by All due respect to Tottenham Hotspur, but the Asian Cup which starts in Qatar on Friday could be Son Heung-min’s best chance of winning a major title. It’s never – Asian Games 2018 not included – but it’s not just about the Spurs captain. It was so long ago that South Korea last became continental champions beating South Vietnam and Israel along the way. Mac’s wait of 64 years is not long, but time is running out.
The Taeguk Warriors reached the final of the 2015 edition but lost, somewhat unluckily, to Australia’s Ange Postecoglou. Mac scored in Sydney and in Doha there are others who looked to be a heavy national burden. Two goals below Son in the current Premier League goals standings is Hwang Hee-chan with 10. The Wolves will continue to lose in the West Midlands and fear in the west of Asia. With Paris Saint-Germain’s Lee Kang-in offering the creativity in midfield and Bayern Munich goalkeeper Kim Min-jae the first Asian defender to be nominated for the Ballon D’Or, South Korea have plenty of talent to choose from off.
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Jürgen Klinsmann, who was appointed head coach early last year, is lucky. The German came under fire in Seoul last summer after poor results and performances that fueled anger at his perceived reluctance to spend time in the country – an average of 67 days in his first six months – and the smiling explanations he did on this jet-set lifestyle. , including conducting a press conference via zoom from California, is part of the natural life of a modern international coach. The situation has improved, in terms of results and his presence in Korea, but fans are still not convinced about the German legend. Klinsmann asked to be judged on the Asian Cup and, regardless of his coaching ability, the team certainly has a lot to come out of a group that includes Bahrain, Malaysia and Jordan. The question is whether or not they can do the business against the best the 24-team tournament has to offer.
Japan are favorites to win a record fifth continental title. After beating Germany and Spain in the 2022 World Cup, the Samurai Blue beat Germany again; a 4-1 win in Wolfsburg in September that saved his job as Hansi Flick die Mannschaft head coach. Such results are no longer surprising for a squad full of Europe-based talent, including Wataru Endo, who is proving his worth at Liverpool, Brighton’s Kaoru Mitoma, currently injured but expected to return he on the knockout stages, Takefusa Kubo from Real Sociedad and others.
The last three wins were a 5-0 demolition of Syria and Thailand followed by a 6-1 thrashing of Jordan, all teams with realistic ambitions of reaching the knockout stages. An inability to turn excellent approach play into goals has long been seen as Japan’s major weakness but 45 goals in the last 0 1 games – all of which suggest this is no longer an issue.
Iran should also not be overlooked when it comes to stars performing at the highest level. Mehdi Taremi is an underrated striker who has been pushing them for years for Porto. Then there’s Roma’s Sardar Azmoun and Brentford’s Saman Ghoddos. Questions remain, however, about the ability of Amir Ghalenoi, who went down in his first spell in charge of Iran in 2007-08, to bring the title back to Tehran for the first time since 1976.
Australia may not have Postecoglou but they reached the final the last time the tournament was held in Qatar back in 2011, losing in Japan. When the Socceroos entered Asia in 2006, they were the star-studded team at the Asian Cup the following year, and although that is no longer the case, Australia should not be counted out. Arnold has built a hard-working, hard-to-beat unit that emerged from a tough group at the 2022 World Cup and pushed eventual winners Argentina all the way to the last 16.
Saudi Arabia defeated the soon-to-be world champions during the group stages in Qatar and should be at the forefront of the 10-team Arab challenge. Roberto Mancini has stepped smoothly into the suave shoes of Herve Renard and, after guiding Italy to the last European Championship, has the chance to add an Asian title to his CV. The former Manchester City and Internazionale manager was bold in his choices with a relatively young squad. Results have been mixed, albeit against decent opposition, and there is a school of thought that suggests the next Asian Cup, to be held in Saudi Arabia in three years’ time, is a better bet for Saudi glory.
It would surprise any other team to win the Asian Cup this year. Qatar were the dark horses in 2019 and went to the title, but even on home soil they will struggle to beat Japan and Korea again. China, who recently lost to Hong Kong for the first time since it was transferred from the United Kingdom, would be happy with a final eight points, especially after they stepped down from their hosting duties in 2022 due to their tight locks was in force at the time. For the rest, Palestine will be attracting a lot of attention in light of the destruction in Gaza.
The winner is likely to be from the west or the east, but there are four qualifiers from south-east Asia for the first time in Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam and Thailand and three from the central region – Uzbekistan (always a dark horse), the Tajikistan. and Kyrgyzstan – and India will be looking to get out of the group for the first time ever. South Korea, and their star captain, have higher ambitions.
