A national soccer team in crisis has embarked on a European tour.
Head coach Jürgen Klinsmann’s (GER) squad will play two September A matches against Wales (Sept. 8, Cardiff, UK) and Saudi Arabia (Sept. 13, Newcastle, UK). It’s been five and a half years since the team has traveled to Europe since March 2018, when they faced Northern Ireland-Poland.
However, if you look at it coldly, it doesn’t mean much. The point of a European tour is to play against strong opponents and in unfamiliar environments to build character. Playing against the big boys exposes your weaknesses and allows you to improve. Friendly games to win and showcase your strengths are not welcome.
Wales, a European dark horse, is a satisfactory opponent, but Saudi Arabia is a question mark. There is no reason for a European team to be a sparring partner for a Middle Eastern team.
To make matters worse, there’s a lot of noise around the Klinsmann. Since his appointment, Klinsmann, who promised to “stay in Korea,” has been criticized for his frequent long-term stays abroad. In the process, some K League players were added to the national team without even checking them out, and the team’s roster announcement was replaced with a press release. “You don’t need to find a stadium. The environment has changed,” they claim, but it’s more a matter of convenience for the players, who often stay overseas.
The results were also disappointing. The team drew two and lost two in four A matches in March and June. This is the longest period of time for a foreign manager without a win.
In a recent coaching staff reshuffle, Michael Kim, who had been with the team since Paulo Bento’s (Portugal) regime, was fired and technical director Chaduri was hired as full-time coach. It was even revealed that Klinsmann had offered to scout Kim, who was credited with helping the team reach the round of 16 at the World Cup in Qatar last year. 카지노사이트
There are even doubts about whether it is the ‘original team’. This away trip is different. Coach Cha and Physical Coach Lee Jae-hong left on the 3rd with Lee Ki-je (Suwon Samsung), Kim Joo-sung (FC Seoul), and Kim Jun-hong (Gimcheon Commerce), while Kim Young-kwon, Cho Hyun-woo, Jung Seung-hyun, Lee Dong-kyung, Seol Young-woo (Ulsan Hyundai), Ahn Hyun-beom, Moon Sun-min (Jeonbuk Hyundai), and Lee Sun-min (Gwangju FC) left on the 4th. This is a much different row than the ‘Ventuho’ row, which proved the value of ‘together’ by working together in rain or shine.