Domestic press dismantles Klinsmann! Smiling creates fuel

What a bitter evening for Jürgen Klinsmann and the South Korean national team! In the semi-finals of the Asian Cup, the team lost 2-0 against Jordan with absolutely no chance and now has to return home early. The dream of the first title since 1960 has shattered.

No wonder that the mood at home is likely to be modest after the surprising end. The Korean media primarily blame coach Klinsmann for the elimination against the sensational team from Jordan. The newspaper Chosun Ilbo writes: “Klinsmann’s Qatar disaster. They lost to Jordan without a single shot on goal. The defense was sloppy, the offense lacked organized passing.”

The Korean papers particularly criticized the tactics of the former DFB coach and described the bitter defeat as “the worst game at a major tournament in recent years” because no tactics or bite could be recognized.

In addition to the poor performance, the 59-year-old caused even more controversy in the local media after the game. Klinsmann walked onto the pitch after the final whistle and smiled.

“Klinsmann laughs at the 0-shots-on-goal disaster. The head coach smiles despite a defeat with strange tactics and incomprehensible substitutions,” wrote Hankook Ilbo and also criticized the style of play: “Since the ball didn’t get through midfield, the pointless tactic of long balls continued. It was a game in which Klinsmann’s ‘non-tactics’ were on full display. The timing of his substitutions was also surprising. Nevertheless, after the devastating defeat, Klinsmann walked around the pitch with a smile again.”

Klinsmann commented on the criticism about his smile at the press conference: “It’s about congratulating the other team and respecting them. Congratulating your opponent is part of the game even when you’re a loser, so I shook my opponent’s hand and smiled.”

The former Hertha coach also spoke about his future in Korea and ruled out resigning: “I don’t plan on doing anything. I plan to analyze this tournament and talk to the Korean federation about what was good and what wasn’t. There is still a lot ahead of us. We had the big goal of getting to the final.”

The German took up the position of South Korean national coach at the beginning of March and has since then trained Bayern star Minjae Kim, among others. Klinsmann’s contract runs until 2026. However, it is questionable whether he has a future after the failure.