Team K League Press Conference Highlights: Park Tae-ha, Lee Seung-woo, Joo Min-kyu | OneFootball

Highlights from the Team K League press conference with manager Park Tae-ha and forwards Lee Seung-woo and Joo Min-kyu.

Park Tae-ha

Thoughts ahead of the game:

We welcome top-class players from a global football club called Tottenham. It will be a good time to evaluate the level of K League players. It is also a meaningful time for players to see how good their individual abilities are compared to top-class players. They also played well against Atletico Madrid last year. We will do our best tomorrow.

On whether the players taking the game seriously:

In the previous game, I actually observed the Coupang Play series from the outside as the technical director. It was good to see the players doing their best during the Tottenham game two years ago and the Atletico Madrid game last year. I think that atmosphere will be formed this year as well. Of course, it is tiring because of the tight schedule, but I think it will be a good evaluation of the K League's performance and of individual performances. The players will also be aware of that.

Plans in terms of game time:

We will allocate time. Most players will be given about 45 minutes. We will first organize domestic players and have them play in the first half. In the second half, we plan to mainly have foreign players and have two or three domestic players.

Thoughts on facing Son Heung-min:

I don't need to judge, everyone knows (about Son Heung-min). He's a bit older now but his performances have remained the same. He's the most dangerous and best player in the world.

On his plans for Yang Min-hyuk:

A lot's been focused on that. I plan to use him in the first half.

On what sort of football he wants to play:

The impression I got from watching Team K League for two years was that they were very active and had a good will to win. It is not easy to ask for tactics. I believe in the individual abilities of the players and plan to lead them in an aggressive and creative way, even if only briefly. I plan to simply organise things like defensive participation, movement, and positioning. I believe that Team K League will play well because of the performances they have shown for two years.

Message to the fans:

As a coach, I personally want the players to play well and leave a lasting memory for the fans.

[READ: Preview: Team K League vs. Tottenham Hotspur]

Lee Seung-woo

Thoughts heading into the game:

Many fans have come to watch the open training. I hope we can enjoy the game together with the fans tomorrow too.

On how he wants to play:

I want to enjoy it with the fans rather than it be about how I play. Since it is an exhibition match, I hope that the fans who come will also come to the K League and like it a lot because there will be many goals. We (Jeonbuk) will play against Pohang in two weeks, so I will be able to understand the coach's tactics.

On the Team K League player he's looking forward to working with:

They are all good players. Since I transferred to Jeonbuk Hyundai, I won't have much opportunity to play with Joo Min-kyu, who is on a rival team. We only played against each other, but we ended up playing together in the All-Star Game. We played together last year, and I remember feeling comfortable because he was such a good striker. This year, I will work well together and score.

On swapping shirts with Son Heung-min:

I think the competition will be quite fierce. I talked about it beforehand, but I didn't get a definite answer. I will continue to talk about it before or during the game, and if it doesn't work out, I will go for another player. For now, Son Heung-min is my first target.

Aside from Son Heung-min, other Tottenham players he's looking forward to facing:

I'm a forward, so I'm looking forward to playing against Tottenham's defenders and it'll be fun. Rather than picking a specific player, I'm looking forward to playing with players who are so good at defending.

On whether players are worried about swapping shirts:

We're not talking because we're fighting over who's going to get whose shirt. I think we're going to go and talk tomorrow. It looks like the competition will be fierce.

On how he'll approach the game:

Playing against Tottenham, many scouts will be watching. (Yoon) Do-young, and (Yang) Min-hyuk who will go to Tottenham, I think it would be great if they could go to a good team and a good country at a young age and get to know overseas football quickly. Starting with (Yang) Min-hyeok, there are many capable players like (Jeong) Ho-yeon and (Yoon) Do-young. If those players get lucky and go to a better stage, it would be really good.

On Yang Hyun-jun's performance against Spurs two years ago:

I think we need to create a stage for (Yang) Min-hyuk. He joined Tottenham, and all the (Team K League) players will support him and give him the ball a lot so that his new manager and the Tottenham players will feel that he is a good player. We will help Min-hyuk do well by creating areas where he can do well.

On advice for Yang Min-hyuk before moving abroad:

I hope Min-hyuk learns the language quickly, but he's already learning it. Even if he doesn't speak, players his age these days seem to know how to do it well. He should eat more British food than Korean food. Usually, in the hotel (for Team K League), we order room service but, but he went out and had pancakes and an omelette.

Message to the fans:

feel it every week, but every year, the number of fans increases and the atmosphere is good. I am grateful to the fans who come to K League. I hope that even those who do not know K League well will come to K League after watching the game. I sincerely thank Coupang Play for bringing good teams over every year. Next year, I want Real Madrid, Barcelona, ​​and Bayern Munich. Coupang Play is the best.

Joo Min-kyu

Thoughts ahead of the Tottenham game:

As the manager said, it's an honour to play against a global football club. I'll do my best to put on a good performance tomorrow.

On how he wants to play:

We had a meeting with the manager and know how he wants us to play. It's been a day (together as a team) but I think it's right for our players to quickly recognise the kind of football the coach is pursuing and move forward.

On facing Son Heung-min:

After training with him, I can really feel that he is a world-class player. It goes without saying, all the players think he's a world-class star. We're going to have to do well to stop him.

On which Team K League player he's looking forward to playing with:

Last year, when I linked up well with (Lee) Seung-woo, (I thought) he was a very good player. I think I'll be able to score lots of goals too, but it's a pity he moved to Jeonbuk. It's a pleasure to play with him in an exhibition game like this, and I think we'll work well together tomorrow.

Aside from Son Heung-min, other Tottenham players he's looking forward to playing against:

I'm the same, I can't really pick just one either. I'm thinking about going up against their defenders.

Who he wants to swap shirts with:

Is there any tension among the players about shirt swapping? I think there's a bit of nerves. (Lee) Seung-woo has already contacted Son Heung-min about his shirt, I'm aware of that. I'll do my best to get in there first and swap shirts (with him).

Feeling heading into the game:

With Yang Min-hyuk gone it shows that representatives from overseas clubs know that there are good young players in K League. My feeling is just that I hope the young players can earn moves abroad with the help of this game. I'm heading into this game with a mindset of wanting to help.

Yang Hyung-jun's performance two years ago:

I want to help (Yang) Min-hyuk) as well, I hope that (Jeong) Ho-yeon and (Yoon) Do-young do well. With (Yang) Min-hyuk going to Tottenham he'll want to do well. I hope they all play well and get moves overseas.

Message to the fans:

A lot of fans are coming. Many may only watch overseas football but I hope through tomorrow's game that many will watch K League too.