It has been a roller-coaster week for South Korean football. The final week of the Year of the Cow started well, the hump was very difficult to get over but the first day of the Year of the Tiger brought a smile to a nation returning home after the holidays. The East Asian championships provide three games in quick succession. The biennial tournament held in Tokyo this time, started with an easy 5-0 victory over Hong Kong, continued with a much-lamented 3-0 loss at the hands of China but ended with an entertaining 3-1 win against old rivals Japan in the backyard of the Blue Samurai – the packed National Stadium. The Hong Kong thrashing was expected but the defeat against China was hard to swallow. Since the two teams first met back in 1978, South Korea had never lost to its giant neighbor to the west. In 27 games, Korea had won 16 and drawn 11. That is some hoodoo. So much so that the Chinese media came up with the concept of 'Koreaphobia’ to try and explain the problem. But there was no such burden for the Chinese in Tokyo. Yu Hai headed his team in front after five minutes after being given the freedom of the penalty area, Gao Lin took advantage of a schoolboy error from Kwak Tae-hwi midway through the half to extend China’s lead and then, Deng Zhuoxiang scored an impressive third in the second half, dancing round desperate challenges from the Korean defense. The Chinese media was jubilant. Korean netizens, never slow to form opinions and never shy to express them, were disconsolate. The name ‘Hiddink’ could be heard above the din as a replacement should Huh get the boot. The general consensus though was that, with less than four months before the World Cup is due to start, the time for experimenting was over and that, above all, it was time to get the backline sorted out. For all three Chinese goals were preventable. Such games occur now and again to any team but coming after two years after of unconvincing defending, it was almost the straw that broke the camel’s back. Huh’s words at the time didn’t make anyone feel better. "That unbeaten record had to end one day," Huh told reporters. "But we had a few players come into the side who weren't in tune with the way we play. "I'm not afraid. We have to accept the result against China, analyse our mistakes and fix them in time for the Japan game." Japan had problems of its own. A pre-tournament 0-0 draw with Venezuela was followed by a similar stalemate against China. That game saw the team jeered off the field by fans in Tokyo. Japan coach Takeshi Okada insisted his team was improving but losing 3-1 against a young and fairly inexperienced Korean team means that he will be in for a tough few weeks in the build-up to the World Cup. It has already started and Okada was forced to declare that he was not going anywhere. "As I've said before, me and the coaching staff are under contract with the [Japan Football Association] whether we win or lose. It's up to the president and the technical committee to decide my place here. "I have no intention of bailing out on my players as long as they are behind me." Huh will now be fine. It wasn’t a pretty win in Tokyo but it was an effective one. It also showed character as the young Taeguk Warriors fell a goal behind to a Yasuhito Endo penalty in the first half. By half-time however, the reds were ahead thanks to a Lee Dong-gook penalty and a deflected shot from young FC Seoul star Lee Sung-ryeol. Late in the game Kim Sung-jae won the game with a fine strike from outside the area. The win meant that Korea finished second behind China. " We didn’t achieve our objective of winning the competition so I apologize to the fans,” said Huh. “We may have some difficulties at the moment as we are trying out lots of players. We are discovering some good domestic-based players but I can’t say who. We will watch them in the K-League and then decide.” Tags Soccer News football

For fans in South Korea, the 2010 World Cup is put on a backburner this weekend as the fourth East Asian championships are held in Japan. The biennial four-nation tournament, which runs from February 6 to 14, is often a feisty affair as you would expect as it features regional rivals China, Japan, South Korea and one other from this part of the world. That has been North Korea for the past two occasions but this time round, the 1966 World Cup quarter-finalists failed to qualify and Hong Kong will fill the fourth spot instead. There is still some spice however as the former British colony is coached by a South Korean, Kim Pan-gon, hoping to make headlines at home. The prize for lifting the trophy, which has been contested three times and gone to South Korea twice and China once, is mostly measured in terms of regional pride though it does come with a prize of $500,000. It is not a huge event in the world of soccer but for fans in Beijing, Tokyo and Seoul, the chance to put one over on neighbours and rivals is always welcome. This year is a little different as it is the first time the tournament has been held in the run-up to the World Cup and while Japan and Korea, both qualifiers for the June tournament in South Africa, would be