The Korean national soccer team achieved ‘half success’ in the first A-match they played after the appointment of manager Jurgen Klinsmann (Germany).
Korea took a 2-0 lead with Son Heung-min (Tottenham)’s multi-goal in an evaluation match against Colombia held at Munsu Soccer Stadium in Ulsan on the 24th, but then scored two consecutive goals in the second half to draw 2-2.
This match was coach Klinsman’s debut as a Korean coach, and it was the first time he showed off ‘attack football’, which he had been emphasizing since taking office.
Coach Klinsmann, who made a name for himself as a striker representing Germany as a player, previously revealed his style, saying, “I like attacking football. I prefer winning 4-3 rather than winning 1-0.”
In the first half, Klinsmann’s attack seemed to be well realized.
Cho Kyu-seong (Jeonbuk) in the vanguard, Jung Woo-young (Freiburg) in the second line, Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Lee Jae-seong (Mainz), and Hwang In-beom (Olympiacos) in the midfield led the attack with strong forward pressure and forward passes.
In particular, Son Heung-min, who was given a free role, stirred the ground and scored multiple goals in the first half to give his team a 2-0 lead.
In the beginning, Colombia could not easily cope with the Korean offensive that did not back down and continued to attack.
Whenever the national team is sluggish, the goal-making ability is pointed out as a problem, so it is good to see that the attack has added strength and energy.
However, Korea could not laugh at the part where they conceded two goals in the second half. Another chronic weakness, defensive anxiety, was also revealed in this game.
Coach Klinsmann made up a four-back lineup of Kim Jin-soo (Jeonbuk), Kim Young-kwon (Ulsan), Kim Min-jae (Napoli), and Kim Tae-hwan (Ulsan), and in the 24th minute, Kim Jin-soo withdrew after complaining of pain after a contest, and Lee Ki-je (Suwon) was replaced. .
Kim Young-kwon and Kim Min-jae also worked together at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, and Kim Tae-hwan is also a player with strong bones, including being included in the final World Cup list. Lee Ki-je is a veteran fullback, at least in the K-League 1 national team.
However, South Korea allowed a comeback goal to James Rodriguez in the 2nd minute of the second half, leading 2-0, and then gave up an equalizer to Jorge Carrascal 3 minutes later.
Colombia scored two goals in a similar way, easily tearing down the left side of Korea where Kim Jin-soo was away.
Kim Min-jae struggled to block the opponent’s attacks, but could not stop them alone. In the scene where the first goal was conceded, Diego Baloyes passed through Kim Min-jae from the right side of the penalty area and handed a pass.
Lee Ki-je, who was in charge of the left side, left a bit of a disappointment in the speed of defensive transition.
Strengthening the defense organization has become a homework that the national team must continue to solve even under the Klinsman manager system.
Most of the main defenses,먹튀검증 including 33-year-old Kim Young-kwon and Kim Tae-hwan, are in their 30s, and there are also players struggling with frequent injuries, so efforts to find backups and change generations cannot be neglected.