The Japanese national soccer team won again in the return match against Germany, the tank corps, held for the first time in 10 months. This is in contrast to the Korean national soccer team, which has not achieved a win in five games.

Japan, led by coach Hajime Moriyasu (55, Japan), won 4-1 in the international match against Germany held at the Volkswagen Arena in Wolfsburg, Germany on the 10th (Korean time). Japan, who caused a stir by defeating Germany 2-1 in the group stage of the Qatar World Cup last November, went on to win two games in a row against Germany. Japan is cruising with 3 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss in 5 A matches played this year.

Korean soccer fans look with envy at the rise of their ‘rival’ Japan. This is because since coach Jürgen Klinsmann (59, Germany) took office last March, Korea has gone 5 consecutive games without a win (3 draws and 2 losses). Korea drew 2-2 against Colombia last March under Coach Klinsmann, and lost 1-2 against Uruguay. Last June, they lost 0-1 to Peru and drew 1-1 with El Salvador. On the 8th, in the first warm-up match against Wales in September, the team ended up drawing 0-0. Wales is ranked 35th in the FIFA rankings, lower than Korea (28th). Since the Korea Football Association introduced the full-time coach system for the national team A in 1992, Klinsmann is the first coach who has not achieved a win in five games.

Even though Korea deployed elite members in offense and defense such as Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Cho Kyu-sung (Midtjylland), and Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), they were unable to create any significant attacking opportunities against Wales, which had a 1.5-team lineup. In terms of number of shots, they were significantly behind Wales by 4-10. There was only one effective shot. It was far from the ‘offensive soccer’ that Coach Klinsmann pursued.

What was more disappointing than the poor attack power was the ‘colorless and odorless’ tactic. Korea, pushed back by the opponent’s strong pressure, abused unnecessary back passes and side passes in the midfield. In the frustrating development of the attack, there were several scenes where Son Heung-min, the front line player, came down to the halfway line and received a pass. Still, Coach Klinsmann insisted on the same tactic throughout the 90 minutes.

Experts strongly criticized Klinsmann’s ‘colorless and odorless soccer’. Commentator Park Moon-seong pointed out, “It was unclear what kind of soccer they were going to play, such as emphasizing forward pressure or utilizing the flanks.” Commentator Park Chan-ha also said, “It is a positive factor that we had a scoreless game for the first time (since Coach Klinsmann took office). Other than that, it’s hard to say anything went well. “I couldn’t find the intention of what kind of soccer we were going to play this time,” he said, raising questions about Coach Klinsmann’s leadership.

As he failed to prove his leadership, the controversy over ‘working from home’ grew even bigger. Contrary to his statement at the time of his appointment that he would reside in Korea, he is mainly staying in the United States and Europe. Director Klinsmann claimed, “We are working hard through the ‘remote work’ method.”스포츠토토

At the press conference after the Wales game, Coach Klinsmann was asked about the ‘color of soccer’ and replied, “We are going through a generational change.” However, Commissioner Park Chan-ha said, “Although the average age of the national team’s main players is a bit older, there is no need for a generational change that will shake up the game just a few months before the Asian Cup. “It’s just a remark meant to ‘get away with it,’” he said.

On the 13th, Klinsmann will play the last warm-up match of the September international match against Saudi Arabia in Newcastle, England. Saudi Arabia’s FIFA ranking is 54th, much lower than Korea. Will Klinsmann be able to experience the joy of his first win this time? Soccer fans call the friendly match against Saudi Arabia a ‘guillotine match.’ If we don’t win this time, it’s over.