S. Korea coach says team must grow as whole ahead of World Cup | Yonhap News Agency

## Summary
OK By Yoo Jee-ho SEOUL, March 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo acknowledged his team must improve as a whole for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, in light of a big loss to Ivory Coast in a friendly match in England on Saturday. Hong's team found the woodwork three times but did not generate other dangerous scoring chances. "I think we have to get better as a whole," Hong said at his postmatch press conference, adding that he understands fans' mounting concerns with the World Cup less than three months away. South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo (R) and his assistant Kim Jin-kyu watch their team play Ivory Coast in a friendly football match at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, England, on March 28, 2026. (Yonhap) "We ran some experiments with different lineup combinations, and we have to be better," Hong added. "It would have been nice to get a win here and create some positive momentum. But we have to keep finding ways to get better in this situation." Hong said his wingbacks were often forced to play deep in their own zone against Ivory Coast's pressing and thus weren't able to create counterattack looks as often as he would have liked. "Both on offense and defense, we have to be better with our details," the coach said. "Small things can make big differences." South Korean players react to a 4-0 loss to Ivory Coast in the teams' friendly football match at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, England, on March 28, 2026. (Yonhap) jeeho@yna.co.kr (END) Related Articles Son Heung-min calls on S.

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OK
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, March 29 (Yonhap) -- South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo acknowledged his team must improve as a whole for the upcoming FIFA World Cup, in light of a big loss to Ivory Coast in a friendly match in England on Saturday.
South Korea gave up goals to four different players at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, northwest of London, in a 4-0 loss. Hong's team found the woodwork three times but did not generate other dangerous scoring chances.
"I think we have to get better as a whole," Hong said at his postmatch press conference, adding that he understands fans' mounting concerns with the World Cup less than three months away.
South Korea head coach Hong Myung-bo (R) and his assistant Kim Jin-kyu watch their team play Ivory Coast in a friendly football match at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, England, on March 28, 2026. (Yonhap)
"We ran some experiments with different lineup combinations, and we have to be better," Hong added. "It would have been nice to get a win here and create some positive momentum. But I also think we can learn a lot from this match."
Despite several defensive breakdowns, Hong claimed he still saw "some positive elements" from his backline. He deployed three center backs and two wingbacks in his back-three formation, and those players had difficulty containing speedy and skilled Ivory Coast attackers, despite outnumbering them in the defensive zone.
"We have to help them keep growing," Hong said of his defenders. "It's not that difficult to revert to the back-four setup. But we have to keep finding ways to get better in this situation."
Hong said his wingbacks were often forced to play deep in their own zone against Ivory Coast's pressing and thus weren't able to create counterattack looks as often as he would have liked.
"Both on offense and defense, we have to be better with our details," the coach said. "Small things can make big differences."
South Korean players react to a 4-0 loss to Ivory Coast in the teams' friendly football match at Stadium MK in Milton Keynes, England, on March 28, 2026. (Yonhap)
jeeho@yna.co.kr
(END)
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S. Korea coach says team must grow as whole ahead of World Cup

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## Expert Analysis

### Merits
- Korea blanked by Ivory Coast in 1st match of World Cup year Keywords #football #coach Articles with issue keywords Most Liked 'BTS: The Return' captures brotherhood under 'heavy crown': director (2nd LD) Han Kang's 'We Do Not Part' wins NBCC Award for haunting portrayal of trauma (Movie Review) 'Salmokji: Whispering Water': mood runs deeper than plot (News Focus) Han Kang's NBCC win again spotlights art of translation Trump says Iran has given U.S. 'very significant prize' related to oil, gas Most Saved 'BTS: The Return' captures brotherhood under 'heavy crown': director (2nd LD) Han Kang's 'We Do Not Part' wins NBCC Award for haunting portrayal of trauma (News Focus) Han Kang's NBCC win again spotlights art of translation (Movie Review) 'Salmokji: Whispering Water': mood runs deeper than plot Trump calls nuclear-armed Iran 'cancer,' says U.S. 'cut it out' Most Viewed All Categories Trump says 'Cuba is next' as he highlights America's 'great' military Lee vows to swiftly retake wartime command from U.S., speed up military reform including selective conscription N.

### Areas for Consideration
- He deployed three center backs and two wingbacks in his back-three formation, and those players had difficulty containing speedy and skilled Ivory Coast attackers, despite outnumbering them in the defensive zone. "We have to help them keep growing," Hong said of his defenders. "It's not that difficult to revert to the back-four setup.
- Korea blanked by Ivory Coast in 1st match of World Cup year Keywords #football #coach Articles with issue keywords Most Liked 'BTS: The Return' captures brotherhood under 'heavy crown': director (2nd LD) Han Kang's 'We Do Not Part' wins NBCC Award for haunting portrayal of trauma (Movie Review) 'Salmokji: Whispering Water': mood runs deeper than plot (News Focus) Han Kang's NBCC win again spotlights art of translation Trump says Iran has given U.S. 'very significant prize' related to oil, gas Most Saved 'BTS: The Return' captures brotherhood under 'heavy crown': director (2nd LD) Han Kang's 'We Do Not Part' wins NBCC Award for haunting portrayal of trauma (News Focus) Han Kang's NBCC win again spotlights art of translation (Movie Review) 'Salmokji: Whispering Water': mood runs deeper than plot Trump calls nuclear-armed Iran 'cancer,' says U.S. 'cut it out' Most Viewed All Categories Trump says 'Cuba is next' as he highlights America's 'great' military Lee vows to swiftly retake wartime command from U.S., speed up military reform including selective conscription N.
- Korea, Ukraine FMs agree to handle issue of N.

### Implications
- Korea unable to contain Ivory Coast in dispiriting loss (LEAD) S.
- Korea blanked by Ivory Coast in 1st match of World Cup year Keywords #football #coach Articles with issue keywords Most Liked 'BTS: The Return' captures brotherhood under 'heavy crown': director (2nd LD) Han Kang's 'We Do Not Part' wins NBCC Award for haunting portrayal of trauma (Movie Review) 'Salmokji: Whispering Water': mood runs deeper than plot (News Focus) Han Kang's NBCC win again spotlights art of translation Trump says Iran has given U.S. 'very significant prize' related to oil, gas Most Saved 'BTS: The Return' captures brotherhood under 'heavy crown': director (2nd LD) Han Kang's 'We Do Not Part' wins NBCC Award for haunting portrayal of trauma (News Focus) Han Kang's NBCC win again spotlights art of translation (Movie Review) 'Salmokji: Whispering Water': mood runs deeper than plot Trump calls nuclear-armed Iran 'cancer,' says U.S. 'cut it out' Most Viewed All Categories Trump says 'Cuba is next' as he highlights America's 'great' military Lee vows to swiftly retake wartime command from U.S., speed up military reform including selective conscription N.

### Expert Commentary
This article covers korea, hong, ivory topics. Notable strengths include discussion of korea. Areas of concern are also raised. Readability: Flesch-Kincaid grade 0.0. Word count: 675.