Coach Colin Bell expressed his determination to participate in the 2023 World Cups in Australia and New Zealand, saying that working as a Korean women’s football coach gives great motivation.
On the 26th, Coach Bell’s New Year’s press conference was held at the Soccer Hall located in Sinmun-ro, Seoul. In her fifth year as coach, Bell will lead her national team to the 2023 World Cups in Australia and New Zealand this year. She secured her place in the main round through the 2022 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Asian Cup. Korea had the highest ever runner-up in the competition at the time. In the World Cup finals scheduled for July this year, they are included in Group H to face Germany, Colombia and Morocco.
Ahead of the World Cup, the national team will conduct winter training in Ulsan from the 30th. 23 people, including Ji So-yeon (Suwon FC) and Choi Yu-ri (Incheon Hyundai Steel), will conduct training. After training, Lee Geum-min and Park Ye-eun (above Brighton & Hove Albion), who are active in Europe, and goalkeeper Yoon Young-geul, who is staying in the country to join an overseas club, will participate in the Arnold Clark Cup.
Director Bell, who frequently uses Korean in her interviews, greeted her in Korean, saying “Hello everyone, Happy New Year” before her press conference. Then, he started the press conference with his thoughts in Korean, “I’m looking forward to the Arnold Clark Cup and the World Cup. I hope the players will do well. I am confident that I will play well.” Below is the full text of the press conference
– What are your specific goals in the World Cup?
The first goal is to win against Colombia, the first match of the World Cup. After that, we plan to focus on one game at a time. If you ask the same question to players and coaches, you will get similar answers. It’s an obvious answer, but if you think differently, I think it’s a realistic and reasonable approach. We will focus on the Colombia match and focus on one game at a time. The goal at the World Cup is to go as high as possible. I also told the players, but if we stick to the play we want to play and keep it well, I think we are a sufficiently competitive team. I hope you don’t think lowly of yourself or be intimidated. I am confident that I will be able to show a good performance at the World Cup.
– What is the play the national team wants to do?
We have our own soccer principles. This is something common to all football. Broadly speaking, there are iron rules for each offense and defense, and they are in the process of improving and changing them little by little. We always want to play actively no matter which team we play against. And the goal is to bring the game to victory through active play. Things to consider for this are who the players are available for each game and how the game will be run. It is also necessary to have flexibility in the team. For example, it makes no sense to maintain a high defensive line to somehow press in a situation where there is no pressure for a team that wants to press forward. Flexibility is needed. I will try to adhere to the philosophy, but I would like to say that I want to be flexible even in the principle of active soccer.
– As a foreign coach, will coach Paulo Bento’s World Cup performance last year motivate or encourage him?
Coach Bento’s World Cup success does not motivate or burden him. Coach Bento showed a good and respected figure in Korea as a foreign leader. While coach Bento was in Korea, he talked a lot about Korean soccer and life. So he is very happy that the men’s national team reached the World Cup round of 16. However, he is proud of being able to work as the head coach of the Korean women’s national soccer team. I’m British and I’ve spent a lot of time in Germany, but I’m also working in a nice country with a lot of support from the association. The players and staff who work together are also made up of great people. I get motivation from the country of Korea, the Korea Football Association, and all of our team players and staff. I am proud to be able to coach this team and go to the World Cup with this team. I will do well in the competition and come back. Also, as someone who works in the football world, I have aspirations to win every game. If you ask me where I get motivation from, I think I can answer these two things.
– You’ve been building a good relationship with the players over a long period of time in charge of the team, how will this affect the World Cup?
I spend a lot of time with the players and form good relationships. It’s a pleasure to work with these players. Enjoying it. I hope the players do too. There are times when I treat the players harshly, but I also treat them honestly. We want to create an environment where players can work happily. It is my role to extract the goals that players personally want to achieve and the potential to reach them, and at the same time, it is also what I hope for. I also want to talk about confidence. ‘Confidence’ is a word I first learned in Korea. When we first came to Korea in 2019, our players didn’t have much confidence. It is now somewhat elevated. At the World Cup, I want to be as high as possible. To do so, you must prepare well. I want to create an environment where players can feel comfortable so that they can develop their potential.
– Following the Namhae training at the end of last year, we are about to convene training in Ulsan.
