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No Park in South Korea´s Asian Cup squad

SoccerNews in General Soccer News 22 Dec 2014

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South Korea look set to rely on goals from midfield at the Asian Cup after coach Uli Stielike left Park Chu-young out of his final squad.

Stielike named just three strikers in his 23-man squad for next month’s Asian Cup in Australia with only Lee Keun-ho (19 goals, 70 games) having scored at senior international level.

Cho Young-cheol has never scored in 10 international appearances, while Stielike sprang a surprise by including Jeonbuk Motors striker Lee Jung-hyup, who scored just three goals in 23 appearances in the 2014 K. League season.

Lee has only managed two goals in 12 games so far in the Qatar Stars League for El Jaish this term, while Cho has notched three in 14 matches for Qatar SC.

With Lee Dong-gook (33 goals, 103 games) and Kim Shin-wook (three, 29) out injured, former Arsenal striker Park (24, 68) may have seemed an obvious choice but it appears his poor World Cup this year has counted against him.

The 29-year-old did not score in his two starts in Brazil, while he has only hit the back of the net once for South Korea this year.

Park has hardly lit up the Saudi Pro League either since joining Al Shabab in October with just one goal in seven matches.

Instead it seems South Korea will rely on Lee Keun-ho and support from midfield, and the likes of Bayer Leverkusen winger Son Heung-min and Mainz midfielder Koo Ja-cheol, to score enough goals as they aim to claim their first Asian Cup title since 1960.

Stielike, who took over as South Korea’s coach in September, has picked six European-based players with Son and Koo joined by Swansea City’s Ki Sung-yeung, Lee Chung-yong of Bolton Wanderers, Mainz’s Park Joo-ho and Kim Jin-su of Hoffenheim.

South Korea squad: Kim Seung-gyu (Ulsan), Kim Jin-hyeon (Cerezo Osaka), Jung Sung-ryong (Suwon Bluewings), Jang Hyun-soo (Guangzhou R&F) Kim Chang-soo (Kashiwa Reysol), Kim Young-gwon (Guangzhou Evergrande), Kwak Tae-hwi (Al Hilal), Kim Jin-su (Hoffenheim) Cha Du-ri (FC Seoul) Park Joo-ho (Mainz) Kim Joo-young (FC Seoul), Ki Sung-yueng (Swansea City), Lee Chung-yong (Bolton Wanderers), Son Heung-min (Bayer Leverkusen), Han Kook-young (Qatar SC), Nam Tae-hee (Lekhwiya), Koo Ja-cheol (Mainz), Kim Min-woo (Sagan Tosu), Han Kyo-won (Jeonbuk Motors), Lee Myeong-joo (Al Ain), Cho Young-cheol (Qatar SC), Lee Keun-ho (Al Jaish), Lee Jung-hyub (Jeonbuk Motors)

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