There is no 'game changer'
The national soccer team, led by head coach Jürgen Klinsmann, drew 2-2 in the second Group D match of the 2023 Asian Cup at Altumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on the afternoon of the 20th (Korea time) due to Hwang In-beom (Turbena Zvezda)'s inducement of an opponent's own goal just before the end of the second half.
The advance to the round of 16 and the final ranking will be decided in the final match against Malaysia on the 25th. Klinsmann's plan to confirm the group's No. 1 ranking early on and see after the round of 16 through physical arrangements by dualizing the team has gone up in smoke.
Since his inauguration, Clinton has been running aggressive matches based on the 4-4-2 or 4-2-3-1. The players comprised almost all of them. With Cho Kyu-sung (Mit Whelan) at the forefront, Son Heung-min (Tottenham Hotspur) will move to either a drooping striker or a left flanker.
Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), who is recovering from injury, mainly plays as a left flanker, but Lee Jae-seong (Mainz 05) is playing first in this year's event. For this reason, Lee Jae-seong, Hwang In-beom, and Lee Kang-in (Paris Saint-Germain) moved forward, and Park Yong-woo (Al-Ayn) saw the defensive midfielder alone. Lee Ki-je (Suwon Samsung), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Jeong Seung-hyeon (Ulsan Hyundai) and Seol Young-woo (Ulsan Hyundai) played defense.
Klinsmann's "Plan A" was almost the same in the A-match that he had played since taking office in February last year. After deploying the players around the starting lineup, the second line of offense moves by shifting positions, disrupting opponents. Son effectively plays the role of free agent.
Some pointed out that Hwang should select a new striker as he was suspended from the national team due to privacy concerns, but Klinsmann only included Oh Hyun-gyu (Celtic) in addition to Cho Kyu-sung. He has not deviated significantly from the existing resources. When asked if he would select Joo Min-gyu, who had scored a goal in the K-League, he replied by not selecting him.
While it is important to maintain the starting lineup's framework during certain competitions, it is also important to demonstrate changes through the transition of the Joker or Plan B in a tiring situation in the second half. However, throughout the two matches, Coach Klinsmann seemed to rely solely on players' personal capabilities. Strategies and tactics were rarely seen.
In the match against Jordan, the team overturned 1-0 to 1-2, and excluded Lee Ki-je and Park Yong-woo at the start of the second half, and added Kim Tae-hwan (Jeonbuk Hyundai) and Hong Hyun-seok (KAA Hent). It was best if Seol, who is capable of left-right defense, moved to the left. Hong just inherited the role of Park Yong-woo.
There was no change in the way the players played. Lee Jae-sung and Cho Kyu-sung were left out and Jung Woo-young (Stutgart) and Oh Hyun-kyu (Celtic) came in at the 23rd minute, but it was meaningless than replacing players. Still, Son Heung-min or Lee Kang-in grabbed the ball from the side, exchanged passes, and then used shooting to ease the attack. They lost all of their rebounding balls, to no effect. They only garnered one point as the goal barely avoiding defeat.
It is understandable if the team had hidden plans B, C and D considering the long journey, but the team is fighting over doubts over whether the team has learned the plan properly. Given the performance that the team has displayed so far, it would be regrettable to be called the favorite.