Heung-min Son pledges his first win at Klinsmann, emphasizing the importance of actions over words in his leadership.
‘Captain’ Son Heung-min (Tottenham) vows to show the power of the captain’s armband through action, not words, as he takes on Klinsmann ‘4-for-5’ challenge.
The South Korean national soccer team, led by Jürgen Klinsmann, will take on Wales at 3:45 a.m. local time on Sept. 8 at Cardiff City Stadium in Cardiff, England, in the first of two September A matches.
Against Wales, Klinsmann’s only goal is to win.
Klinsmann’s men have drawn two of their last four matches, including a 2-2 draw with Colombia in March and a 1-2 loss to Uruguay in June.
In the March A-Match, Klinsmann was not able to identify the team properly because it was early in his tenure, and in the June A-Match, it was difficult to show “Klinsmann’s football” because “attacking core” Son Heung-min was not able to play properly after hernia surgery, and “iron pillar” Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich) was away for basic military training.
However, there is no excuse for this September’s A match.
Most of the overseas players who make up the core of the national team’s strength have joined the squad, making it ‘complete’, while Son Heung-min, Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), Hong Hyun-seok (Hent) and others have improved their goal-scoring form in their last club matches.
The central defense combination has also found its form, with Kim Min-jae and Kim Young-kwon (Ulsan) returning after missing the June A match together.
In terms of player composition alone, it can be said that this is the strongest team since the inception of Klinsmann.
In addition, the fact that the team was traveling to Europe meant that the overseas players were less likely to suffer from jet lag was a good thing for Klinsmann.
Klinsmann has been criticized for spending more time abroad than in South Korea due to the ‘work-from-home’ controversy, so he needs to change the atmosphere with a big win against Wales and Saudi Arabia on the 13th.
He is also desperate to restore his reputation after becoming the first foreign coach to lead the South Korean national team without a win in his first four games.
In particular, Son Heung-min, who scored a hat trick for Tottenham with his first through third goals of the season before being called up to the national team, showed his determination to get the first win under Klinsmann.
Speaking at the official press conference for the match against Wales on June 6, Son emphasized the importance of the captain’s armband.
“Being a captain is not just about words, it’s about actions,” he said, according to the Independent. “I have to prove it. I have to show the team and my teammates that I can be the leader of the team on and off the field,” he said, conveying the weight of the armband.
Son showed his captaincy with a multi-goal performance (two) against Colombia in March, his debut under Klinsmann.
However, he was unable to play a full game in the June A 먹튀검증 match due to hernia surgery, so he is determined to play his part as a spearhead in Klinsmann’s victory.
