North Korea
so the friendly against Germany gave me the chance to look at a team rated as dark horses for the World Cup- North Korea.
Group C: Colombia, Sweden, USA
Background: a traditional powerhouse whose star has since faded a little.
Tactics: the North Koreans play a 4-1-4-1. They are well-organised at the back, always having the numbers. defence is the priority. they play a simple, effective passing game, moving the ball quickly, making use of the whole pitch well.
Strengths: Organisation, hardworking, teamwork
weakness: too passive approach
The fact is that North Korea remains an unknown entity. they lost 3-0 to Germany last year, lost 2-0 yesterday. but it was a completely different game. they gave Germany a much stiffer test, being hard to break down until a rare defensive error forced a penalty which Kulig converted, before a late second goal that perhaps could have been disallowed because Celia Okoniyo obviously gave the defender a push to get to the throughball. and they carved the German defence open on a number of occasions, hitting the post once.
even their most glaring weakness last year, the lack of aerial ability, considering germany scored all 3 goals from headers, was not apparent yesterday. they dealt with all the balls crossed in comfortably.
Was this their best team? the commentator said that 6 or 7 players didn't make this trip. North Korea, as ever, remains an enigma.
But you could see from yesterday the basic idea of their game play. soak up the pressure, build up from the back with quick short passes to get out of tight areas, then a long pass to switch flank or forward for the striker to lay the ball back again for an advancing attacker who then releases another attacker. what struck me was the calmness with which they played. always very calculated decisions. they could always make the best decision, ie we as viewers looking at the pitch from a vantage point could see the big picture, see where the ball should go, and you can expect them to try and get the ball there.
Prospects:
my gripe is that they seem to be essentially a counter-attacking team. i always feel that a team, if it wants to win a tournament, must be able to dominate possession, control the game and attack. yet this approach could suit them, considering they are up against sweden, usa, who are similar to germany, and colombia, an all-out attack team.
having said that, looking at the way they passed the ball, i suspect that they are more than capable of camping outside the opposition box, slowly prying before releasing a killer pass.
how good they really are, we will only know after their opening game. but one thing is certain: they will make lives difficult for their opponents. Germany had selected North Korea as their first test opponents for this reason.
Group C: Colombia, Sweden, USA
Background: a traditional powerhouse whose star has since faded a little.
Tactics: the North Koreans play a 4-1-4-1. They are well-organised at the back, always having the numbers. defence is the priority. they play a simple, effective passing game, moving the ball quickly, making use of the whole pitch well.
Strengths: Organisation, hardworking, teamwork
weakness: too passive approach
The fact is that North Korea remains an unknown entity. they lost 3-0 to Germany last year, lost 2-0 yesterday. but it was a completely different game. they gave Germany a much stiffer test, being hard to break down until a rare defensive error forced a penalty which Kulig converted, before a late second goal that perhaps could have been disallowed because Celia Okoniyo obviously gave the defender a push to get to the throughball. and they carved the German defence open on a number of occasions, hitting the post once.
even their most glaring weakness last year, the lack of aerial ability, considering germany scored all 3 goals from headers, was not apparent yesterday. they dealt with all the balls crossed in comfortably.
Was this their best team? the commentator said that 6 or 7 players didn't make this trip. North Korea, as ever, remains an enigma.
But you could see from yesterday the basic idea of their game play. soak up the pressure, build up from the back with quick short passes to get out of tight areas, then a long pass to switch flank or forward for the striker to lay the ball back again for an advancing attacker who then releases another attacker. what struck me was the calmness with which they played. always very calculated decisions. they could always make the best decision, ie we as viewers looking at the pitch from a vantage point could see the big picture, see where the ball should go, and you can expect them to try and get the ball there.
Prospects:
my gripe is that they seem to be essentially a counter-attacking team. i always feel that a team, if it wants to win a tournament, must be able to dominate possession, control the game and attack. yet this approach could suit them, considering they are up against sweden, usa, who are similar to germany, and colombia, an all-out attack team.
having said that, looking at the way they passed the ball, i suspect that they are more than capable of camping outside the opposition box, slowly prying before releasing a killer pass.
how good they really are, we will only know after their opening game. but one thing is certain: they will make lives difficult for their opponents. Germany had selected North Korea as their first test opponents for this reason.
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