Title: Son Heung-min’s Minutes Shrink Under Hong Myung-bo as Korea Tests a Back Three
- Junhwi Lee
- Oct 16
- 2 min read
Oct 16, 2025
Junwhi Lee
Since Coach Hong Myung-bo took office, Son Heung-min's playing time in the national team has been gradually decreasing.
In a friendly match against Paraguay held at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on Sunday, Son started at the forefront, but was replaced at the start of the second half. Korea used the three-back tactic, and Son led the attack along with Um Ji-sung and Lee Dong-kyung. He moved a lot, but had few decisive chances, and no shots in the first 45 minutes. Oh Hyun-kyu came in in the second half.
Son was deeply disappointed in the A-match in October. He contributed significantly to his team's win and one draw by scoring two goals and one assist in away matches in the U.S. and Mexico in September, but he failed to score any attack points or even a single shot in the matches against Brazil and Paraguay. His rating was also low. Based on the sofa-score, he was in the lower ranks with 6.3 in the match against Brazil (0-5 loss) and 6.6 in the match against Paraguay, even though his team won.
In the past, Son Heung-min almost always played full-time as a starter under Paulo Bento and Jürgen Klinsmann, but the playing time is controlled as Hong Myung-bo experimented with three-back tactics.
September vs USA: 63 mins starting
September vs Mexico: Replacement 45 minutes
October against Brazil: 63 minutes to start
October against Paraguay: Starting 45 minutes
Of course, I do need to take care of my physical fitness as I get older, but I don't think I've lost form. Since moving to LAFC, I've had eight goals and three assists in nine games. I've only replaced my debut with Chicago FC, and since then, I've played more than 80 minutes per game in eight consecutive starts. I'm still showing my strength.
Coach Hong said, "Now, it's more about when and at what moment you play a decisive role than how long you play." In other words, I think he is changing his usage to "determinism" rather than "time."
After the match against Paraguay, Son Heung-min said, "The coach told me in advance today. I am always in a physical condition to play full-time. I think the schedule of my team is important, so I think it is the coach's consideration. If you tell me in advance, there is no problem," and expressed confidence, saying, "I can play full-time in good condition right now."
In summary, the national team seems to be preparing to reduce the playing time as a manager and leave it to a "decisive moment." Personally, I think it would be good to change the atmosphere by boldly taking shots from the beginning in the next A-match.