Through the Namhae training, we were able to gather again for the first time in a long time, train and continue our soccer. He also had time to prepare for his next opponent (Arnold Clark Cup first round), England. At the start of the upcoming convocation, we will have time to recall our past training. Since it is the current pre-season, I think it is necessary to check the physical condition of the players after the convocation. I am planning an endurance test on the first day. The other teams participating in the Arnold Clark Cup, England, Belgium and Italy are currently in season. It can be a disadvantage for our team. That is why it is important to be able to convene prior to the competition. You will be able to check the condition of the players and fill in the missing points.
– Information warfare is fierce. What is the plan to analyze the power of opponents in the World Cup finals?
In modern football, information collection is easy. The collection of information on the World Cup opponents has already begun and is ongoing. The opposing teams will play again in February and April, and we will observe the opponents. In the case of Germany, information will be collected separately through acquaintances. Among the players in the German national team, there are also players I coached in the past. Also, there are great staff members in the national team. There are coach Matt Ross, coach Yunjung Park, and video analyst. The three of us are working hard day and night. I think that information collection can be done well through these people.
– The point ahead of the World Cup, the meaning of participating in the Arnold Clark Cup
While participating in the Arnold Clark Cup, I faced strong European players. In particular, I think England is the best team in the world. His last year was undefeated by playing 26 matches under the current managerial system. It will be a challenging opponent for us. It is also a chance to adapt to facing European teams. It is important for the players to feel as they collide on the pitch. You can give information and guide at the training ground, but there are also things you can learn while actually playing against opponents. All three teams against this time use physical play, so there are things that can be learned from that aspect. We face Germany in the third match of the World Cup, and if we go to the tournament, we can meet more European teams. You can prepare for it and learn from it. The way the competition is conducted is also similar to the World Cup. You play one game, have a short recovery period, and then play the next game. Figuring out how to recover will also be a challenge. We did well in the last Asian Cup, but we can improve more in terms of recovery strategy. Since the tournament is held during the pre-season, there was an easy way to decline the invitation. Nevertheless, I decided to participate because there is an opportunity to learn. It will be a competition that requires concentration. In the World Cup, even if mistakes and weaknesses are exposed, there is no time to make up for them. Many of our weaknesses and mistakes will be exposed at the Arnold Clark Cup, but we will use this as an opportunity to prepare for the World Cup in advance. 메이저놀이터
– About Garam Chun, who is considered the future of the women’s national team
He showed good form in the recent call-up training. The national team needed such a young player. He had risen from the age group representative to the A national team, and it was at this point that he had to make a leap while dealing with adult players and doing high-intensity training. He’s a smart player. We know very well what we want. I want you to unleash your full potential. Athletes need to figure out where they are right now, establish specific goals, and grow. When he asks a player what his goals are, he should also ask how much he is willing to invest to achieve them. This is an important factor in unlocking your potential. Intrinsic motivation that athletes have plays a decisive role in achieving their goals. If Garam Chun is ambitious, he should ask himself what he is ready for. If you are ready for that, my role as a coach is to help you realize your potential.
– The roster for this convocation training is different from the roster for the November expedition to New Zealand.
It is important to keep the team stable, but Jo So-Hyun will not be able to play together due to an injury. He had been looking forward to it since he had not been able to join the national team for a long time, but it turned out to be a pity. I plan to go to England to talk in person. Lee Min-ah was also injured. He is an important player, so I feel bad for him. The same goes for Lee Young-joo. The national team door is open to all players, but it is unreasonable to make too many changes at a time when the World Cup is just around the corner. It is necessary to strengthen the existing players. Of course, there are many players who can play a variety of roles in the current national team roster, so satisfaction is high. Choo Hyo-joo and Jang Seul-gi play multiple roles according to their opponents to the extent that their positions cannot be defined. In the case of Kim Hye-ri, you can see both sideback and centerback. It is important to use this flexibility as a strength.
– What is wary of World Cup opponents
All three teams are highly motivated and organized teams. The personality is also distinct. Each national team often reflects the cultural characteristics of each country. In the case of Colombia, there is a feeling of playing raw football. Morocco is a technical and organizational team. Germany is a physically complete team. We must stick to our own DNA and strive. You need to play fast through organization, play aggressively and flexibly. We want to make it difficult for opponents to predict our play. I want to make it difficult for my opponent in every match.