World Cup 2023: Bell plotting to upset adopted homeland

Colin Bell, head coach of South Korea's national women's soccer team, always knew this international break would be tough. That, to a large extent, was the point. His South Korea side lost all three games of a Women's World Cup warmup tournament in England over the last week.

Given that all but three of his 26-woman South Korean squad play their football in the domestic WK League and he's missing some key players, Bell knew his side would be at a disadvantage even before defeats by England, Belgium and Italy in the Arnold Clark Cup.

But in order to succeed in a World Cup group that includes Germany this July and August, he needs his players to be able to work at maximum capacity. It's something he doesn't think most of them get on a weekly basis.

"There are major difficulties as to the intensity of the [WK League] football," he told DW.

"In Korea, the league is too slow, the intensity is not high enough. And when they come into international football, then we train totally differently. We play at a high level, and the girls are quite capable of doing it. That makes it a little bit frustrating for me when I see how they can play, and then we see how they play in the league.

"There's just too big a difference, unfortunately."

Addressing that lack of intensity was the first thing on Bell's list when he took over South Korea after the 2019 World Cup.

After two years coaching the Republic of Ireland and then a short stint assisting at English men's club Huddersfield Town, the English coach, who won the Champions League with FFC (now Eintracht) Frankfurt in 2015, saw a chance to build a team in his image. One forged in 30 years as a player and coach in Germany.

Made in Germany

"The German influence on my way of thinking about football and the way of working has had a tremendous effect on me," he said.

"That German mentality of going on to the pitch expecting to win, not even having to play well but still expecting to win. For me, it's a kind of positive arrogance that I like. And so I've kept that, and I take that into all of my teams, whether in Germany or Norway, in Ireland or now in Korea. I try to instill that belief."

Bell is well traveled and can already communicate with his players in Korean for the most part. But aside from star players like Ji So-yun, who won multiple titles with Chelsea before returning home last year, and Spurs' midfielder Cho So-hyun, his squad have less international experience.

The 61-year-old thinks there may be some benefit to some players looking abroad.

"It's always a question of each individual player, what they want, where they want to go and take their own careers. Korea is a great place to live, so I can't blame anybody for wanting to stay there," he said.

"But it would be good for some of them, for sure. An adventure and maybe a career change to be playing at a high intensity regularly and playing in leagues where it's real competition, where you can get relegated for example. In Korea there's no pressure really. If you finish last, you finish last, but you're still going to be in the league next season."

South Korean football lagging behind

So-hyun shared similar sentiments in an interview with the soccer website Goal last year: "For self-improvement, I recommend [South Korean players] to go to European leagues. I'm not saying that Asian players are not good at playing soccer, but to improve their skills and their physical [abilities], I think it's much better to go and play and experience a team abroad."

That's what Bell did as a player, appearing for then Bundesliga 2 side Mainz, then coaching a host of men's and women's teams in Germany before his crowning glory at FFC Frankfurt.

Bell believes the women's Bundesliga has taken a "bit of a dip” in recent years, but he is only too aware of the wealth of talent that will be available to his opposite number in the dugout, Martina Voss-Tecklenburg, when South Korea face Germany in the final game of Group H on August 3 in the Australian city of Brisbane.

Bell coached several of Germany's current squad during his time in the country, and tried to make Linda Dallmann the first Bundesliga player to move for a transfer fee while he was at Frankfurt. He's also followed many of the younger generation from their early days.

Emerging talent in Germany team

"I've always been a big fan of Linda. But also, Lina Magull. I remember seeing her play for Germany under-15s, Lea Schuller too and then there's Giuilia Gwinn, who's unfortunately injured at the moment. So you've got that new group of younger players that have really improved and did very well last year at the Euros. That final could've gone either way.

"I think I can relate to them easier and faster than the other opponents. But in saying that, of course, it's going to be a massive task, because I know how good they are. But it's an interesting group. Our focus is more on Colombia and Morocco though. Because if we can beat both of them, then then we're through to the next round."

Should Bell succeed in that aim, it'll be only the second time South Korea have made it beyond the group stage.

Ranked at 15 in the world, winning those two games and qualifying for the knock-out stages doesn't look a task that's beyond them.

But, even if both teams are through, Germany vs. South Korea won't be a dead rubber for Colin Bell.

Edited by: Matt Ford