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| South Korea's national football team manager Jurgen Klinsmann, right, speaks to the team's technical adviser Cha Du-ri during a training session at Paju National Football Center in Gyeonggi Province, Sunday. / Yonhap |
By John Duerden
Jurgen Klinsmann said in his first press conference as South Korea coach earlier this month that he would rather win a game 4-3 than 1-0. The most important point is winning however. The German will have learned a great deal about his new team from his first game in charge at the end of a 2-2 draw with Colombia in Ulsan on Friday. There was plenty to be pleased about but causes for concern also. He will get another chance for education on Tuesday as Uruguay comes to Seoul.
At half-time, all looked very good. Son Heung-min scored two fine goals. The first was a curling shot from outside the area. The goalkeeper may have been out of position but it was a strike that would be familiar to fans of Tottenham Hotspur. Just before half-time, he curled home a free-kick from a similar location and, for a while, all was well with the world.
"We wanted to, from the beginning, play high-tempo and find ways to get chances, and match the aggressiveness of Colombia," Klinsmann said. "And we matched that aggressiveness. I was very pleased with the way we tactically executed our ideas. I am really, really pleased with the performance."
After four years of Paulo Bento, this was not just positive talk but the Taeguk Warriors were more aggressive, pressing high up the field and causing the South Americans some serious problems. "In just a few days, I saw a lot of good things. This game was very, very good," Klinsmann added.
At half-time, the former Germany and United States coach probably told his players to keep doing what they were doing but five minutes after the restart it was 2-2. The two goals were very similar, as Colombia's players had too much space in the area and shot home. "Maybe concentration was not there," said Klinsmann, reacting to a problem that has been evident for some time. "The rest of the 84 minutes was a very good game. We keep learning, and we keep trying things out."
Uruguay should provide another tough test, and memories of the World Cup meeting in November are still fresh. That game, the first of the tournament for the two teams, ended 0-0. Both teams had chances to win. Hwang Ui-jo missed a glorious opportunity but Uruguay hit the woodwork on two occasions.
In the end, Korea squeezed through to the second round by the narrowest of margins and Uruguay had to go home. After a 1-1 tie in Tokyo on Friday ― Federico Valverde of Real Madrid scored the goal ― La Celeste will be keen to get a measure of revenge in Seoul. Marcelo Broli has replaced Diego Alonso as head coach but is in place just temporarily as the federation finds a permanent boss.
"Obviously we had many more dreams of going further in the World Cup because we had a great team, but football is like that and today we are already focused on what is to come," Broli said. "Our intention is to give information to the coach who comes after."
Klinsmann intends to stay in position much longer and these early tests are vital to get to know his players and the strengths and weaknesses of Korean soccer.
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