Jürgen Klinsmann is back on South Korean soil after 45 days away.
Klinsmann arrived at Incheon International Airport on Thursday afternoon, accompanied by Krieger, following a European tour in September. Klinsmann’s squad played two exhibition matches against Wales on Sept. 8 and Saudi Arabia on Sept. 12, winning one and drawing one.
It was the first win for the national team in six games since Klinsmann’s arrival. It snapped the longest winless streak of any domestic or international coach in charge of the national team. Previously, Hong Myung-bo, Shin Tae-yong (five games or more) and Gus Hiddink (four games) had the longest winless streaks after taking charge.
In addition to the poor results, Klinsmann was also faced with bad publicity for not staying in Korea. He has only been in Korea for 68 days, including this day, since signing a six-month contract with the Korea Football Association. For a coach who has just taken charge of the national team, he should have stayed in Korea to check out the unfamiliar domestic players, but Klinsmann continued to stay abroad, seemingly preferring the European scene.
The same was true after the September A match. Klinsmann had originally planned to stay in Europe to watch the German Bundesliga match between Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, where Kim would be playing. When news broke that Klinsmann would not be returning to Korea with the squad, public opinion was thrown into another storm.
Klinsmann’s change of heart was prompted by a request from the Football Association. “Actually, when I was in charge of the German and US national teams, I never gave interviews like this at the airport after a friendly,” Klinsmann told reporters at the arrival gate, “but the FFA’s story about the coach giving an interview when the players return home made me think otherwise. It wasn’t too difficult to change my schedule. I’ll be at a K League game on the weekend.”
This is why criticism of Klinsmann is sharp. One of the reasons public opinion is calling for Klinsmann to stay in Korea is that he needs to get to know the country. It’s not just about knowing the players, it’s about knowing the culture and thinking of the East, which is vastly different, so that you can reach your goals without much friction.
The reason why the Klinsmann has faced constant criticism since its launch, even without an incident or accident, is that it has created an unprecedented foreign oil controversy. If those around him had been able to explain the situation in South Korea more accurately and undermine Mr. Klinsmann’s claims, he would not still be facing the same problems.
Klinsmann has been avoiding the press. He even canceled a press conference to announce the roster before the September A match. It’s unusual for a coach to cancel a press conference where he’s supposed to give an honest account of how the squad was assembled and why he made the selections. 메이저사이트
The only other time a press release was used to announce a roster in recent memory was when the coronavirus pandemic prevented a face-to-face meeting. Even then, former coach Paulo Bento held a virtual press conference via the FA’s official YouTube channel, where he spoke candidly about the reasons behind the inclusion and exclusion of certain players and how he plans to manage the squad.
If you are the head of the Korean national team, you need to have the attitude to follow the culture, even if it is not the case in foreign countries. As for the immigration issue, he said, “I came because a lot of people are here. It’s a new experience,” he said.
After traveling to Korea to put the controversy to rest, Klinsmann is expected to travel abroad again. When asked about his next trip, he said, “I’ll be traveling back and forth. I have some matches to watch in Europe,” he said, indicating that he will not stay in Korea for long.
The public is hoping Klinsmann can find a homegrown talent to fill in the gaps in the national team that the Europeans can’t address until the A-match in October. However, Klinsmann’s intention to go out on the road again will put him in direct conflict with public opinion. It will also require a decision from the Football Association and higher-ups, who have so far been unable to control him.
Klinsmann is determined to shake off the criticism directed at him. He has been busy publicizing the unrest of an unsupported national team, citing the example of Germany, which was knocked out in the group stage by Japan at last year’s Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) World Cup in Qatar.
“It’s important to have a positive atmosphere,” said Klinsmann, whose team is aiming to win the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup in Qatar next January. “It’s not too late to take criticism after the results are in. I want the fans and the media to be positive until the Asian Cup.”