Only Klins, who ignored Korean fans, is in disrepair...Southgate ignores advice

Jul 04, 2024

Former South Korean coach Jurgen Klinsmann advised coach Gareth Southgate to change to a 4-4-2 formation in the Euro 2024 quarterfinals against Switzerland. However, Southgate is preparing for a change to a three-hundred-based formation. Sports Chosun DB

England manager Gareth Southgate will not listen to Jurgen Klinsmann's advice.

England will play against Switzerland in the quarterfinals of Euro 2024 at Düsseldorf Arena in Düsseldorf, Germany, on the 7th (Korea time).

England's victory is expected based on the team's history, but the English people are not sure about advancing to the semifinals. This is because England's performance is very serious this tournament. Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham, Bukayo Saka and Phil Foden are floundering even with the best strikers in the world. Naturally, it is bound to be criticized.

In the last 16, he was close to elimination against Slovakia, one of the weakest players in the tournament, and survived with a dramatic equalizer from Bellingham. England only made it to the semifinals with Kane's come-from-behind goal in extra time.

Switzerland, by comparison, is a dark horse in this tournament. With a solid spine that leads to Granit Zakya, Manuel Akanji and Jan Zommer, Switzerland is the best performing team in the tournament. It had a 1-1 draw with Germany, which is considered the favorite to win the tournament, and sent it home by defeating Italy 2-0 in the round of 16.

It is not strange even if Switzerland produces a result of overpowering England. In an unusual atmosphere, Klinsmann, the worst head coach in Korea's history, is a columnist for The Sun in England, giving tactical advice to Southgate.

Klinsmann added: "England face the best Swiss team of all time on Saturday. Switzerland is a very tough opponent. Over the past few years, they have developed in a particular way. I think England should try something else that might surprise Switzerland. It's a bit old fashioned but could be a good 4-4-2 formationHe recommended a 4-4-2 formation for England.

Southgate is only using a 4-2-3-1 formation in this tournament. With Kane on the front line, Foden, Bellingham and Saka underneath them. However, the synergy effect of the four players is not coming out at all.

In response, Klinsmann said he should put Ivan Toney, who showed his presence as a substitute at the end of the second half against Slovakia. "If Kane has a true No. 9 striker partner who puts a lot of physical effort into him, Kane has great freedom. It could be a fantastic system. Two hard-working front-line strikers like Kane and Tony can pose a real threat to the opposition. Tony can bring a threat in the air ball, too"I told Southgate that he should put Tony, not Bellingham, as Kane's partner.

Klinsmann has mainly used the 4-4-2 formation even when he was leading Korea. Cho Kyu-sung was at the forefront and attacked in the form of giving Son Heung-min a free roll. Klinsmann seems to have put Tony, who is a front-line striker but is active, like Cho Kyu-sung, and advised Kane to use it as a free roll like Son Heung-min by relieving the defensive burden. Klinsmann's argument makes some sense because Kane shines more in role 10 than in role 9.

However, Klins is not the only one who can offer tactical advice to Southgate. As a player, Klinsmann was greater than Southgate, but as a leader, Southgate is better than Klinsmann. Although he has no championship trophy yet, he is the coach who finished second in the semifinals of the World Cup and the Euro. There is a reason why Southgate is living a long life in England, the graves of coaches.

Klinsmann then told Southgate to close his ears and trust his intuition. He said "As a manager, you have more knowledge of the squad than anyone else. You'll regret it if you don't have a gut feeling of wanting to put in Tony or Cole Palmer or any other player or act decisively. "You have to have the courage to make that decision, even if it can hurt one or two big-name players," he said, before adding that there are 56 million coaches at home who want to make a different decision.

He advised that the public opinion toward Southgate is very critical at the moment, so he should make his own decisions instead of hearing that. It's enough advice to give, but it's Klinsmann's idea when he was a Korean coach.

Klinsmann accurately practiced what he advised Southgate when he was a South Korean coach. It didn't even listen to public opinion. Starting with resident in Korea, he has always acted confidently in numerous criticisms such as controversy over working from home, frequent overseas business trips, and sales activities. He even entered the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup semifinals with a smile on his return home after being eliminated with a shocking performance.

It was clear that he did not care about public opinion at all. Coach Klinsmann also suffered a humiliation of being taffed by Korean fans at the scene of his return to Incheon International Airport. Even after being embroiled in a controversy over his replacement, he was fired after defending himself with the best players in Korea, including Son Heung-min and Lee Kang-in, not his fault. It was the worst thing to say.

There was no one to take the advice of Klinsmann, who had lost his credentials as leader. Southgate is understood to be preparing for a change to 300 in the next match against Switzerland. The British Telegraph reported 'Southgate is considering a switch to three hundred in the Euro quarter-final against Switzerland, desperate to improve his performance. He tested his return to the 300 in this training session. 'There are still two training sessions left, but 300 changes are being seriously considered,' the report said. Not many leaders would listen to Klinsmann's tactical advice.

rlaeotlr2024@sportschosun.com