delighted to win, thoughts are on the bigger picture. Japan and South Korea see tough and competitive games in Tokyo as ideal preparation for the big ones in South Africa. Japan has been drawn in the same group as the Netherlands, Denmark and Cameroon in June, and has been struggling a little to find committed opposition. In October, Japan was disappointed at the lack of challenge presented by Togo and Scotland who travelled east shorn of their stars. "We wanted two tough matches but you can only beat the opposition in front of you,” said Japan coach Takeshi Okada at the time. Now Okada is looking forward the upcoming tests. “The East Asian Championship is a chance to take our game up a level further. Unlike the games we had at the end of last year, this time I'm expecting a serious challenge." Okada and his team need a challenge if he is to meet the targets that he has set for his team at the World Cup – a spot in the semifinal to match South Korea’s achievements in 2002. “I said I wanted to shock the world,” Okada said recently. “If South Korea reached the semifinals, then why can’t we? Motivation is the key for the players who want to make it to our World Cup squad. We will only pick players who are serious about giving it their best shot and trying to reach the semi-finals.” No extra motivation is needed for players on either side when Japan and Korea. The Taeguk Warriors have just returned from a three-week training camp. The three games in South Africa, getting a taste of playing soccer in the relatively high altitude of the Rainbow Nation, didn’t go too well with a defeat against Zambia in the first match. Results improved slightly and the two subsequent matches in Spain against Finland and Latvia both ended in wins. The lack of goals from his strikers has concerned coach Huh Jung-moo, who like his Japanese counterpart is also hoping that the East Asian Cup can give his team some much-needed hard work. "During the two training camps and five friendlies, I noted the strong and weak points of the players. It was a good experience for them." Much attention in the Korean media has been on the stuttering form of striker Lee Dong-gook. The 2009 K-League top scorer found the back of the net 21 times last season for champion Jeonbuk Motors but after earning a recall to the national team, he has yet to show the same kind of ruthlessness. There are signs that coach Huh is losing patience with the man who was omitted from the 2002 squad and injured in 2006. "The players did their job properly in their respective positions but we must improve the killer instinct,” said Huh. "We lost many clear chances and were not sharp enough in front of the goal. The players must show more technique and have physical strength to get a World Cup call-up. South Korea’s opening game on Sunday is against Hong Kong. Then come games against China on Wednesday and Japan on Sunday. Contests with the latter pair are always intense. These days, China is just desperate to defeat Korea as it has simply never done so. The two teams have met 27 times in their history with Korea winning 16 and the other 11 ending in a tie. China’s ‘Koreaphobia’ is alive and well and sure to be mentioned a number of times by the Korean media over the next few days. Huh got his first win in charge of the Taeguk Warriors in this competition against China in February 2008 and while he may have his sights set on South Africa, he won’t want to become the first ever coach to lose to China. What he is hoping the tournament will help him do however is become the first coach to lead South Korea past the first round at a World Cup held overseas. Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com Tags Soccer News football

China may be the dominant Asian force in women's football, but having secured their place in the semi-finals of the AFC Women's Asian Cup currently taking place in Vietnam, that is something that Japan are hoping to change. Coach Norio Sasaki's side could hardly have booked their semi-final place in more dramatic circumstances, needing to beat Australia by two clear goals in their final group game at Thong Nat Stadium in Ho Chi Minh City on June 2. Early strikes from Kozue Ando, Yuki Nagasato and Aya Miyama eased Japanese nerves, and a late Clare Polkinghorne effort proved academic as both nations progressed to the last four of the tournament. Japan's success comes on the back of their recent East Asian Championship win in China, where they lifted the title following a 3-0 thrashing of the hosts at Yongchuan Stadium in Chongqing. Coach Sasaki credited his country's first ever major women's title to the strength of the domestic Nadeshiko League, where players ply their trade in an increasingly professional environment. Comprised of an eight-team First Division and a nine-team Second Division, the bulk of the current Japan squad contains players from the two dominant forces in Japanese women's football, three-time reigning champions NTV Beleza and Saitama outfit Urawa Reds Ladies. Tokyo Verdy affiliate NTV Beleza are sponsored by Nippon TV and led by stars Homare Sawa - Japan's most capped player and the Most Valuable