Klinsmann era starts Friday

Korea's national football team manager Jurgen Klinsmann, right, speaks to his assistant coach Cha Du-ri during a Korea Football Association's event at the YMCA center in Goyang, Gyeonggi Province, March 15. / Yonhap

By John Duerden

It has happened many times in the past but there is always something a little special when the first game of the new national team coach of South Korea comes around.

On Thursday in Ulsan, it is Jurgen Klinsmann's turn. The German was appointed at the end of February on a three-and-a-half-year contract running to the end of the 2026 World Cup.

That is a long way away at the moment. There is a lot of interest in the game against Colombia with fans and media alike waiting to see whether there will be any change in style since the World Cup in the Middle East.

It was three months ago that the Taeguk Warriors kicked off their campaign in Qatar. It ended with a place in the last 16 thanks to a dramatic last-minute 2-1 win over Portugal. That earned them a glamor game with Brazil and a 4-1 thrashing at the hands of the five-time world champion.

The performances themselves were not particularly great but it resulted in Korea's third visit to the knockout stages of a World Cup and that is not to be sniffed at. The players returned home and head coach Paulo Bento went back to Portugal, ending his four-year tenure.

Enter Klinsmann. His first roster looks very similar to the one that Bento took to Qatar. That is not a huge problem as the 58-year-old, who has also coached Germany, the United States as well as Bayern Munich, will need some time to get to know the talent he has at his disposal.

More than personnel then, the focus will be on style. Recently, former Korea coach and fellow German Uli Stielike, in charge from 2014 to 2017, gave Klinsmann some advice. “There is no peace agreement between North and South Korea, so the country is on constant alert,” Stielike said in an interview. “This caution is of course reflected in the character of the people, including in football. They defend quite well because they have the discipline, will, coordination and toughness required. On the offensive, however, there is a lack of creativity and risk-taking.”

It is an unusual theory and has been largely dismissed by Korea's media, after all, Korea is better in attack than most Asian nations. Yet, few would disagree about the problem being talked about. If Klinsmann, a world-class striker in his day, can introduce something a little different going forward then he will already be outperforming many of his predecessors.

“Obviously, my personal background was as a striker. So, I always love to attack, and that means I'd rather win a game 4-3 than one-nil.”

It's much easier said than done, however. Colombia on Friday and then Uruguay four days later is solid opposition ― though South American teams are rarely at their best and most determined when coming to East Asia for friendly games. Wins would be welcome but there will be more attention on how South Korea plays under its new coach.