Coach Bell, ahead of the Women’s World Cup, “We will stick to our play in the tournament”
“The first goal is to win the first match against Colombia. After that, we will prepare for each match. “
Coach Colin Bell attended the 2023 New Year press conference at 2:00 pm on the 26th at the multipurpose conference room on the 2nd floor of the Korea Football Association Soccer Hall in Sinmun-ro, Seoul.
2023 is a very important year for the women’s national soccer team. This is because the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup Australia-New Zealand will be held from July 20th.
The women’s national team reached the final stage at the 2022 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women’s Asian Cup held in April last year and qualified for the 2023 FIFA Australia-New Zealand Women’s World Cup. In the finals, they were tied in Group H with Colombia (July 25), Morocco (July 30) and Germany (August 3).
Belho plans to prepare for the 2023 FIFA Australia-New Zealand Women’s World Cup through various evaluation matches. Belho will participate in the Arnold Clark Cup in England in February. He plans to maximize his actual combat experience by playing evaluation matches with Italy and Belgium, including the European powerhouse England. Evaluation matches are also planned for April and July.
At his New Year’s press conference, Bell said, “Hello everyone, Happy New Year. I am looking forward to the Arnold Clark Cup and the World Cup. I am confident that we will play well. I am optimistic about the World Cup.”
[Hereinafter, coach Bell’s press conference]
Q. What is the minimum goal for the World Cup?
A. First of all, the first goal is to win the first game against Colombia. After that, we will prepare for each game. It’s a boringly obvious answer, but if you look at it backwards, it’s a realistic answer. That’s why we will think of ways to bring the Colombia match to victory.
The goal at the World Cup is to go as high as possible. If we stick to the play we want to play, we have a good squad that can win against any team. I hope our squad will not shrink, and I am confident that we will show a good performance at the World Cup.
Q. The meaning of wanting to do it was similar to Bento’s remarks. Will we play our soccer even if we meet a strong player? Also, is Bento’s success a burden or a motivation?
A. The answer to the first question is that we have our own soccer philosophy. We have two main philosophies: offense and defense. We are in the process of improving through training and, if necessary, changing through change. Teams must also have tactical flexibility. What you have to keep within it is to play actively no matter what team you meet.
And bring it to victory. In order to bring it to victory, you need to know who is available for the match and make changes that fit the situation during the match. We will stick to our philosophy, but we want to be flexible in being active.
Regarding the second question, Bento, as a foreign coach, has no burden or motivation for being successful in the World Cup. Coach Bento showed a lot of good looks in Korea, and when we were living in Korea, we talked a lot about his overall football and life in Korea. He is happy that the men’s national team made it to the round of 16.
Speaking of motivation, I am proud to be the head coach of the Korean women’s national soccer team. He came to a great country and good people helped him a lot. The association has also provided a lot of support from day one. The players and staff who work together in it are also made up of great people. The Republic of Korea and the Football Association, as well as players and staff, work as motivation for me. That’s why I’m proud of the fact that I can coach the team and go to the World Cup. I will do well in the World Cup. Personally, I think I want to win every game while playing soccer. Looking at the two aspects, I feel special about doing the job.
Q. You are in charge of the team without substitutions, and you must be forming a bond with the players. How do you think this will affect the finals?
A. While spending a long time with the players, I formed a good relationship. The players are also enjoying and being happy about being able to do soccer work. We always try to be honest with our players and create an environment where they can enjoy working with them. It is my role and goal to extract the goals or potential that players want to achieve individually.
Confidence is a word I learned when I first came to Korea. When she first took over as head coach of the women’s soccer team in 2019, she had low self-confidence, but is now growing. When the World Cup is in progress, I hope that the confidence of the players will reach its peak. For that, good preparation is required. I want to create an environment where I feel comfortable playing soccer. I know that the players are proud to play in the Korean national team uniform.
Q. You trained in Namhae, what kind of training did you focus on, and what is the state of the squad?
A. I think the Namhae training was good for training together after a long time. During call-up training, I had time to prepare for the next game, England. I plan to remind myself of preparations for the England match for the upcoming call-up of the women’s national team.
As for the condition of the players, since it is the pre-season, I think they need to check their physical condition. An endurance test is scheduled. All teams participating in the Arnold Clark Cup are in season. We are in pre-season. I think this part is a factor that can work at a disadvantage. I think it’s good to be able to convene before that, and I think it’s important to fill in what’s lacking.
