last bit being the most damning thing you could say to Korean fans. Our island rivals are so well coached, so well drilled, they can pull off a surprise win against … pretty much any team. They don’t need world class individuals (they don’t have any) – they have a cohesive team.
This is why every team in our group could very well beat us. There is a realistic scenario where we only get 0 or 1 point and crash out despite the expanded round of 32. Remember 2014 the last time Hong Myung Bo was in charge? We crashed out hard against “beatable” opponents in Algeria and Russia. Not qualifying in the top 32 of 48 would be very damning for Hong Myung Bo – the man who was once the national team captain and national hero, but is single handedly (alongside the ever so corrupt KFA) causing the nation to lose interest in the national team, with attendance at NT matches decreasing every match since his appointment. But on the flip side there is a very realistic scenario where we could pull off 6, 7, or maybe even 9 points. Seems unlikely… but our fate is in our hands.
If we solve our issues and Hong Myung Bo finally decides to fix our shape/organization/decides on a best XI and formation, then we can do this. If not, we may very well crash out of a very doable group. The draw placed our destiny in our hands – I believe in our team, but the last few years will have left many of us more pessimistic than hopeful.