The South Korean national soccer team, led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann, will play the first round of the evaluation in October against Tunisia at the Seoul World Cup Stadium on the 13th. After that, the venue will be moved to Suwon World Cup Stadium on the 17th to hold the second match against Vietnam.
The Korea Football Association announced the list of two consecutive A matches in October through a press release on the 2nd. There was no press conference at the time. I couldn’t hear a word of Klinsmann’s thoughts on the roster decision.
A week later, coach Klinsmann held a press conference with reporters at Paju NFC on the morning of the 9th. Instead of meeting with more than 100 reporters at the same time, like his predecessor Paulo Bento, he divided small reporters into several groups to hold a meeting.
Coach Klinsmann drew attention by expressing his views on the physical condition of European players such as Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae at a press conference. “The players are coming from Europe. Unlike Kim Min-jae, Son Heung-min will not play in the European match, so he will have less physical burden. 안전놀이터
“When I came to the national team, it was a special moment and a privilege as a player. Even if I was a little tired, I wanted to play all the time. It’s very motivating. It was my vacation to go to the national team. Of course, I know the burden on the players. Some players may be tired, but when they do, they all want to play,” he added.
In the case of Son Heung-min, health issues are constantly being raised there. Tottenham manager Enzi Postecoglou himself said, “Coach Klinsmann will do well on his own,” and indirectly said, “I used to manage the players well when I was the coach of the Australian national team.”
In fact, Son Heung-min played with a groin injury throughout September. In order to protect him, Postecoglou is determined to use Son Heung-min as a starter in both the Arsenal-Liverpool-Luton match and replace him early. It is completely contrary to Postecoglou’s response.
In this situation, Klinsmann’s interview, which implies participation rather than consideration, angered local Tottenham fans. In the global “Reddit,” Tottenham fans expressed strong dissatisfaction, saying, “How can a person called a team legend say that?” or “I respect him as a player, but I think he is the worst as a human or coach.”
Another Tottenham fan questioned, “What is the reason for South Korea to use Son Heung-min and Kim Min-jae against Vietnam?” One fan said, “When I ask the player, there is no player who doesn’t want to play. He pointed out the contradiction, saying, “If you say it, you will be criticized.”