SEOUL– At age 25 with just 18 caps to his credit, South Korean winger Na Sang-ho is still learning as he is gaining international experience.
And Na doesn’t have to look too far for sources of inspiration. He shared the field with a few of them Monday, when he got the start alongside three Europe-based attackers against Chile in a friendly match.
Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur started as the lone striker while wearing the captain’s armband. The country’s one other Premier League player, Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers, started on the wing, opposite Na. Jeong Woo-yeong, based in Germany with SC Freiburg, was the attacking midfielder.
South Korea prevailed 2-0. The attacking foursome created some dangerous looks and could have produced more goals with better finishing around the net.
Na, who came off the bench in a 5-1 loss to Brazil in the earlier friendly last Thursday, said it was an eye-opening experience to play alongside Son, Jeong and Hwang.
“Heung-min and Woo-yeong are really exceptional players with the ball at their feet. I tried to learn how they created chances for others with their passes and off-ball movements,” Na said in an online press conference from Suwon, some 35 kilometers south of Seoul, on Wednesday, two days before South Korea’s next match against Paraguay. “Hee-chan put so much pressure on the opposing defense with his aggressive play and explosive speed. I felt I had to work harder to keep up with those guys.”
Na also took cues from Neymar when he got a firsthand look at the transcendent star for Brazil.
“The way he kept getting out of trouble with skills was impressive,” Na said. “And he played with so much composure and poise.”
Na’s previous start for South Korea had come in September last year during the World Cup qualifying campaign. Na had been called up for more World Cup qualifiers in March this year but missed action after testing positive for COVID-19.
Na recalled how frustrated he had been to miss out on that opportunity in March, not knowing when he’d be called up for international duty again.
But he soon overcame bouts of self-doubt and used the near miss in March as fuel for his play with the K League 1 club, FC Seoul.
The club and the national team have a similar style of play, as they both seek to develop scoring opportunities from the back while holding on to the ball as much as they can. Na said it has eased his transition into the national team mix.
Na made his international debut in November 2018, during the early days of the current national team head coach, Paulo Bento. As long as Na has been healthy, Bento has been selecting Na consistently. And Na doesn’t take his run with the national team for granted.
“There is always pressure when you play on the national team. I know I can be dropped from the picture on a moment’s notice if I don’t keep putting in the work,” Na said. “But I think I’ve been able to execute all the things he wants from his attackers. That’s probably why I’ve been getting called up.”
Na said the first two of the four friendlies this month — after Paraguay, South Korea will host Egypt next Monday — had been an important confidence builder for himself, but there’s still much work to be done.
“We had some great moments in the offensive process, but we didn’t finish well,” Na said of the Chile match. “We’re going to have to address that and be more decisive around the net.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency