Soucek — the invisible tactical commander of the Czech midfield; he is the one who determines South Korea’s fate

If the key to South Korea’s team is Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, then the key to the Czech team is Thomas Soucek. This defensive midfielder, who plays for West Ham United, can be called the Czech team’s “midfield brain” and “defensive gate.” Whether his performance is good or bad directly determines whether the Czechs can dominate and suppress South Korea in midfield battles.

Soucek is a very interesting player. You could say he’s a pure defensive workhorse—each Premier League season, he can score five or six goals, and his attacking ability isn’t weak. You could also say he’s an attacking midfielder—yet he’s always the one doing the dirty, tiring jobs on the defensive end. His defining traits are all-round ability and abnormal stamina; running 12,000 meters in a match is commonplace for him. Against South Korea, Soucek’s main task is very clear: mark Lee Kang-in, and cut off the connection between South Korea’s midfield and front lines.

Lee Kang-in likes to roam between the left side and the center, and Soucek will stick to him like a second skin. If Lee Kang-in receives the ball, Soucek immediately puts his body on him, not letting him turn. Once Lee Kang-in is kept in check, South Korea can only pass the ball to Son Heung-min, but even when Son has the ball on the wing, it’s still easy for the Czechs to surround and double-cover him with two or three players. Soucek’s presence is like turning South Korea’s attacking core quiet early.

On the attacking end, Soucek’s late surges are also a weapon for the Czech team. His height is a huge threat in set-piece attacks, and apart from Kim Min-jae, it’s hard for others to challenge him in aerial duels. If the Czechs win a corner kick or a free kick in the attacking third, Soucek will most likely surge into the penalty area to chase a chance. I even think Soucek might be the Czech player most likely to score in this match—rather than Hložek.

South Korea also isn’t without ways to respond. If Hong Myeong-bo can get Hwang In-beom or Jung Woo-young close enough to interfere with Soucek, preventing him from receiving the ball comfortably and making his runs, then the Czech team’s transition between attack and defense would run into problems. But the issue is that Hwang In-beom plays in the Bundesliga; his physical confrontation ability is decent, but fully limiting Soucek is extremely difficult.

In short, Soucek is the tactical core of the Czech team. If he’s in good form, the Czechs can go toe-to-toe with South Korea; if he’s in poor form, it’s very hard for the Czechs to win. I suggest everyone, when making predictions, pay more attention to pre-match news—check whether Soucek has injury concerns and how his training form is. If he’s healthy and can play, the probability that the Czechs remain unbeaten can increase by at least 20%.

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