KFA says Hong Myung-bo's tactical approach is a perfect fit for Korea

KFA Technical Director Lee Lim-saeng said Monday that new Korean national team manager Hong Myung-bo’s football style fits the squad best and will “elevate the style” of play.

KFA Techincal Director Lee Lim-saeng speaks during a press conference at KFA House in central Seoul on Monday. [YONHAP]

KFA Technical Director Lee Lim-saeng said Monday that new Korean national team manager Hong Myung-bo’s football style fits the squad best and will “elevate the style” of play.

“When you look at manager Hong’s playing style, the team progresses a build-up with a Lavolpiana formation and takes a back-three formation,” Lee said during a press conference at KFA House in central Seoul, referring to the three-man build-up sometimes named after Argentine coach Ricardo La Volpe. “[Hong] also uses that type of build-up and his team attacks the opposing team’s backline effectively. He also uses players well, and his team have shown good crosses and made good line-breaking skills in the attacking third.

“He also effectively maintains the pace of the game, balances attack and defense well and shows good positioning skills, all the things that the national team need to develop.”

The press conference took place a day after the KFA announced Hong as the national team’s new permanent boss. The appointment means Hong’s exit from K League 1 team Ulsan HD, where he has spent about three years, and a whiplash-inducing turnaround for the incoming manager who said as recently as last week that he was not interested in the Korea job.

Hong Myung-bo poses for a photo after a K League 1 match between Ulsan Hyundai, now called Ulsan HD, and Daegu FC at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium in Ulsan on Oct. 29, 2023. [NEWS1]

Lee also said that he appointed Hong as he thought the veteran manager is more accomplished than other foreign managers, having won two league titles and reached the AFC Champions League semifinals this year.

“I also judged that a foreign manager would not have enough time to fully understand the Korean players ahead of the World Cup qualifiers in September,” Lee said. “And I also felt that [Hong's] failure with the national team [from 2013 to 2014] could be used well depending on the circumstances.”

Hong took charge of the national team in 2013, but resigned after failing to reach the knockout stage of the 2014 World Cup.

He continued his coaching career and took the helm of Chinese team Hangzhou Greentown, now called Zhejiang Professional FC, but left the position after seeing poor results. But things began to turn around with Ulsan in 2020, winning the league title twice in 2022 and 2023.

“You've all seen Ulsan,” Lee said. “They are No. 1 in build-ups and creating opportunities in the K League. I had to think about the third round of World Cup qualifiers and qualifying for our 11th World Cup while elevating the style that our players already have.”

Lee also said that he respected two other candidates but was worried about the squad adapting to their style in such a short period.

Hong will lead the national team through the 2026 World Cup and the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

His exit from Ulsan leaves the K League 1 defending champions stuck without a manager in the middle of the ongoing 2024 K League season.

The appointment also ends speculation that the KFA could still hire a foreign manager after failed talks with those reportedly on the radar like Jesse Marsch, Senol Gunes and Jesus Casas.

The KFA National Team Committee, then led by Chung Hae-sung, reportedly attempted to hire a foreign manager but failed to get a deal finalized, forcing the KFA to appoint Hwang Sun-hong in March and Kim Do-hoon in June as caretakers.

Chung resigned on June 28, leaving Lee to continue the appointment process. Lee flew to Europe last week and interviewed two foreign manager candidates, whom he declined to name, but the deals did not go through. Former Greek national team boss Gus Poyet and ex-Norwich City manager David Wagner were reportedly the two candidates.

Lee flew back to Korea at the end of the week, appointing Hong almost immediately. The move came as a surprise — just a couple of days earlier, Hong had joked that he might head to Seoul when Lee came to Ulsan to avoid the conversation.

BY PAIK JI-HWAN [paik.jihwan@joongang.co.kr]