Player at the recent East Asian Championships, and striker Yuki Nagasato - a mainstay of the national team despite not yet having celebrated her 21st birthday. Urawa Reds Ladies contributed four players to Japan's AFC Women's Asian Cup squad, including veteran goalkeeper Nozomi Yamago and defender Kozue Ando, and both will be looking to wrest the domestic Nadeshiko League trophy away from the dominant NTV Beleza. With the competition currently on hiatus given the national team's quest for continental glory, Urawa Reds Ladies lead the early standings ahead of their main rivals NTV Beleza. They won't have things all their own way, however, with the Okayama Yunogo Belles and the Kobe-based INAC Leonessa also looking to put up a stern challenge in this season's competition. The Nadeshiko League provides an opportunity for players like Saki Kumagai and Michi Goto - both students at Tokiwagi Gakuen High School who were called up for Japan's AFC Women's Asian Cup campaign, to continue training and playing football at an elite level after their school days have ended. While the women's game in Japan hasn't quite reached the level of its male counterpart the J. League, attendances continue to rise - with crowds in excess of 2,000 turning out to watch the stars of NTV Beleza and Urawa Reds Ladies do battle, while teams such as the Fukushima-based TEPCO Mareeze and Tasaki Perule FC continue to hold their own, with funding channelled in from the likes of the league's major sponsor Plenus. Indeed the competition looks set to return to the halycon days of the mid-nineties, when the league achieved national prominence before an economic bust saw a sharp downturn in the fortunes of women's football in Japan. Whether Japan can beat arch-rivals China for a place in the final of the AFC Asian Women's Cup remains to be seen. Japan's players will at least have a vibrant domestic league to return home to, however, as the women's game in Japan continues to go from strength to strength. Copyright © Michael Tuckerman & Soccerphile.com J.League News Tags Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting

Former Chinese captain Li Weifeng has been a well-known figure in Asian football for a number of years. He is soon set to notch over 100 caps for his nation and, as the new Chinese Super League season gets into its stride, is hoping to lead Shanghai Shenhua to a first title since 2003 and China qualify to the 2010 World Cup. He found time to talk about China, Shanghai and his short stint with Everton. What happened in the recent World Cup qualifier against Australia? It was a really good chance to defeat Australia, half of their starting eleven didn’t come to China. Our target in the game was to get three points and we tried our best to win, but we were unlucky. It not the fault of one person, the whole team is responsible. Does China have to win the next game? Will China qualify? We should win and we will. If we end up with three draws from three games, it would mean that we have lost six points. If we win the next game, we will have a good chance qualifying. If we don’t win, it won’t be the end of the world. We will fight to the end. What were your thoughts on Australia? They are very strong physically and many of them play in Europe. Australia is a strong team. Can Shanghai win the title this season? Shanghai has always been one of the teams that challenges for the title. If we win the games that we should win, then we will have a good chance. How can Chinese football improve? More and more of our talented players should go to Europe. There they can improve their skills, gain some experience and get the most important thing of all --confidence. The China national team seems to be getting a reputation as a physical team. is this correct? No, I don't think so. You also have the same reputation... The physical condition is the basic element of playing football. Besides I think I also have good skill and, actually no one thinks that I'm a piece of wood in the defence line. What happened at Everton? Why did you only play one game? You know, it is often hard for a foreigner to communicate with the coach of the team and this is such an important aspect. I once studied football in Brazil, learning some Portuguese, but no English. At Everton, the coach and myself couldn’t communicate properly or exchange ideas. And then I picked up an injury which didn’t help matters. When I first went to the club, I said to myself: ‘If I can't get a starting position in three months, I will leave without any hesitation.’ Mr Moyes wanted me stay, but he all he could do was keep telling me to ‘wait.’ But you know it's hard for a coach to change his defence... Do you have happy memories of your time in England? Of course. Beside the result, I don't think my experience in UK was a waste of time. I still think the style I play is something that learning from England. I felt I grew up there, experiencing more and more. It's was a good experience! Copyright: John Duerden & Soccerphile.com Bet with Bet 365 World Soccer News Soccer betting tips Soccer Books & DVDs Tags Soccer News soccer football J-League K-League Betting