Coelho laments the loss of World Cup stars

Constant comparisons with the team that reached the semi-finals of last year's World Cup have been greeted with disdain by South Korea's coach Humberto Coelho.

The veteran Portuguese coach was brought in when Park Hang-seo, Guus Hiddink's successor and assistant during Korea/Japan 2002, resigned following their under-23 team's defeat at the Asian Games. Coelho argued that assessing the hastily assembled team that defeated Hong Kong on Thursday against the side that beat Italy, Spain and Portugal in the World Cup last year was unrealistic.

'I heard that before the World Cup they had four months to prepare. If they prepared for four months they must have had very good preparation physically and systematically,' he said of the greatest campaign by an Asian side at a World Cup.

'My environment is different to what they had for the World Cup. We only got together for two or three days for this championship. There is a difference in the preparation period.

'My team now have a lot of difficulties in being the same as the World Cup team and the same may apply for the next World Cup. When you prepare for the World Cup or even the Asian Cup you have two or three weeks with the players together.

'The work then is different and the performance from the players is different because they have the time to concentrate and focus. The players can work at the same level like that.'