Jurgen Klinsmann will lead the Korean team after the 2022 World Cup, replacing his predecessor Paulo Bento. With his position as a former coach in Germany and the US, Mr. Klinsmann is highly expected.
However, the German strategist has endured a series of bad matches with the Korean team. In his first 5 matches in charge, he could not help the Korean team win any matches. They drew Colombia 2-2, lost Uruguay 1-2, lost Peru 0-1, drew El Salvador 1-1 and Wales 0-0. It was not until September 12 that the Korean team had a 1-0 victory over Saudi Arabia.
However, this victory did not completely satisfy the media and fans with the home team, especially with Mr. Klinsmann. For Klinsmann, who has been criticised for his teams poor form and lack of sincerity, this victory could give him a breath of relief.
Overall, through the match against Saudi Arabia, the ability of the Korean players was more clearly revealed. Kim Min-jae's ability to defend and launch attacks remains the same, the players attacking on both wings are effective. However, the team's playing system still has many shortcomings. The team's attacking and defensive capabilities were not maintained stable. In addition to his individual brilliance, Klinsmann's mark still has many questions, commented Sports Seoul.
In addition, according to Korean media, the strength of the Saudi Arabia team has clearly declined. The West Asian team won 2-1 against Argentina at the 2022 World Cup, but they have suffered 5 consecutive losses before meeting Korea. The team led by Mancini lacks innovation and sophistication, almost not endangering the Korean national team's defense.
According to Korean media, the 0-0 draw with Wales accurately reflects the home team's strength at the moment, not the victory over Saudi Arabia. This is a real concern for the Korean team as they will enter the 2026 World Cup qualifiers in November, followed by the Asian Cup - where they aim to win the championship.
Klinsmann Risk is the term used by Sports Seoul. According to them, this is the biggest obstacle for the team on the upcoming ambitious journey. The German strategist promised to observe young players and learn about football culture through a long stay in Korea.
But since then, the tactician has lived mainly in Europe and the US, and has only traveled to Korea during training sessions. This shows that Klinsmann likes to follow his own wishes and is somewhat out of control of the Korea Football Association (KFA). That is a big problem that the KFA needs to solve, to strengthen the Korean team.
In October, the Korean team will have 2 friendly matches with the Tunisia team (October 13.) and the Vietnam team (October 17). These are the last 2 test matches of the Korean team before entering a long journey in the 2026 World Cup and Asian Cup qualifiers.
