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| South Korea's coach Uli Stielike hugs Son Heung-min after a 1-2 loss to Australia in the Asian Cup final at Sydney Stadium, Australia, Saturday. / Yonhap |
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Following South Korea's spirited campaign at the Asian Cup, expectations are high that the national football team coach Uli Stielike may follow in the footsteps of Guus Hiddink, who led Korea to the 2002 World Cup semi-finals, as the nation's favorite foreign football manager.
After a fighting 2-1 loss to the 2015 Asian Cup hosts Australia on Saturday night, Stielike told press that he had an important message which he delivered in Korean, not his usual Spanish.
"Korea, you can be proud of your players," the German coach said.
Stielike said that the players deserve to be called real champions. "I agree we don't have the cup. But with the way we played today, we won many hearts," he said.
After a disastrous World Cup campaign in Brazil in June 2014, the national football team has brought back a sense of pride to Koreans. The 60-year-old former Real Madrid sweeper was appointed at a time when hostility toward the country's football was prevalent. After not only their winless campaign, but a string of controversies off the pitch upset fans.
Expectation over Stielike was not high, because his coaching history was not as impressive as his playing career. He managed a number of Middle East-based teams, such as Al Arabi SC and Al Sailiya SC, but failed to hoist a trophy. He also coached the juvenile teams of the German national side from 2000 to 2006.
At his first international competition as Korea's coach, he demonstrated wise leadership in leading the Taeguk Warriors throughout the tournament, with five consecutive clean sheets until the loss to the hosts. Though he failed to end the country's 55-year title drought at the Asian Cup, Korea made it into the final for the first time since the 1988 event.
Ahead of the Asian Cup, Stielike said he needed "players who have a hunger for the game." Then he named Lee Jeong-hyeop, Nam Tae-hee and Kim Jin-hyeon as players with hidden talent. Lee, who scored two goals in Australia, was such as surprise pick that some KFA Technical Committee members reportedly asked Stielike to reconsider his selection.
But he had a firm trust in his players and they have proved that his selection was the right decision. They were not as brilliant as stars such as Ki Sung-yueng or Son Heung-min, but they invigorated the team with their fighting spirit.
During the campaign, Stielike did not hesitate to make surprise lineups to outmaneuver the opponents, which were mostly successful. During Saturday's loss, he placed Mainz 05 full-back Park Joo-ho into the left wing position to press the Aussies from the out start. At the end of the game, he placed center back Kwak Tae-hwi into the striker position, whose movement opened a space for Son to shoot an equalizer.
Though Stielike and his troops missed out on the trophy, the coach said they are moving forward." What we need is the development of young players in Korea, we have to work more with the ball."
Since his appointment, he has been emphasizing that Korean football can advance when the players maintain possession of the ball for a longer period, adding that changing how players perceive football is essential for this to work.
"The problem in Korea is the way kids are taught, mostly at the schools and universities. They teach them to win. We have to teach them to play football. This is different," the coach said after the game.
The qualification for the 2018 World Cup starts later this year and the coach will adjust himself into his role, striving to improve younger players.
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