Jurgen Klinsmann, coach of the Korean national soccer team, will make his Korean debut in two consecutive A-matches on the 24th (Colombia) and 28th (Uruguay). Coach Klinsman, who arrived in Korea on the 8th and started working in earnest starting with an official press conference on the 9th, announced the 26-member national team list on the 13th.
Because time was so tight, most of the roster consisted of players who participated in the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar held last year. Except for Oh Hyeon-gyu (Celtic), who was not included in the World Cup final entry, but who was with him until the end in Qatar, only one new name was added, namely Lee Gi-je (Suwon), a left-back fullback. Yoon Jong-kyu (Gimcheon) and Hong-cheol (Daegu) were injured.
From here, it can be guessed that the concerns about fullbacks, which have been constantly raised since the days of former coach Paulo Bento, will be a big task even in the Klinsman coaching system. It’s okay right now, but it seems that the generational change of fullbacks aimed at the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America will emerge as coach Klinsman’s top priority.
The fullback resources in this list are Kim Jin-soo, Kim Moon-hwan (above Jeonbuk), Kim Tae-hwan (Ulsan), and Lee Ki-je. Kim Jin-soo and Lee Ki-je are on the left, Kim Tae-hwan and Kim Moon-hwan are on the right.
Kim Tae-hwan, born in 1989, Lee Gi-je, born in 1991, and Kim Jin-su, born in 1992, are already in their 30s. Kim Moon-hwan, born in 1995, is also about to enter his 30s. There is no doubt about the current skills of Jeonbuk’s left and right wings Kim Jin-su and Kim Moon-hwan, Ulsan’s defensive axis Kim Tae-hwan, and last season’s K-League 1 assist king Lee Ki-je, but whether they will be able to perform as well 3 years after the World Cup opens Doubtful.
Although coach Klinsmann had the peculiarity of having to announce the list just five days after coming to Korea, it is not certain whether he could have made a different decision even if he had had ample preparation time. This means that there is a shortage of fullback resources in Korean football both domestically and internationally.
The importance of the fullback in modern football is indescribable. Not to mention the basic defense, after active overlapping in the attack, they have now reached the level of finishing. He is an all-rounder who must be good at both offense and defense. In the current K-League, there are few fullbacks who are young and have good skills.
Even when Bento was coaching, the fullback was always a position with a lot of worries. Coach Bento waited until the end for Kim Jin-soo, who was exhausted and injured ahead of the World Cup, and picked three right-back full-backs who could not guarantee starting positions. 토토사이트
If resources such as Oh Hyeon-kyu and Lee Kang-in (Mallorca) emerge from the attacking camp with promising futures, Hwang In-beom (Olympiacos) has sufficiently demonstrated his ability, and Kim Min-jae (Napoli) is the core of the defense, if the generational change is successful only at fullback, Even facing a world-class team, it’s worth a try.
Although it is much better than before, it is still common that most players prefer strikers or midfielders who are in the spotlight when entering soccer, and avoid goalkeepers and defenders. As a result, it is difficult to find good fullback resources in the national team as well as in the age group. Director Klinsman accepted a difficult homework as soon as he took over.
