If a team is considered a “candidate to win the tournament,” it should go to the semifinals. This is why former coach Paulo Bento suffered from rumors of dismissal four years ago after he was eliminated from the semifinals.
South Korea’s national soccer team, led by head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, tied Malaysia 3-3 in its third Group E match at the Al-Zanub Stadium in Al-Wakra, Qatar, at 8:30 p.m. on Saturday. Korea, which has one win and two draws, advanced to the round of 16 by ranking second in its group following Bahrain, which ranks first in its group. The opponent team in the round of 16 will be Saudi Arabia, which ranks first in Group F, and the round of 16 will take place at 1 a.m. on Jan. 31 (Korea time) at Education City Stadium in Al-Rayan, Qatar.
It is obvious that new coaches who will take over after the World Cup lack time to prepare for the Asian Cup. Bento, a former coach, took charge of the national team in August 2018 and had to play the Asian Cup in four months.
Klinsmann said, “I got a much longer time than this. I took office in February last year and had a period of nearly 10 months. The number of A-matches that he played before the Asian Cup since taking office is 11, four more than Bento’s seven.
Of course, a short period of preparation does not necessarily mean that the team is not performing well. Many of the teams participating in this year’s event have prepared more urgently than Clinton’s.
Bahrain, which ranks first in its group, took the helm in July last year, while Jordanian coach Hussein Amota has been leading the team since June. Masatada Ishii, who led Thailand to No. 2 in Group F, only took charge of the team in December, about one month before the opening of the championship.
Bento suffered a setback in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Asian Cup. In the group stage, he beat the Philippines, Kyrgyzstan and China in turn to win all three games. As it was his first major tournament, expectations were high. His record of four points and no points was enough to raise expectations.
The following round of 16 was held in the match against Bahrain. Hwang Hee-chan scored the first goal in the 43rd minute of the first half, but gave up the tying goal in the 32nd minute of the second half, and the game went to overtime. Kim Jin-soo scored the finishing goal in extra time in the first half to advance to the quarterfinals. The opponent team in the quarterfinals was Qatar, the host country. Korea ended the tournament with a 0-1 loss and a loss in the 33rd minute of the second half. The team advanced to the quarterfinals unbeaten, but was held back by just one goal.
Bento was under pressure from public opinion right after the tournament to be dismissed. The prevailing opinion was that he should be fired as soon as possible and prepare for the World Cup. However, the Korea Football Association gave Bento trust, and Bento, who maintained his early stance, achieved his first ever advance to the round of 16 at an away match at the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup.
Bento’s team, which seemed to be running well with no loss and no loss, quickly collapsed. Klinsmann’s group stage performance, which is dreaming of winning, is rather inferior to that of four years ago. According to FIFA rankings, he encountered weaker teams (86th in Bahrain → 87th in Jordan → 130th in Malaysia), but his number of lost points continued to increase to 1 → 2 → 3.
An unbeaten record is not the same. Three wins, one win and two draws are completely different. They have nine and five points, rank No. 1 and No. 2 in their group, and advance to the round of 16 at an early stage and confirm the final round. We must not ignore the ominous signs of our experience and history. 마카오카지노
Accomplishments at the Asian Cup are both a burden and a duty that any coach who leads Korea, one of the strongest teams in Asia, must bear. For Coach Klinsmann, who suffered from controversy over telecommuting and overseas trips, he is also a so-called “crowd right” that is essential to reverse public opinion. His irresponsible attitude at the press conference was not enough to arouse anger. If he fails to pass the psychological lower limit of the semifinal again this time, he may be under fire for being dismissed.