The eyes of concern toward coach Jurgen Klinsmann (58, Germany) are deep. It seems that his task will be to turn public doubt into certainty.
The Korea Football Association (KFA)스포츠토토 announced on the 27th that it had appointed Klinsmann as the new head coach of the national soccer team. Coach Klinsmann will lead the national team for 3 years and 5 months from March, unless there are unusual issues such as sluggish performance.
After the departure of former coach Paulo Bento, the next head coach of the national team was the focus of attention. From the standpoint of Korea, which is still a weak country in the world football world, it was virtually impossible to bring in a manager who could suit everyone’s tastes.
After thinking about several coaches trying to make a comeback in Europe or in their coaching careers, Klinsmann was chosen. Coach Klinsmann, who started his managerial career with the German national team in 2004, is not a manager with outstanding achievements. In particular, he stepped down after 10 weeks, most recently taking over as manager of German club Hertha Berlin in 2019. It caused controversy by announcing the news of his resignation through his personal SNS (social media) account.
Above all, the reason why the voice of concern is louder is because of ‘tactics’. In his autobiography in 2021, defender Philip Lahm, who was coached by Klinsman at Bayern Munich in the past, said, “There was no tactical instruction from Klinsman. He only trained the players’ stamina,” he revealed. He is said to have had pre-game discussions among the players without detailed tactical instructions.
Concerns inevitably grow because it is a command tower with a tendency to contrast with Bento. Coach Bento transplanted the short passing play from the back to Korean soccer. For four years, coach Bento’s ‘build-up soccer’ was often ridiculed. However, coach Bento pushed his own color and made it to the round of 16 at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar. This is why many soccer fans and officials prefer a coach with a distinct color and continue the football that Bento pursued.
It is also pointed out that the life of a savage is long. Coach Klinsmann was invincible for three years after parting ways with Berlin in 2020. During the World Cup in Qatar, he was a member of the FIFA Technical Study Group (TSG), but concerns are emerging about whether he will be able to keep up with the rapidly changing football trends.
Looking at his track record, Klinsman is clearly far from the manager’s prize that fans want in terms of tactics. In the end, it seems that director Klinsman’s clear tactics and sense of purpose are needed to calm public suspicion.