Could it be that coach Paulo Bento (54) gets his first win before coach Jurgen Klinsmann (59)? While coach Klinsmann, who is leading the Korean national soccer team, continues to show difficult-to-understand actions and remarks, domestic fans are paying attention to what coach Bento, head coach of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) national soccer team, will show in his first game.
The Korean national team, led by Coach Klinsmann, will play the second warm-up match of the September international match against Saudi Arabia at St. James Park in Newcastle, England, at 1:30 a.m. on the 13th (Korean time).
Coach Klinsmann, who took office last March, has not been able to secure a win with 3 draws and 2 losses in 5 games, including a 0-0 draw against Wales on the 8th. Moreover, despite advocating attacking soccer, they are only scoring 4 goals in 5 games.
Moreover, Klinsmann was disappointed with his dismal performance against Wales. While Wales had 1.5 teams in front due to the Euro qualifiers, almost all European players, including Son Heung-min (Tottenham), Kim Min-jae (Bayern Munich), Hwang Hee-chan (Wolverhampton), and Lee Jae-seong (Mainz), except Lee Kang-in, who plays for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), were selected. Even after putting in the effort, he was only able to make 4 shots (1 effective shot). There was not a single shot inside the box.
It was a game that made one wonder whether Coach Klinsmann was properly understanding the players. With the midfield virtually eliminated, no detailed tactics were seen. The assessment is that the frustrating game continued throughout the first and second halves as the sides and center did not work organically.
The game ended 0-0 after a poor performance, but Coach Klinsmann did not care. He caused controversy by even showing his opponent Aaron Ramsey a uniform in order to address his son’s request.
Also, in an interview with domestic reporters in England, Coach Klinsmann responded to the negative public opinion surrounding him from fans, saying, “If you don’t like it, just find another coach. It doesn’t matter,” and even made a remark that sounded more like a threat.
In this atmosphere, there is news that Coach Bento, who is leading the UAE national team, will make his debut in the A-match evaluation match against Costa Rica at midnight on the 13th. The game will be played 1 hour and 30 minutes earlier than the game between Korea and Saudi Arabia.
Coach Bento took office as coach of the United Arab Emirates national team last July. His contract period is 3 years. There were local reports that he could be in charge of his native Portugal or Poland national team, but he did not sign a contract. The contract with the UAE extends until the 2026 FIFA North and Central America World Cup finals. Due to the delay in coach Bento’s contract, his debut game is finally here.
Coach Bento coached the Korean national team from August 2018 to the 2022 Qatar World Cup finals. He is the former head coach of Coach Klinsmann. At the beginning of his tenure, Coach Bento received some criticism due to his arbitrary selection of players. However, with his clear tactics and direction, he gradually changed public opinion and eventually succeeded in reaching the round of 16 of the Qatar World Cup.
Above all, Coach Bento showed respect for the K-League and Korean culture while residing in Korea, contrasting with Coach Klinsmann. Many fans expressed great disappointment when Coach Bento left Korea after negotiations with the Korea Football Association broke down.
Many domestic fans who still show affection for Coach Bento hope that the UAE will win. The UAE could become one of the obstacles to the Korean national team aiming to win the Asian Cup next January for the first time in 64 years since 1960.
In particular, the Asian Cup will be held in Qatar in January next year, so the strength of Middle Eastern teams could be even more noticeable. As Coach Bento knows Korea well, he cannot help but feel burdened. As such, Coach Bento’s success with the UAE national team may not be good news for the Korean national team.메이저놀이터
In terms of objective power, it is difficult for the UAE to beat Costa Rica. The UAE, which ranks 8th among Asian Football Confederation (AFC) teams, is 72nd in the FIFA rankings, while Costa Rica is 46th. Moreover, given that this is the first game since Coach Bento took office, it is unclear how much Coach Bento’s tactics have been incorporated into the UAE’s organizational skills.
Nevertheless, the reason why there are many fans hoping for Coach Bento’s first win is because there was a relatively strong opposition to Coach Klinsmann. Some fans are making a bitter prediction, saying, “If this continues, Coach Bento will win the first game and Coach Klinsmann will either draw or lose the Saudi game.”
In fact, if the UAE wins amid negative public opinion and disappointment about Coach Klinsmann and Coach Bento’s debut win is heard first, the weight placed on the Saudi match may be relatively greater. If they lose to Saudi Arabia and become undefeated in six games, rumors of coach Klinsmann’s dismissal are likely to grow like wildfire.