The clock ticked to July 18th in Beijing, and with the countdown to the 2022 East Asian Cup, a grand press conference kicked off online as expected. In this conference, South Korea's head coach Paulo Bento bluntly stated his ambition: "Our national team has written a glorious chapter in the East Asian Cup."
Looking back at the past three editions of the East Asian Cup, South Korea have always stood on the winner's podium. Paulo Bento, the decorated coach who led the team to win the last East Asian Cup, was confident: "We will face a very different challenge this time compared to our title-winning trip in 2019. Back then, we had plenty of time to prepare for the tournament, whereas now, the K-League schedule makes it difficult for us to fully concentrate. However, our determination will not waver and the goal is to reach the top again."
It's worth noting that the East Asian Cup is not an official FIFA tournament, so it can't attract players who play in Europe like Son. Coach Paulo Bento accordingly chose more players from the K-League. During the press conference, the discussion about the gap between Asian and European soccer sparked concern. In the face of this topic, Coach Bento said bluntly, "Asian soccer and European soccer are originally divided into different continents, so there is no need to make unnecessary comparisons."
This East Asian Cup is not only the final battle for the players to get a ticket to the World Cup in Qatar, but also an excellent stage for Coach Paulo Bento to conduct tactical experiments. In this regard, Bento said, "This tournament is different from 2019 and the preparation period has changed, so this is a good opportunity for newcomers and veterans to prepare and grow together."
