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Jurgen Klinsmann, former head coach of the South Korean national soccer team, defended Gareth Southgate, the head coach of England, who took the lead to protect the team.
Klinsmann, who served as a panelist for England's The Sun during Euro 2024, said on the 27th (Korea time) "I really respect the way Southgate took the lead in stopping criticism for the English team. After a 0-0 draw with Slovenia and two straight frustrating and disappointing performances, he could have gone straight to his anger in the locker room. Instead, he sided with Southgate, even though he knew England fans were not happy.
Klinsmann highly appreciated Southgate's behavior of greeting fans even as boos were heard and water bottles were flying. "Although some of the fans threw plastic beers at Southgate, many more would have appreciated the action. It shows the strength of Southgate. Preventing criticism towards players is one of the duties of a coach. Especially during the tournament," he said with a thumbs-up.
He is free to have any opinions as a panelist, but Klinsmann needs to look back on himself while defending Southgate. It has only been less than five months since head coach Klinsmann ruined the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup with the Republic of Korea at the forefront of the 'Best Power Ever'.
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Amid Klinsmann's inability, South Korea, the best player of all time, had to pack up in the semifinals. He barely made it to the semifinals and was eliminated in the semifinals in a terrible performance. Even the aftermath of the Asian Cup elimination is still continuing. This is because Klinsmann claimed that he ruined the tournament not because of himself, but because of Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in.
Coach Klinsmann criticized Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in through various media after being replaced from the head coach of the Republic of Korea. "Lee Kang-in, a young player who plays for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), made rude remarks and actions to Tottenham's captain and older Son Heung-min. Son Heung-min took it seriously, and they started fighting each other. A young player dislocated Son Heung-min's finger"He directly mentioned the names of the two players and pointed out the reason for their elimination from the semifinals of the Asian Cup."
Blatantly "Our contest was over after it happened that night. We mediated with some players, and we talked to them the next day. But I couldn't feel the team spirit anymore. We didn't act for each other anymore. Everyone was shocked, and we lost in the semi-finals"He claimed that he was eliminated from the tournament because of a dispute between Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in."
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Coach Klinsmann reportedly made a similar argument in a meeting with the Korea Football Association after the Asian Cup. He does not admit to incompetence and wrongdoing, he has tried to defend his position by blaming players, but is praising Southgate's actions.
Klinsmann is doing something that is undermining him while praising Southgate. Klinsmann himself did not act that way, saying that a coach should prevent criticism toward the team. In the end, it was Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in who sealed the wound. After the competition, the two players said they would act for the team again through personal SNS after having an honest conversation.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
