Regarding coach Uli Stielike’s evaluation of Korea, coach Jurgen Klinsmann drew a line.
On February 28 (Korean time), coach Stielike told Germany’s ‘Sportverger’ about what he felt when he was appointed to Korea. The German media asked Stielike a question after Klinsmann, who was also from Germany and had a close relationship with him, became the Korean head coach. He gave very honest and realistic answers. During his tenure as coach Stielike, he analyzed the current situation of the K-League and Korean soccer very coolly and talked about it.
The domestic reaction was cold. The biggest reason was that Coach Stielike left Korea in a bad way. Coach Stielike came to Korea in September 2014. He led the team for three years and directed 38 games. The winning point per game was 2.18, and in detail, it was 26 wins, 5 draws and 7 losses. Looking at the record, it could be seen that it was not bad, but from the end of 2016, the results were a mess, and in 2017, public opinion deteriorated rapidly after losing to China, drawing against Iraq, and losing to Qatar.
Along with criticism that there was no tactic, I heard criticism for an interview that crossed the line. In the end, coach Stielike was sacked. After that, he worked as a manager at Tianjin Teda, and since 2020 he has been staying at Yayin. In Korea, a person with a bad memory spoke in a negative tone, and public opinion in Korea was not good. The most problematic answer was, “Korea is a divided country. It is the reason for the constant vigilance and it is reflected in the character of the people.”
He added, “The discipline and toughness are well equipped, and the defense is good, but the offense has no creativity.” Criticism poured in on the logic of a miracle that comes from a lack of offensive creativity in a divided country. Naturally, my eyes went to director Klinsman. He was interested in what kind of opinion he had on the remarks of coach Stielike, with whom he was personally acquainted. A question came up at the inaugural press conference held at the auditorium of the Paju National Soccer Team Training Center on the 9th. 스포츠토토
Coach Klinsmann said, “I know Coach Stielike well. But I don’t know what kind of experience he had in Korea. I will experience and judge for myself.” It was a neat answer that clearly drew a line without controversy, without agreeing or opposing while talking about friendship. All of Klinsmann’s press conferences were conducted with this nuance.
Meanwhile, after Klinsman’s press conference, concerns about him subsided a little. It was a big deal to finish the press conference neatly like the answer about coach Stielike. Coach Klinsman prepares for the two consecutive matches between Colombia and Uruguay after calling the roster next week.