Q. Women’s football is also becoming increasingly competitive. How are you planning and preparing for the power analysis of your opponents in the finals?
A. Information gathering is easy in modern football. The collection of information on the teams to face in the World Cup is already underway. These teams will be playing in February and April, we will be watching them. Germany plans to collect separately through local acquaintances. Players from the German national team also include players whom he personally coached in the past. I can tell you that we are well prepared for information collection. There are great staff here.
Q. There is the Arnold Clark Cup on the way to the World Cup. What does the event mean and how will you play?
A. As I participated in the Arnold Clark Cup, I faced strong European teams. Personally, I think England is the best team in the world. Last year, they went undefeated in 26 games under the current managerial system. It will be a challenge for us. As all European teams are participating in this event, the players will be able to experience the European team style. I think it’s important for the players to feel it for themselves. I think you can gain experience while playing the game. All three teams play physically-oriented games. You will learn a lot about that part.
Germany will meet in the third match of the World Cup. If we go to the round of 16, we will meet other European teams. It will be a learning experience to prepare for. The way the competition is conducted is also similar to the World Cup. There is a short break between matches. Recovery is also a challenge. We did well in the Asian Cup, but there is room for improvement in terms of recovery. I think it’s an opportunity to learn how to deal with the game tempo while playing against European players.
We considered participating because we were in pre-season and our opponent was in season. Nevertheless, the reason why I participated in the competition is that I did not give up before the game started. I decided to participate in this competition because there is potential and there is an opportunity to learn. I think it will require concentration throughout the entire 90 minutes. I think we can learn what players can maintain well mentally in this tournament and World Cup. In the World Cup, there is no time to make up for mistakes and weaknesses. I will prepare well for the World Cup by participating in the Arnold Clark Cup.
Q. After coaching Garam Chun, what kind of player is he?
A. Chun Ga-ram showed a good performance in the recent call-up training. He made the leap from the under-20 national team to the adult national team through my high-intensity training. Garam Chun is smart and he seems to know what we want. Garam Chun needs to quickly figure out where he is and what kind of player he is, establish his goals, learn and grow. When he asks the player what his goal is, he asks what he can sacrifice and invest in it.
I think this part will be important to boil up the potential. I think this determines the potential of players. If Garam Chun is ambitious, he thinks he should ask himself the question. I think my role is to help people reach their full potential.
Q. Compared to the New Zealand roster in November last year, there are some changes.
A. I think it is important to stabilize the current squad. When calling the national team, you need to check which players are available. Jo So-Hyun was also out due to an injury. I plan to go to England and have a meeting with Cho So-hyun. Lee Min-ah is also injured. It’s a big pity because he’s an important player. Lee Young-joo is also out with an injury. The door to the national team is always left open, but at this point, the World Cup is just around the corner, so I think a lot of changes are unreasonable. 안전놀이터
We need to strengthen our current players. Satisfaction with the current players is also high. It is difficult to define whether Hyo-joo Choo or Seul-gi Jang are strikers or midfielders. You can play a variety of roles depending on your opponent. The same goes for Hyeri Kim. He has flexibility within the squad. I think we should go out with flexibility as our strength.
Q. What should we be wary of against opponents in the World Cup?
A. All three teams are highly motivated and organized. The personality is also distinct. Cultural characteristics are also reflected in each national team. Colombia and Morocco play technical football. Germany is a physically complete team. We must stick to our own DNA. I think we need to build a fast, active and flexible team. We need to make sure that our opponents cannot easily predict our play, and we want to create difficult matches.
[Answers to fans’ questions below]
Q. I’ve been living in Korea for 3 years. What are the pros and cons?
A. I am satisfied with working and living in Korea. Korea is safe, and I like cafes, but there are a lot of them. I like cafes. When I went to Germany for Christmas, I had many conversations with my family about life. Korea is a good country to live in, and it seems to be a country with many things to enjoy.
A bit inconvenient is wearing a mask. I don’t have to wear a mask from next week, so I think it will be resolved.
Q. What is your favorite Korean word?
A. After coming to Korea, I studied Korean. My favorite words are ‘high intensity’, ‘active’, and ‘don’t give up’.
