SEOUL– With South Korea scheduled to play four friendly matches in three cities in a span of 13 days this month, with three days of break in between, some players might have felt exhausted just looking at the calendar.
Jeong Woo-yeong, the youngest member of the national team at 22, wasn’t one of them.
“Obviously, we’re playing a lot of matches, but I was really looking forward to them,” Jeong said during an online press conference Wednesday in Suwon, some 35 kilometers south of Seoul. South Korea will host Paraguay there Friday for the third of their four matches, as part of their preparation for the FIFA World Cup in November.
“I am having so much fun. This is an opportunity for me to play with some great players,” the attacker for SC Freiburg added. “I am not tired at all. Physically, I am feeling great.”
Jeong was a second-half sub in a 5-1 loss to Brazil last Thursday. Then he started as an attacking midfielder in a 2-0 win over Chile on Monday, supporting the lone striker, Son Heung-min of Tottenham Hotspur, from the secondary line of attack while being flanked by wingers Hwang Hee-chan and Na Sang-ho.
Jeong was a bundle of energy throughout his 67 minutes on the pitch — the most he has played for South Korea since his international debut in March 2021. He assisted on Hwang’s goal on 12 minutes and also showed off chemistry with Son in creating some dangerous moments in the attacking third.
Jeong has played as a forward or an attacking midfielder for his Bundesliga club and said versatility is one of his strengths.
“I think I am able to handle any position. It’s really up to me to play in a way that the coach (Paulo Bento) wants me to,” Jeong said. “And I’ve been getting so much help from the veterans that it’s been an easy transition.”
After the Chile match, Bento, who doesn’t often single out players for praise, went out of his way to compliment Jeong on his performance. The coach noted Jeong’s “very good technical skills” and his understanding of the game on both offense and defense.
“The coach demands a quick transition to defense when we lose the possession, and I think I’ve been successful in that regard,” Jeong said. “Before the Chile match, he told me to look for open space that Heung-min could create and to help the striker with my own off-ball movements.”
Jeong, despite being one of South Korea’s top talents in his age group, was left off the under-24 national team for the Tokyo Olympics last summer. Jeong admitted he was “very disappointed” that his hard work hadn’t been enough for an opportunity to play in the Olympics and said he used that snub to push himself even harder.
At this rate, Jeong making the final World Cup roster won’t be that much of a shock.
“We all want to win the remaining two matches here,” Jeong said. “Regardless of our opponents, if we keep working on our strategies and stay ready, we should have great results at the World Cup.”
Source: Yonhap News Agency