Malaysian media covered Klinsmann’s interview.
Malaysian media outlet Makan Bola reported on Nov. 11 (KST), “The rift between South Korea and Klinsmann is deepening. This is a relief for Asian Cup opponents, especially Malaysia, to capitalize on the situation in the Korean camp.
South Korea’s so-called Golden Generation took on European powerhouse Wales with a full complement of players, but once again failed to win. The South Korean A team, led by Jürgen Klinsmann, drew 0-0 with Wales in a friendly match at Cardiff City Stadium in Wales at 3:45 a.m. KST on Aug. 8.
Klinsmann hasn’t won in five games since taking over. The result leaves him with the worst record in the group with three draws and two losses.
Despite declaring beforehand that he would “rather not play” the game, Wales coach Rob Page named a stronger-than-expected best 11. Wales have a Euro 2024 qualifier in three days, but it’s fair to say Page felt the pressure to field a strong lineup against South Korea and risk injury to key players.
South Korea enjoyed more possession but had the better chances, with second-half substitute Kiefer Moore’s header hitting the post.
The most disappointing aspect of the game was Klinsmann’s tactics. Klinsmann came out with a classic 4-4-2. He deployed Hong Hyun-seok and Lee Jae-sung as wingers and tried to build up to a 4-1-4-1 formation with Park Yong-woo as a one-baller.
Except for Park Yong-woo, all the attacking players were placed between the defenders in the front, and Wales invested a lot of personnel in the midfield to block the midfield, so Park Yong-woo was forced to be isolated. It was also a mistake to deploy Lee Jae-sung and Hong Hyun-seok as wingers, even though it was a classic 4-4-2 tactic.
The lack of specialized wingers made it difficult to attack down the flanks, forcing them to rely on Kim Min-jae’s long balls and Son Heung-min’s penetration. Eventually, Son Heung-min came down to help with the buildup with a free-roll, and from that point on, the only attack down the flanks came from there.
The Malaysian media took note of Klinsmann’s interview. Klinsmann is often criticized for leaving the team and going overseas, but he has his own answer. “It’s not efficient to stay in Korea,” he said. When I don’t have anything to do in Seoul, it’s better to meet people in Europe,” he said.
“That’s how Korean soccer can develop. If they don’t like it, they can find another coach. I don’t care. I’m a hard-working person like Koreans. Wherever I am, I am working for the Korean national team. I am 100% focused on the Asian Cup. I also want to emphasize that I have to choose what I think is the best way to succeed,” he said.먹튀검증
Malaysia will play in Group E of the Asian Cup alongside South Korea, Jordan and Bahrain. The deeper Klinsmann’s and South Korea’s sentiments go, the better for Malaysia, they said.