German Press Criticizes Jürgen Klinsmann’s Coaching Style in Korean Soccer

Even the German press harshly criticized coach Jürgen Klinsmann.

“The Frankfurter Rundschau,” a leading local newspaper in Frankfurt, Germany, published an article titled “Klinsmann crashes out of Asian Cup with a smile” on July 7 (local time).

On the 7th (all times in Korean), the German newspaper Frankfurter Rundschau reported an article titled “Klinsmann, who was eliminated from the Asian Cup with a Smile.”

The media said, “Being a German native, he finds his job as the coach of the Korean team unfamiliar.”

They continued, “Klinsmann felt more comfortable spending time with friends in California, USA than leading Asian players near the North Korean border in Paju. The unfamiliar work practices in a strange environment would have been tough for him. Klinsmann was eliminated after a 0-2 defeat against Jordan, a peripheral team, in the semi-finals of the Qatar Asian Cup. Afterward, a storm of criticism rained down from the Korean media because he smiled while congratulating the opponent’s victory.”

The media also criticized Klinsmann’s capabilities. The media said, “Just a few days ago, when South Korea achieved victories at the end of overtime in the round of 16 against Saudi Arabia and in the quarterfinals against Australia, Klinsmann believed ‘We will be here until the end.’ But the final result was disappointing,” adding that “Klinsmann’s ‘zombie soccer’ couldn’t win the Asian Cup for the first time in 64 years. It was insufficient.”

They also added, “Can Klinsmann stay with the Korean team until 2026 as per his contract? We will see.”

Previously, the South Korean men’s soccer team led by coach Klinsmann was eliminated just short of the final in the 2023 Asian Football Confederation(AFC) Asian Cup held in Qatar.

The Korean team recorded 1 win and 2 draws in Group E, earning them second place in the group with 5 points. On the 31st of last month, they couldn’t decide the victory in overtime against Saudi Arabia in the round of 16, leading to a penalty shootout. At that time, goalkeeper Cho Hyun Woo’s save and goals by Son Heung Min, Kim Young Gwon, Jo Gyu Seong, and Hwang Hee Chan led to a 4-2 victory.

On the 3rd, in the quarterfinals against Australia, they conceded the first goal and then equalized with a dramatic penalty kick by Hwang Hee Chan in the extra time of the second half. Once again, they went into overtime, where Son Heung Min’s free kick led to a 2-1 record in the first half of overtime.

But that was as luck would have it. Klinsmann’s radio-less zombie soccer was not enough to win the game, and South Korea fell 0-2 to Jordan despite being ranked 23rd in the FIFA rankings, 64 spots higher than the 87th-ranked Jordanians.

After the match against Jordan, coach Klinsmann revealed his intention not to resign at the official press conference, saying, “What we need to do right now is to go back to Korea with the players and analyze in detail. We must discuss what we did well and what we need to improve in this tournament.”