Jurgen Klinsmann (59), coach of the national soccer team, was satisfied with the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup grouping.
As a result of the AFC Asian Cup group draw held in Doha, Qatar on the 11th, Korea, ranked 27th in the FIFA rankings, was tied to Group E with Jordan (84th), Bahrain (85th) and Malaysia (138th). Malaysia, which belongs to the same group, is led by Kim Pan-gon. In other words, the ‘Korean Derby’ was completed.
The Asian Cup, which will be held in January next year, will have 24 teams divided into 6 groups of 4 countries to play in the group stage. One team was drawn from pots 1 to 4 divided according to the FIFA rankings and put into the same group. South Korea was placed in an acceptable group, avoiding rather tricky countries such as Iraq, UAE, and Oman, which belong to Port 2.
Coach Klinsman, who finished the group draw event, said, “We belonged to a good group. However, Asian teams have a good history. There is no easy group,” he said. “You have to study how strong your opponent is. Malaysia has a Korean director, so it’s special.”
Coach Klinsman, who took over the leadership of the national team in March, set the goal of “winning the Asian Cup.” After his appointment, he consistently expressed his desire to reach the top of the Asian Cup, his closest major tournament. Klinsmann, who was placed in a decent group, can expect a fresh start.
Park Ji-seong, director of Jeonbuk Hyundai, participated in the group draw event. (Photo = Yonhap News)
The Korean national soccer team, led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann, had an evaluation match against Uruguay at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 28th. Coach Klinsman applauds before the game. Sangam = Reporter Minkyu Kim mgkim1@edaily.co.kr /2023.03.28/
Coach Klinsman expressed satisfaction, saying, “Our goal is to go through the group stage and go to the end of the tournament,” and said, “It is a good match for us.” However, as the goal was to ‘win’, confrontation with Asian powerhouses such as Japan and Iran is unavoidable. If you want to win the Asian Cup, you have to win at any time.스포츠토토
“At last year’s World Cup, Saudi Arabia beat Argentina, and Japan beat Germany and Spain,” Klinsman said. Iran and Australia also performed well in the World Cup. There are many strong teams (in the Asian Cup), but our goal is to win.”
Of course, it is not necessary to meet strong teams such as Japan early. Coach Klinsman smiled and said, “Honestly, I don’t want to meet a strong team like our rival, Japan, early on.” burned
The Korean national soccer team, led by coach Jurgen Klinsmann, had an evaluation match against Uruguay at the Seoul World Cup Stadium in Mapo-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 28th. Players pose for a commemorative photo before the game. Sangam = Reporter Minkyu Kim mgkim1@edaily.co.kr /2023.03.28/
Coach Klinsman is having a meeting with the team prior to the national team training at the Paju Training Center (NFC) in Gyeonggi-do on the morning of the 22nd. After training this morning, the national team will move to Ulsan, where Klinsman’s debut match will be held. Paju = Reporter Minkyu Kim mgkim1@edaily.co.kr /2023.03.22/
Korea is aiming for its first championship in 64 years. Korea, which won the Asian Cup in the first tournament in 1956 and the second in 1960, has lowered its head every time since. Only runner-up 4 times. In the previous 2019 UAE tournament, he lost to Qatar in the quarterfinals and returned to Korea early.
It is also an important tournament for coach Klinsmann. This is because it is the first major tournament held since taking office in March. The Asian Cup will be held 10 months after coach Klinsman took over the baton. It seems that it will be time to check the competitiveness of Klinsmann.
As they belong to an easy group, advancing to the tournament is expected to be relatively easy. Korea has recorded 3 wins and 2 draws against Jordan in the same group. Against Bahrain, it boasts an overwhelming record with 11 wins, 4 draws and 1 loss. Malaysia is also relatively good with 26 wins, 12 draws and 8 losses.