Klinsmann 'excited' to play 'very good' Uruguay in 2nd match for S. Korea

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, March 27 (Yonhap) -- South Korea head coach Jurgen Klinsmann conceded Monday that Uruguay, his team's next men's football friendly opponent, are "a very good team."

But the German tactician said his team will not be pushed around.

"We're also a very, very good team," Klinsmann said at his prematch press conference at the National Football Center in Paju, 30 kilometers northwest of Seoul. South Korea check in at No. 25 in the FIFA rankings, nine spots below Uruguay.

"Hopefully, we can continue on that path you saw mostly in that game (against Colombia last Friday), create chances, score goals and be defensively very organized," the coach added.

Klinsmann was referring to a 2-2 draw against Colombia in the southeastern city of Ulsan, his first match in charge of the Taegeuk Warriors. South Korea built a 2-0 lead at halftime behind two goals by captain Son Heung-min, but some defensive breakdowns led to two quick Colombian goals after the restart.

Klinsmann shrugged off those miscues as part of the process of the new coach getting to know his players, and vice versa.

"In general, it was a very, very good performance against Colombia," he said. "The few mistakes I made, we paid a price. This is normal in our process of getting to know each other and working together, and, step by step, preparing for the Asian Cup in Qatar next year."

One match into his tenure, Klinsmann has already dealt with injuries to significant players.

Wolverhampton Wanderers winger Hwang Hee-chan was cut from the team on March 19 with an unspecified injury suffered playing for his Premier League club. Then left fullback Kim Jin-su suffered a lower back fracture during the Colombia match and will miss up to six weeks.

Lee Ki-je, Kim's replacement, looked helpless at times against speedy Colombian attackers. Klinsmann was coy when asked how he will address Kim's absence, and came to Lee's defense by saying, "Ki-je did a great job."

Klinsmann did select a new left fullback in Seol Young-woo, giving him his first senior national team callup at age 24.

Klinsmann noted that the role of fullbacks will depend entirely on opponents. Against more beatable teams, fullbacks can jump in on the attack more often. However, against quality opponents such as Uruguay, "You need to have a good balance," Klinsmann said.

"One fullback can go (forward) and the other has to stay," the coach continued. "All these elements, we're talking with the team, and we learn from each other."

At least Klinsmann won't have much to worry about with his central defense, as Napoli's all-world center back Kim Min-jae is firmly in charge.

"He is one of the best center backs in the world," Klinsmann gushed. "I am very proud to work with Min-jae. He's continuously proving how good he is, week in and week out."

jeeho@yna.co.kr
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