Coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who showed strong enthusiasm for the Asian Cup title for the first time in 64 years, explained in detail the process of selecting the final entry and the reason for the selection. Klinsmann made an appearance at the final announcement ceremony for the Asian Cup national team at CGV Yongsan in Seoul on Wednesday. The method is different from the previous announcement of the national team’s roster online and receiving questions from the media.
At the meeting, Klinsmann recited the selection criteria, saying, “The most important thing when selecting the final roster is to build a framework first.” “We need to organize this first and then solve the puzzle,” he said. “Korea has world’s best defender Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), flanker Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain), and Son Heung-min (Tottenham). It is important to combine these good resources with the puzzles of the rest of the players.”
First of all, Klinsmann is said to have established his squad in anticipation of a total of 23 players to enter. However, he is able to field as many as 26 players, three more than expected, on the final stage. However, according to AFC regulations, each team must submit a list of 23 players in each match. The other three players will sit on a technical seat to watch the game.
For the remaining positions, relatively young players were chosen. They include defenders Kim Ji-soo (19, Brentford), Kim Joo-sung (23, FC Seoul), and midfielder Yang Hyun-joon (21, Celtic). “It could be an opportunity for players who will lead the future of Korean soccer,” Klinsmann said. “After discussions, we decided to select younger players.” 안전 토토사이트
In particular, he expressed his trust in 18-year-old Kim Ji-soo, who is playing in the U.K., saying, “I trust him.” “I’ve been watching him since I joined the national team before, and I’ve been watching his growth since then,” he said, explaining the reason for his selection.
Regarding the position that he was most worried about, he replied, “The number of entries is fixed, and some players want to select but cannot.” “There are factors outside of soccer that the coach cannot decide, such as the Hwang Ui-jo (Norwich City) case and Son Joon-ho (Shandong Taishan) case,” he said. “There were also difficulties in this area.”
Hwang is under police investigation for illegal filming. As a result, the Korea Football Association (KFA) announced last month that it would not select him for the national team until Hwang is cleared of charges. “There are enough players to fill the vacancy,” Klinsmann said, responding lightly. “Oh Hyun-kyu (Celtic) and Cho Kyu-sung (Mitt Whelan) are players who can fully play those roles. Sometimes Son Heung-min can be used as a fake No. 9 player,” Klinsmann said. “There are many wingers who can show off their skills.” Son Joon-ho was detained in May on charges of rigging matches in China. Since then, there has been no news on the situation. Players who could play in Son’s position included Hwang In-beom (Zvezda), Park Yong-woo (Al Ain), Lee Soon-min (Gwangju FC), and Park Jin-seop (Jeonbuk Hyundai).
There was also mention of left-back Lee Ki-je (Suwon Samsung), who has not been able to play in matches in his team recently and has not shown much performance. On the reason for selecting Lee, Klinsmann said, “Lee had a difficult season in his team. However, he was not as good as his attitude when he was called up to the national team,” adding, “He fully played his role. He has always shown professional attitude.”
The Korean national team, led by Klinsmann, will begin its bid to win the title in Asia from January 3 next year. The team, which includes many Korean players, will depart Korea on January 2. Players from overseas will join the team on January 3. “I want to say that I will come back after winning the Asian Cup with good players,” Klinsmann said. “I hope we can win the championship together. It will be even more supportive if you cheer for us.”