‘Legendary 1st team vs. 1st team’ Which team is stronger between Korea and Japan?

 Korea and Japan are rivals representing Asian soccer. Recently, Korea suffered a loss to Japan in all of its adult and age-group teams, destroying its pride. If Korea fails to surpass Japan this time, its 64-year-old thirst for the top spot in the Asian Cup will not be quenched. 

Ahead of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Qatar Asian Cup, which opens on the 12th, attention is focused on the Korea-Japan match. This is because Korea and Japan are considered the countries with the greatest chance of winning. In fact, Opta, a media outlet specializing in soccer statistics, used a supercomputer to predict each country's probability of winning, and Japan (24.6%) and Korea (14.3%) boasted the highest figures. In general, many media outlets, including Korea, predict that this tournament will be a two-way match between Korea and Japan.

Gangwon FC CEO Kim Byeong-ji, who recently met with this newspaper, said, “The probability of winning the Asian Cup is 35% for Japan, 30% for Korea, 15% for Iran, and 10% for Qatar. 10% are the remaining teams. “The winning team will 100% come from Japan, Korea, Iran, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and Australia,” he predicted. Representative Kim believed that Korea and Japan were most likely to face each other in the finals.

It is highly likely that a 'historical Korea-Japan match' will take place in this tournament. If Japan, in Group D, and Korea, in Group E, advance to the tournament as first place in their group, the two teams will meet in the finals. Of course, this can be achieved if Korea and Japan cruise through the group stage and follow the scenario desired by both teams. 

In both Korea and Japan, expectations for victory are greater than ever. The Korean national soccer team, led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann, has many players who have distinguished themselves on the world stage, including captain Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich). 

Japan, led by coach Hajime Moriyasu, also has players playing in big leagues and major clubs at all positions, including Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton & Hove Albion), Takefusa Kubo (Real Sociedad), and Wataru Endo (Liverpool). Of the 26 players on the final list, 20 of them are from Europe, boasting a solid record.

Commentator Han Jun-hee, who was in charge of broadcasting the Asian Cup, said through this newspaper, “We have players with destructive power that can decide the game in an instant. On the other hand, Japan has fewer players of this level of power individually than us, but they have players who can destroy the opponent in a more organized manner,” he said, adding, “Japan is a little better in terms of a balanced player base across all positions.”

Above all, if Korea and Japan meet with the trophy in front of them, it will be an opportunity to face off with the best members at the forefront. In recent Korea-Japan matches, both teams have never played at 100% effort. It is surprising to see that Son Heung-min, who has played 117 international matches so far, has not played against Japan since the 2011 Qatar Asian Cup semifinals. Japan has also never brought together the best players to face Korea, so there was even talk of Samurai Blue (Japan's national team nickname) as the 'legendary first team.'

Since the best players from both countries gathered for this Asian Cup, fans have high expectations for a successful Korea-Japan match. In fact, according to Transfermarkt, a website specializing in soccer transfers, Japan ranks first in Asia (18th in the world) with a player value of 318.4 million euros (460 billion won). Korea, valued at 193 million euros (278.8 billion won), ranks second (29th in the world). The difference in player value between Korea and Japan is large, but third-place Iran is about a quarter of the size of Klinsmann. This is why many people are predicting a two-way match between Korea and Japan. 

Although Korea is inferior in terms of the market value of all players, there are many evaluations that it is superior in terms of name value such as Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae. However, Japan receives favorable reviews for having high-quality players in each position. CEO Kim Byeong-ji said, “In soccer, there are many cases where you win and lose with just one player (who is worth a name),” and added, “Japan must also be afraid of these players.” 

Not only the star players, but also the recent fierce momentum of the two teams has attracted even more attention to the matchup. Korea has achieved 6 wins, 3 draws, and 2 losses in 11 games since coach Klinsmann took over in March of last year. After going undefeated for the first 5 games, they have recently won 6 games in a row. Above all, in all four games played in October and November of last year, all of them scored more than 3 points and won without conceding any goals, which changed some of the doubts. Although some point out that they have faced relatively weak teams, they are evaluated as having maximized their firepower by giving freedom to strikers such as Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan, and Lee Kang-in.

Japan's progress is receiving global attention. Japan has won 10 games in a row since losing to Colombia in March last year. In particular, it is surprising that, except for the game against Tunisia (2-0 win), all of the teams won by scoring 4 or more goals. Japan defeated Germany 4-1 in September last year, proving that it was no coincidence that they defeated Germany and Spain at the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar. On the 9th, they defeated Jordan, Korea's opponent in the second round of the Asian Cup group stage, 6-1. It is evaluated that the harmony between the high-level members is excellent and that Coach Moriyasu, who has led the team since 2018, has matured in soccer. 

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