Jürgen Klinsmann’s South Korean soccer team faces a must-win opponent at a time when they need results. It’s early days in the job, so there are variables, but it’ll be interesting to see what kind of form the team can take when they need to get it.
Klinsmann’s men will face El Salvador on June 20 at 8 p.m. at the Daejeon World Cup Stadium in their second test of the month.
Previously, South Korea had a disappointing finish to their exhibition match against Peru in Busan on June 16, losing 0-1 without scoring.
With their heads down, the Taegeuk Warriors will be looking to score multiple goals against El Salvador and earn their first win under Klinsmann. Since taking over the reins in March, Klinsmann’s side have failed to win any of their previous three matches (one draw and two losses).
It’s not a result or performance to be blamed for, of course, but a new team is always messy, unfamiliar, and difficult.
Nevertheless, against El Salvador, it’s time for a ‘win’. First of all, the timing. In the March A match (Uruguay-Colombia), Klinsmann didn’t get to pick his own players, as he had just been appointed. The only significance was that the new coach made his debut.
The last game against Peru was called “the first true Klinsmann game,” but in fact, Kim Min-jae (Napoli), Kim Young-kwon (Ulsan), and Son Heung-min (Tottenham), all of whom Klinsmann had planned to be the mainstay of the team, were all injured or entered the training camp at the same time. As a result, Klinsmann had no choice but to overhaul the new faces and focus on experimentation.
Key members of the defense will still be missing against El Salvador, but captain Son Heung-min appeared at the pre-match press conference, raising the possibility of his return. There are also combinations and data from the Peru game. It’s an environment where we can focus on increasing our power rather than experimenting.
If they don’t win against El Salvador, Klinsmann won’t make his A-match debut until September, seven months after his appointment. That’s not a good record.
So is the quality of the opposition. No team is a given, but FIFA’s 16th-ranked Uruguay and 17th-ranked Colombia are no pushovers. Even 21st-ranked Peru has a lot of seasoned veterans, and despite their good form, they’ve struggled to get results. 토토사이트
On the other hand, 75th-ranked El Salvador is the weakest team the Klinsmanns have faced so far. They didn’t even field their full strength squad for this trip.
In an exhibition game against Japan before coming to Korea, the team was outnumbered 0-6, even with one player sent off. This means that the Klinsmanns are a force to be reckoned with. It’s time to win, and we have to get results before we meet them.
Finding a way to get a result when you need one is something Klinsmann and his team will need to prove often in the future.