Men’s national soccer team coach Jürgen Klinsmann (pictured), who promised to stay in South Korea for an extended period of time to observe several players, has left again. Citing his personal schedule, Klinsmann plans to check on European players before heading to the U.S. to be with his family, but the sincerity of his intentions to develop domestic players has been questioned.
Klinsmann left for the United States on July 1 to spend time with his family for his birthday (July 30). He plans to work remotely from the U.S. and then travel to Europe to inspect the start of the new season for players playing in foreign leagues, including Son Heung-min (31, Tottenham), Kim Min-jae (27, Bayern Munich) and Lee Kang-in (22, Paris Saint-Germain).
“He will fulfill his charity work schedule before taking over as national team coach, watch the opening match of the English Premier League and join the domestic team in September,” a KFA official said in a phone call on Sunday.
“The power analyst and goalkeeping coach Andreas Köpke are in the country,” he said. “Klinsmann will hold an online press conference on the 17th and 18th of September to discuss the preparations for the September A matches, the draw for the second round of World Cup qualifying, and more.”
While it’s good to have time to recharge, there are critics who say he’s gone too often. Klinsmann has already taken over a month off after playing two domestic A matches against Peru and El Salvador in June. With the K League coming to a close, he was expected to focus on domestic preparations for next month’s away trial against Wales and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup early next year, but he left South Korea again.
Football insiders criticize the lack of willingness to develop domestic talent. “You say you’re going to check overseas players, but if Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in aren’t in good shape, you won’t recruit them,” said one coach in the K League, adding, “I don’t think you’re going to look at players who fit your style and try to find them, but you’re just going to keep using the players who are already doing well.”
He also cited the lack of motivation among K League players and the lack of time for young players to gain experience with the national team.온라인바카라
If the Asian Cup is all that matters, it’s okay to run a European-oriented team and perform well, but there are some who say that the team needs to change generations if it wants to do well at the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America, its ultimate goal. Kim Dae-gil, a commentator for Kyunghyang Shinmun, said, “By the time we play the North American World Cup, Son Heung-min will be in his mid-30s. (Coach Klinsmann) needs to find a replacement with a long-term perspective.” “Both the main wingers and center backs are old, so the team should focus on finding alternative resources for these positions.”