New head coach for men's nat'l football team promises 'work, honesty, respect'
Then Granada head coach Robert Moreno awaits the start of a La Liga match against Sevilla FC at Nuevo Estadio de Los Carmenes in Granada, Spain, Oct. 3, 2021. EPA-Yonhap
Recently named interim boss for the Korean men's national football team, Spanish tactician Robert Moreno, on Friday promised to deliver "work, honesty and respect" in his new position.
Moreno, who once led the Spanish men's national team and had other coaching stints with FC Barcelona and AS Roma, among other clubs, was appointed as temporary head coach by the Korea Football Association (KFA) on Tuesday.
Moreno will oversee the next six matches for the Taegeuk Warriors. They will host Ecuador on Sept. 24, Uruguay on Sept. 28, Venezuela on Oct. 2 and Uzbekistan on Oct. 6. The KFA is also trying to schedule two more matches in November.
The KFA chose to hire a caretaker manager for these six games in the fall instead of rushing to bring in a full-time coach after Hong Myung-bo stepped down to take the fall for Korea's group-stage exit at the FIFA World Cup in June.
After the upcoming friendlies, Korea will compete at the Asian Football Confederation Asian Cup in January in Saudi Arabia. Although Moreno's contract runs through Nov. 27, the KFA said he will have a chance to stay on for the Asian Cup, depending on Korea's performance in those six matches.
In a post on his website, Moreno said getting the Korean job is "an honor and a responsibility."
"I have known and respected Korean football for years, and now my job is to work for it," Moreno wrote. "I will not promise results: I promise work, honesty and respect. Whatever we have to say, we will say it on the pitch."
Hyun Young-min, who oversaw the coach hiring process as head of the KFA's National Teams Committee, said Korea will be in good hands with Moreno and his backroom staff also appointed this week: Eduardo Docampo as first assistant; Jacint Magrina as analyst; Victor Brave de Soto handling tactics; Javier Chocarro in fitness; and Nico Bosch as goalkeeping coach.
In an interview posted on the KFA's official YouTube channel Friday afternoon, Hyun said he was particularly impressed with the depth of Moreno's knowledge in Korean football.
"He knew the K League and its players so well it was almost refreshing," Hyun said. "Even before he signed the contract, he wanted to reach out to Korean players based in Europe."
Hyun also said every member of Moreno's staff has UEFA Pro License, the highest professional coaching qualification in Europe, and has great expertise in each area.
Moreno himself brings plenty to the table, Hyun added.
"He has experience working with high-level players who have strong personalities and he can analyze opposing teams using data," Hyun said. "He is also able to deploy a wide range of tactics. Those are his biggest strengths."