South Korea need a huge improvement

Manager Tae-Yong Shin

There was a time when it seemed the legacy of the 2002 World Cup in Japan and South Korea was raised standards in both nations but neither side qualified for Russia impressively and the Taegeuk Warriors were in serious danger of missing out at one stage.

Tae-Yong Shin got them over the line following the sacking of Uli Stielike but they needed a goalless draw in Uzbekistan on the final matchday to qualify automatically and need to step up markedly to make an impact next summer.

Only four of the players from the most recent squad - Heung-Min Son (Tottenham), Sung-Yueng Ki (Swansea), Ja-Cheol Koo (Augsburg) and Chang-Hoon Kwon (Dijon) - play outside Asia, although Red Bull Salzburg's injured 21-year-old forward Hee-Chan Hwang at least has the potential to ease the scoring pressure on Son.

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