Saudi-Vietnam? ‘Pathetic A-match’ Clemensman enlarges the pool before it is complete

The national soccer team’s second half schedule is virtually complete.
Jürgen Klinsmann’s men will face Wales (Sept. 8, Cardiff, England) and Saudi Arabia (Sept. 13, Newcastle, England) before welcoming Tunisia (Sept. 13) and Vietnam (Oct. 13) to Korea.

Of these, Vietnam was not announced by the Korean Football Association (KFA), but Klinsmann indirectly acknowledged it at a recent non-personal press conference, saying, “It is not easy to recruit strong teams, so we have been in contact with Asian teams for the Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers.”

A baffling A-match schedule. Unlike us, Japan hasn’t found it “easy” to book strong teams. Japan will face Germany in September and Canada in October. Germany and Canada are two of last year’s World Cup participants from Qatar, while Turkiye and Tunisia are dark horses from Europe and Africa, respectively.

Unfortunately, the ‘Klinsmanns’ were also able to take on Tunisia and Canada. According to soccer circles, Tunisia wanted to invite South Korea for a September A match, and Canada wanted to visit South Korea in addition to their trip to Japan. In fact, contact was made. But for some reason, the KFA chose Saudi Arabia and Vietnam. Tunisia’s inability to travel to North Africa and Canada’s contact with Vietnam were reportedly the deciding factors.

It’s a sparring arrangement that will do nothing to improve the national team’s strength and FIFA rankings, and the location is pointless. Newcastle is a heavily Saudi capitalized area, so South Korea can’t really put their best foot forward, and the Vietnam game is a questionable box office draw.

At this point, we need to be realistic. If you look at it coldly, the national team doesn’t have to do much except for the Wales game. It’s a must-win, must-draw, must-lose situation, especially when it’s against an embarrassing Asian nation. It’s worth considering using the September-October A-match series as a ‘Plan B’ rather than going all out.

Klinsmann’s decision to call up Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG-France) Lee Kang-inn for the September A-match was a sign of his commitment to the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. Lee’s unexpected injury cleared up the situation, but it showed that Klinsmann was committed to the September A match. However, it would be a disservice to the team if they were to give 100% for the Saudi Arabia game in Newcastle and the Vietnam game at home.

Klinsmann revealed in the press conference that he is running the national team with a reserve squad of around 30 players, 온라인바카라 despite having played in the amateur ranks. This is a far cry from former Portugal coach Paulo Bento’s generous list of more than 70 players who play at home and abroad. At a time when generational change is essential, it is urgent to find and nurture the next generation of resources to become the ‘next Son Heung-min’ rather than pushing the captain, Son Heung-min (Tottenham).