Coach Jürgen Klinsmann described his soccer as ‘soccer that highlights players’ strengths’, but this is not the case when you actually watch the game.
Korean national team coach Klinsmann’s actions have recently continued to be controversial. He has continued to engage in behavior that is not appropriate for a national team coach, such as the controversy over foreign matches, including the legendary match list, and requesting the uniform of Wales ace Aaron Ramsey.
The reason it is criticized even more is because it doesn’t even come with grades. As Director Klinsmann said, if your work style is more efficient, it should be reflected to some extent in your grades. However, Coach Klinsmann ended up with no wins since his appointment. He had only 3 draws and 2 losses in the previous 5 games. In fact, all four games were evaluation matches played domestically. The voices of criticism are growing louder as grades are not supported due to various controversies.
Even the content of the game is not good enough to be considered a process of improvement. This was especially true against Wales. Against Wales, they were behind in terms of total shots and effective shots, and were unable to show the attacking soccer they had been clamoring for. There were scenes that could have led to defeat if it had not been for Kim Seung-gyu’s save. Rather than quelling the ensuing controversy, the content of the Wales game further inflamed it.
What is coach Klinsmann’s soccer? Coach Klinsmann recently said, “The national team coach must create the best method based on the strengths of the players he has,” and argued that the national team coach should adapt to the abilities of the players he has rather than philosophy.
However, it is questionable whether he is playing soccer that brings out the best in players. In the match against Wales, the inexplicable use of players continued. A representative example was the fact that Hong Hyun-seok, who is playing as a midfielder for his team Ghent, was played on the right. Hong Hyun-seok is a player with a lot of activity and kicking power, but he lacks the focus and breakthrough ability to play as a winger. He is not the type of player like Lee Kang-in who dribbles in from the side and makes plays. Rather, he takes a lot of activity in the center, acting as a link between the attack and the midfield, and sometimes enters the penalty area to create scoring opportunities. That’s Hong Hyun-seok’s strength. However, in the match against Wales, Hong Hyun-seok did not have a chance to be heavily involved with the ball from the right. There was almost no attack creation using Hong Hyun-seok, and he sometimes hesitated, unable to convert the sudden opportunity into a shot.
Son Heung-min’s stubbornness as a midfielder continued this time as well. Like the friendly match last June, Son Heung-min was assigned the role of link in the attack. But he didn’t see much effect. In order to use a striker like a midfielder, there must be tight spacing between players and excellent organizational skills. However, under the Klinsmann system, which only increased autonomy without detailed instructions, Son Heung-min’s use of midfielder could not have worked normally. It might have been better to maximize Son Heung-min’s finishing ability. Son Heung-min is a player who scored a hat trick as a lone striker before this call-up. Finishing is the best strength, but Coach Klinsmann failed to utilize it. 소닉카지노
It is rather true that soccer relies on the strengths of specific players. Lee Kang-in is such a case. Lee Kang-in started all three of the last international matches and played full time, leading the Korean attack. Lee Kang-in used his individual ability to beat one or two defenders and create an opportunity. With Lee Kang-in missing from this call-up due to injury, Klinsmann’s attacking football lost its way. Klinsmann himself said after the game that Lee Kang-in’s absence was painful. There was no strategy that could create offensive chances without Lee Kang-in.
Coach Klinsmann said that a national team coach cannot insist on a ‘philosophy’, but in Korea, there is the case of Bentoho, who built a team with one philosophy over the past four years and advanced to the round of 16. The phrase ‘football that utilizes players’ strengths’ seems like a statement made due to an inability to face the reality of no philosophy.