Klinsmann 'very pleased' with S. Korea's execution in coaching debut

By Yoo Jee-ho

ULSAN, March 24 (Yonhap) -- South Korea may have blown a two-goal advantage in his coaching debut here Friday night, but Jurgen Klinsmann went home a happy man.

Captain Son Heung-min netted twice in the first half of the friendly match at Munsu Football Stadium in the southeastern city of Ulsan, but Colombia struck twice inside the first five minutes of the second half for a 2-2 draw.

The defensive breakdowns on the Colombian goals would have been a cause for concern, but Klinsmann chose to look on the bright side.

"We wanted to, from the beginning, play high tempo and find ways to get chances, and match the aggressiveness of Colombia," Klinsmann said. "And we matched that aggressiveness. I was very pleased with the way we tactically executed our ideas. I am really, really pleased with the performance."

The context is important. Klinsmann arrived here on March 8 and only had four days of training with South Korea before facing Colombia, and just a couple of them with all 25 players on hand. Klinsmann's expectations might have been admittedly low, since he's still trying to learn his players, and his players are also trying to learn the new coach, after playing the past four-plus years under Paulo Bento.

And even in his limited opportunities with the new team so far, Klinsmann said he likes what he has seen so far.

"In just a few days, I saw a lot of good things. This game was very, very good," he said. "We gave two goals away right after halftime, unfortunately. Maybe concentration was not there. The rest of the 84 minutes was a very good game. We keep learning, and we keep trying things out."

Klinsmann reserved high praise for Son for his two-goal performance.

"I'm obviously very happy every time Sonny scores. As a striker, this is what you're looking for. He had a fantastic game," Klinsmann said. "He has the freedom to rotate (behind the striker). As long as he knows where the goal is, I am happy."

A legendary striker for Germany in his playing days, Klinsmann has taken a particular interest in three South Korean strikers during training camp: Hwang Ui-jo, Cho Gue-sung and Oh Hyeon-gyu.

Cho, who shot to prominence with a two-goal performance against Ghana at last year's FIFA World Cup, got the start Friday. Oh, who made a successful transition from the K League 1 to Celtic in the top Scottish league in January, came off the bench. Hwang, who has fallen on hard times lately, didn't see any action.

Klinsmann quipped that Hwang would have played if the match had gone on for 120 minutes.

"I watched them very carefully in training. For strikers, it's really important to be on the field and get chances to score," Klinsmann said. "I know all of them are very hungry. This is very important. I am really looking forward to working with players and telling them everything I can."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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