Attention is turning to whether Jens Castrop (Borussia Mönchengladbach) will feature in South Korea's match against South Africa, which will decide the national team's advancement to the round of 32. With the match being one in which Korea must score, analysts say his greatest strengths — aggressive dribbling and fearless fighting spirit — could prove helpful.
According to the Korea Football Association on Tuesday, seven domestic players failed to get playing time in the first two group-stage matches of the North-Central America World Cup: goalkeepers Jo Hyeon-woo (Ulsan) and Song Bum-keun (Jeonbuk), Bae Jun-ho (Stoke City) and Kim Tae-hyun (Kashima), who recently returned from injuries, as well as Jens, Lee Dong-gyeong (Ulsan) and Jo Wi-je (Jeonbuk).
In particular, Jens Castrop drew high expectations from fans after showing active attacking play in the pre-World Cup friendlies, earning a passing grade as a fullback.
He was born to a Korean mother and a German father and holds dual citizenship. By choosing his mother's country, he secured his first World Cup debut opportunity. This season, he has played as a starting fullback for Borussia Mönchengladbach in Germany's Bundesliga, helping the team reach fifth place in the league.
Jens Castrop's weakness is his defensive ability, which falls short of his attacking prowess. As he boldly pushes forward to pressure attackers, he sometimes exposes the space behind him, giving opponents decisive chances. This appears to be why coach Hong chose the defensively strong Lee Tae-seok (Vienna) and Kim Moon-hwan (Daejeon) over Jens Castrop in the matches against the Czech Republic and Mexico, which Hong judged to be of similar or greater strength than Korea.
But the South Africa match is different. In their first and second group-stage matches, South Africa not only showed conspicuous gaps between the defensive line and the midfield but also exposed the slow feet of their fullbacks as a weakness. In other words, they are an opponent against whom Jens Castrop's greatest strengths can be used effectively.
Han Jun-hee, a Coupang Play commentator, predicted, "Whether he is put in will depend on how coach Hong Myung-bo views Jens Castrop's bold and aggressive tendencies," adding, "I think there is a possibility of using him at a point when a goal absolutely must be created, or when the wing attack is proceeding sluggishly."
