“The Asian Cup is the test. It’s not too late to criticize.”
This is what Jürgen Klinsmann (GER), head coach of the South Korean national soccer team, said in response to the criticism directed at him.
Klinsmann spoke to reporters as he arrived at Incheon International Airport on Thursday afternoon after playing an exhibition match against England.
Klinsmann, who was appointed in February, drew five consecutive matches before the first match of the exhibition tour, a 0-0 draw against Wales, and only won his first match in the sixth match against Saudi Arabia, 1-0.
In addition to his poor performance, he spent a lot of time abroad on vacations and “out-of-town work” contrary to his promise to stay in Korea, leading to the “attitude controversy.
In response, Klinsmann said it was all part of the preparation for the Asian Cup.
He cited the German national team’s failure to make it out of the group stage at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar as an example and called on the team to do well at the Asian Cup in Qatar next January.
Klinsmann said, “Everything surrounding the team was negative, and in the end, Germany was eliminated and sent home. “If we don’t get the results we want, it’s never too late to point fingers, criticize, and point fingers,” Klinsmann said.
“In the end, the Asian Cup is our test,” he said, “and if the results are not good, then it’s really a test. That’s the destiny of a coach.”
Klinsmann initially planned to return to Korea not immediately, but to check on the European players who are the mainstay of the national team before returning to Korea.
He was going to watch Kim Min-jae’s team, Bayern Munich, play Leverkusen on the 16th.
“You asked me to come, so I came,” Klinsmann said with a big smile when asked why he rescheduled and returned home with the main squad.
“I heard from a lot of people, including the Korea Football Association, that when the team returns home after an overseas trip, the coach usually comes back with them,” he said, “so I rethought the schedule.”
“It wasn’t a big deal to change the schedule (to watch Kim Min-jae play) for now,” Klinsmann said, “and this weekend I’ll be on the field in the K League.”
Klinsmann said he will continue to check on players in Europe.
“For now, I have a schedule to keep coming back and forth. There are games to observe in Europe and other foreign countries,” he said. 바카라사이트 “However, there is not much time left until the October A match. I will analyze the next opponents with the coaching staff.”
Klinsmann also had his own response to reports that he had asked Welshman Aaron Ramsey for a jersey to give to his son.
“The (Welsh) physiotherapist at my son’s team asked me to do it, so I did,” he said, adding that he was “a bit sad that there were a lot of critical comments on my son’s social media.”
There were around 50 journalists at the airport on the day, similar to what you’d expect when a national team returns home from a major competition.
Major broadcasters even streamed the event live on YouTube, reflecting the “intense” public interest in Klinsmann.
“It’s a new experience for me to have so many people come and welcome me home from a friendly like this,” Klinsmann said. This is one of the reasons why I changed the schedule,” Klinsmann said. 슬롯사이트