Cho Gue-sung played in all four matches at the 2023 Asian Cup. The 26-year-old striker started in three group stage matches but failed to score despite having many opportunities. In the match against Saudi Arabia in the round of 16, the striker born in 1998 entered the field in the 65th minute. Before scoring a valuable goal for the Korean team in the 90+9 minute, Cho Gue-sung also missed three clear chances.

Cho Gue-sung's poor form has led to criticism from experts and Korean fans in recent days. When asked about this, Cho Gue-sung replied: "I really don't care about criticism. I think it's fate if you're a player, especially when you play as a striker.

Not only me, but if you are an athlete, you cannot hear the criticism happening around you. I think I have many ways to deal with criticism. I often meditate alone and read books. I also think there are many people who make me positive. There is coach Klinsmann and great teammates in the Korean team. Criticism is okay, I do not care what people say.

In the quarter-finals, the Korean team will face one of the strong opponents at the 2023 Asian Cup, the Australian team. Coach Graham Arnold's students only conceded 1 goal after 3 group stage matches, and also had an easy 4-0 victory over the Indonesian team in the round of 16.

When asked about the Australian team, Cho Gyu-sung expressed confidence: "First of all, I think the Australian team is a strong team with a solid defense. But the Korean team has better strikers. The Australian team is also very physically strong, but we also have many players who are faster and more flexible. Therefore, I am not too worried about the ability to score. I have absolute confidence in myself and my teammates. Let's all wait for tomorrow's performance."

Sitting next to Cho Gyu-seong, coach Klinsmann burst out laughing. Then, he also gave his student some words of encouragement. The German strategist shared: “My advice is not only for Cho Kyu-seong but also for the strikers. Don't think about the missed opportunities. I think you should focus on the next opportunity. Michael Jordan - a basketball legend missed more opportunities than he scored. What is important is how you prepare and how you focus on what happens in front of you.

I'm so happy to see Cho Gyu-sung smiling like today. I used to play as a number 9 too. Each goal can mean a lot, but what's more important is the result, the number of goals in the future."

Entering the quarter-final match (February 2), the Korean team is at a physical disadvantage compared to Australia. Coach Klinsmann's students went through more than 120 tense minutes against Saudi Arabia (January 31) while the opponent had rested after an easy 4-0 victory over Indonesia 2 days earlier.

When asked about this issue, coach Klinsmann said: "I don't want to comment on the days off. It's a planned schedule and you have to overcome it to achieve the goal.

The players probably understand this when playing at club level. I think this is the charm of the tournament. Only when you experience hardships do you see how worthy the results are. The players and I are all eager to win. The Korean team will focus all their efforts on this match.”