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| ▲ Members of the South Korean men's national football team coaching staff hold a joint press conference at the Korea Football Association House in Seoul on June 22, 2023. From left: goalkeeper coach Andreas Kopke, assistant coach Paolo Stringara, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann and assistant coach Andreas Herzog. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ Members of the South Korean men's national football team coaching staff hold a joint press conference at the Korea Football Association House in Seoul on June 22, 2023. From left: physical trainer Werner Leuthard, goalkeeper coach Andreas Kopke, assistant coach Paolo Stringara, head coach Jurgen Klinsmann, assistant coach Andreas Herzog and assistant coach Michael Kim. (Yonhap) |
football coaches-team
Klinsmann's top lieutenant demands better finish, more aggressiveness for S. Korea
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, June 22 (Yonhap) -- Members of Jurgen Klinsmann's backroom staff for the South Korean men's national football team said Thursday they would like to see the players be more aggressive and tougher to play against.
Five assistant coaches joined Klinsmann at a press conference Thursday, following South Korea's fourth match under the new regime.
South Korea were held 1-1 by El Salvador on Tuesday, following a 1-0 loss to Peru last Friday. In March, South Korea had a 2-2 draw against Colombia and a 2-1 loss to Uruguay.
Andreas Herzog, the top assistant coach hailing from Austria, said lacking clinical finish was a problem.
"We have to have more determination and accuracy in the box," he said. "Defending as a whole team has to be much better. We can't always score two, three goals to win."
Herzog said he found South Korea's performances in the two March matches "really impressive." The team missed a few key players for June due to injuries and other circumstances, but not all was lost, Herzog said.
"It gave us a chance to see a lot of young, new players. This was really important for us, too," he said.
Paolo Stringara, an Italian assistant coach, said he wanted to see more aggressiveness from South Korea. He cited the example of Italy-based Korean defender Kim Min-jae when discussing how players can evolve quickly.
Kim helped Napoli win their first Serie A title in 33 years and was named the league's best defender.
"He's learned to become extremely focused, tough and highly aggressive. I hope this element can translate to the entire team," Stringara said, with Klinsmann providing Italian-to-English translation. "You have to learn things quickly. You have to get the aggression level higher."
Korean-Canadian coach Michael Kim, the only carryover from the previous staff under Paulo Bento, preached patience as his new boss is still trying to win his first match for South Korea.
"We all need to adjust to the way of playing and training. That takes a lot of time," Kim said. "As we progress, players will get a better understanding of what exactly we want out of them. Then the product will show more. We're in the process of doing that."
Kim said Klinsmann and his new coaches understand how Bento wanted South Korea to play and added, "The new coaching staff has a bit of a different approach. Jurgen's approach may improve on that foundation."
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