Jurgen Klinsmann (59), the national soccer team coach of the Republic of Korea, takes a short breather and runs again. This time we have to keep an eye on the central defender.
Jurgen Klinsmann, coach of the Korean men’s national soccer team, attended the agreement ceremony between the Ministry of Education and the Korea Football Association to promote school sports and support for Neulbom School, which was held at Balsan Elementary School in Incheon at 2:50 pm on the 28th.
Director Klinsman, who returned to Korea via Incheon International Airport after completing a 10-day business trip to Europe on the 26th, had a fruitful schedule, including a business agreement ceremony and an 8-to-8 mini game with elementary school students.
An official from the Korea Football Association (KFA) who met at the site said that coach Klinsman would visit the site for round 10 of the Hana One Q K League 1 2023, which will be held on the 29th and 30th. Coach Klinsman first checks out the match between Suwon FC and FC Seoul at 2:00 pm on the 29th, then moves to Pohang on the 30th to watch the match between Pohang Steelers and Incheon United.
It is Klinsman who will look at a wide range of players from strikers to goalkeepers. But this time, the focus is on the central defender. The reason is none other than the absence of ‘iron pillar’ Kim Min-jae (27, Naples).
On the 28th, Kim Min-jae’s side said, “Kim Min-jae plans to enter the training center for basic military training in mid-June.” His enlistment date was reportedly just before his first A match in June.
Since both matches are held during the A-match period designated by the International Football Federation (FIFA), all foreign players are subject to convocation. However, there is a possibility that Kim Min-jae’s joining will fail. The reason is that it coincides with his basic military training schedule.
Kim Min-jae, a gold medalist at the 2018 Jakarta/Palembang Asian Games, received a special military service benefit and was transferred to an arts and sports personnel. Athletes who have obtained arts and sports personnel qualifications must undergo basic military training for three weeks within one year after registration. Over the next 34 months, he will have to complete 544 hours of volunteer work while working in the sport.
Kim Min-jae, who was a member of the Asian Games championship, was scheduled to complete basic military training in 2019, but the plan was modified to participate in the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup), which was in the early days of Paulo Bento’s full-time national team coach. In the summer of 2022, he could not enter the training center due to injury surgery. Kim Min-jae, who had undergone surgery at the time, completed registration as an arts and sports agent in June of that year. He has to complete three weeks of military training within a year.
Kim Min-jae’s side explained the situation, “The enlistment date has not been confirmed. We made inquiries to the Military Manpower Administration. We have not yet received an answer. We are coordinating. However, it is true that training must be completed within a year after registration.”
KFA said, “Director Klinsman is also aware of Kim Min-jae’s situation. We are waiting for an answer from the Military Manpower Administration.”
Coach Klinsman, who grasped the situation of Kim Min-jae, is in a situation where he has to find his backup player. 토토사이트
In the final match against Portugal in the group stage of the 2022 FIFA World Cup Qatar held last year (Korea won 2-1, advanced to the round of 16), Kim Min-jae was left out of the starting list due to injury. Instead, Kwon Kyung-won (31, Gamba Osaka) started and performed well. It’s a good option, but Kwon Kyung-won has not been able to record consistent appearances for his team due to injuries this season.
Cho Yoo-min (27), who helped promote Daejeon Hana Citizen, who stayed in K-League 2 last season, to K-League 1, also played as a central defender at the end of the match against Portugal. In addition, Park Ji-soo (29, Portimonense), who fell from the horse just before the World Cup, is a card that can be taken out.
Coach Klinsman has been thoroughly examining the K-League stage since his appointment to the national team. Starting with the match between FC Seoul and Ulsan Hyundai on March 12, the match between Daegu FC and Jeonbuk Hyundai, the match between Incheon United and Daegu FC, and the match between Jeonbuk Hyundai and Daejeon Hana Citizen, they are showing off a tremendous amount of activity.
The central defender is one of the positions in modern football that is sensitive to the manager’s style. Among some top-class coaches, there are many who do not dare to appoint them if their feet are not good or their passing is unstable, no matter how good their defense is. The player who will fill the vacancy of Kim Min-jae right away is likely to be a player who has been consistently on the national team call list. However, for manager Klinsman, who is slowly developing his own color, it is also an opportunity to pick up a new defender and train him up close.
According to KFA officials, coach Klinsman will also visit the K League 2 site on May 6th. An official explained, “I want to prepare well for the second series of A matches to be held in June.”
Let’s see if coach Klinsman, who is in the process of making ‘Klins Manho’ with an extraordinary amount of activity, selects a new defender based on what he saw on the field.
Leave a Reply