Jürgen Klinsmann suddenly changed his schedule, perhaps in response to criticism.
Klinsmann and the South Korean national soccer team won a 1-0 friendly against Saudi Arabia at St. James’ Park in Newcastle, England, on Sept. 13.
Regardless of the result, the process was still a question mark. The defense and midfield still lacked cohesion, which led to several Saudi counterattacks. If it weren’t for Kim Seung-gyu’s saves, the victory was far from assured.
Still, it was Klinsmann’s first win in six games and more than six months. Nevertheless, there were no voices of support for him. On the contrary, the criticism only intensified. Regardless of the course and outcome of the game against Saudi Arabia, the news broke that the team would remain in Europe after the away trial.
Klinsmann’s original plan was to watch the match between Bayern Munich and Leverkusen in Munich, Germany, on the 16th after the Saudi game, and then return to Korea before the October A match (Tunisia-Vietnam) after checking the performance of the European players.
Klinsmann still looked like a BJ. Even though he was the head of Korea, he would continue to do things he didn’t understand, such as not watching the K League players in person. That’s why no one applauded his first win after a long silence.
However, on the afternoon of the 13th, the Korea Football Association announced that Klinsmann would be returning home. An official from the Korea Football Association said, “Coach Klinsmann will return home via Incheon on the afternoon of the 14th. Initially, he was scheduled to watch the Bundesliga match in Munich this week, visit European clubs, meet with officials, and analyze locally with the European coaching staff ahead of the October A match before returning home.”
“At today’s coaching staff meeting, we decided to change the schedule to start identifying K League players before the roster for the October A match is announced.”
It’s an abrupt schedule change. It feels like Klinsmann has finally realized the criticism he’s been receiving, and he’s raised a white flag. It’s also a moment of normalcy in an abnormal situation.
Shortly after his appointment in March, Klinsmann said he would stay in South Korea to learn about the K League and Korean culture firsthand. However, it was all a lie. He was abroad for about four months in his first six months in charge. He watched just over 10 games of the K League. It was more like a dereliction of duty.스포츠토토
Meanwhile, Klinsmann has recently been mentioned as a possible candidate to take over the German national team job, which became vacant when Hannes Flick was sacked. There are even reports in foreign media that Klinsmann will accept an offer from the German Football Association.