Michael Müller, head of the National Team Power Enhancement Committee, revealed the background of appointing Jurgen Klinsmann as coach.
The Korea Football Association held a press conference on the appointment of manager Klinsman at 2:00 pm on the 28th at the Soccer Hall. Müller, chairman of the National Team Power Enhancement Committee, attended and explained the reason for the appointment.
Previously, the association announced that it had appointed coach Klinsman as the next head coach of the national team. The contract period is 3 years and 6 months until the 2026 World Cup in North and Central America. His debut match is against Colombia in Ulsan on the 24th of next month.
Coach Klinsmann is a legendary striker in Germany. He played for Bayern Munich, Stuttgart, Inter Milan and Tottenham Hotspur. He led West Germany to the 1990 World Cup in Italy by scoring three goals. He also scored two goals against Korea in the 1994 World Cup USA.
After his retirement, he started as a coach for the German national team. He led Germany, which had the stigma of ‘rusty tank’, to third place at the 2006 World Cup in Germany. After joining the US national team, he reached the round of 16 at the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
He didn’t just walk the solid road. At Bayern Munich, he was sacked within a year of his appointment due to poor performance. In the United States, he also dropped out of the 2018 World Cup in Russia due to poor performance. He joined Hertha Berlin as a firefighter, but announced his resignation after only playing 10 games.
He naturally had a vacancy. Although he laid down the Berlin baton in February 2020, his tenure lasted only 77 days. His proper managerial career ended in November 2016, when he was head coach of the United States. He has been away from the scene for about 6+ years.
Chairman Mueller said, “I am happy to have appointed coach Klinsmann as the new head coach,” and “I want to greet a successful day by working together for the development of Korean football as soon as possible.”
Regarding the exclusion of the members of the strengthening committee during the appointment process, he said, “I can say with certainty that everyone shared positive reactions and contents at yesterday’s meeting.” Everyone fully agreed.”
As for the background of Klinsman’s decision as manager, “I was in the list of candidates for the Korean command tower in 2018. He wanted to live in Korea and showed a lot of interest,” he said. He evaluated and analyzed every game, and I know he was more interested in Korean football.”
Chairman Muller said, “Coach Klinsman will find a way to create more scoring opportunities and score more goals.”
The following is a Q&A with Chairman Michael Müller.
– I understand that there was little communication with the power reinforcement committee from the selection of candidates to the contact process, appointment, and details of negotiations. What is the reason? Also, what is the reason for the committee members that the chairperson thinks?
△ Regarding the committee, the second meeting was held in Gwanghwamun yesterday. What I can say with certainty is that it was a good time at the meeting place where everyone shared positive reactions and content.
I think it is an organization that can discuss a series of processes and have a meeting to share thoughts. I think it is always necessary to speak with a mature attitude. Yesterday, we shared about the past process, and finally, there was a process that everyone agreed on. There could be many sensitive parts in the process of selecting, contacting, and appointing candidates by the Power Reinforcement Committee, so there was a case where we asked for your understanding. There were parts that everyone fully agreed on.
– There must have been discussions about the process of appointing a director, but who did you discuss with?
△ It was not a decision made alone. Even at the first meeting, we shared with the committee members the procedures, standards, and overall ideas for appointing a new coach. Everyone started agreeing. We talked about professionalism, experience, motivation, teamwork, and environmental factors, and everyone agreed. Like the interview at the time of appointment, the whole situation started from a blank slate. It was also discussed by the committee. There was clearly a place where opinions were shared through this process.
Then there was the process of finding, deciding, and reviewing who met the criteria. Several people contacted us, and we also talked to enough interested and suitable people. There was also a process of reviewing whether the person could meet the criteria we had created. Through the entire process, the final five candidates were selected. Negotiations began with priorities among the five. They were people who fit the criteria well enough. I started negotiating with Klinsman first and everyone agreed on the decision. After explaining the criteria to the committee members and receiving their consent, candidates were selected, met, and priority negotiations began. The whole process was shared yesterday and everyone agreed.
– Can you tell the whole story up to the senior position?
△ As far as I know, coach Klinsman was also in the list of candidates for the Korean command tower in 2018. Director Klinsman said he wanted to live in Korea, was interested in it, and wanted to know about it. As for his experience and interests, he visited Germany as a commentator during the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. At the time of the 2017 Under 20 (U-20) World Cup, coach Klinsman’s son participated in the tournament and visited Korea and experienced it.
Coach Klinsman also had the experience of scoring against Korea in the 1994 World Cup in the USA. Still, it was a tough game and I was very impressed with his tough mentality, he said. In 2004, he visited Korea as a German coach and played a match and lost 1-3. It was an opportunity to change the way I thought about Korean soccer.
Recently, he participated in the 2022 Qatar World Cup as a Technology Research Group (TSG). He evaluated and analyzed every match, and I know he was more interested in Korean football. He also worked with Cha Du-ri on set. You can guess that we talked a lot about the same goal while using the same hotel. Perhaps the subject was football. I know that coach Klinsman asked Cha Doo-ri a lot about Korean football. Regarding the fact that Cha Doo-ri built a bridge, I know that all he did was express his interest in Korea through TSG activities.
It started from a blank slate. He had a group of candidates he had in mind with the person he was contacted with. Each candidate was preparing for an interview. In the process, based on personal questions and experiences, I prepared both ways to approach and proceed.
One of the big topics was the opinion of the World Cup in Qatar. Of course, he also confirmed that he had watched the Korean team’s game. If he becomes a Korean coach, he talked about what kind of football he would play and the composition of the coaching staff. In short, short-term, medium-term, and long-term goals were identified. We also confirmed what kind of teamwork can lead the national team. I checked if he had interest in Korea, communication with the coaching staff, and a willingness to do the association’s policy, and if it could be of help to Korean soccer.
We also checked the motivation of individuals and whether they resided in Korea. Since all candidates have different experiences and backgrounds, we asked tailored questions. About two weeks ago, two finalists were selected. The first negotiator was coach Klinsman. In the meantime, I felt a positive response and interest in Korean football. He was self-motivated and decided he was the right person to talk about.
The initial start was on January 10, with 61 candidates. By January 18, candidates were selected with a total of 23 people in mind. The process of guessing 5 people was prepared until January 26th. We started meeting on the 30th. It took four days because customized questions and confirmation were required. The five finalists met through an online meeting from January 30th to February 1st. The final decision was made on February 27, when consent was obtained through the Power Reinforcement Committee.
-How was Klinsmann better than the other candidates in the five criteria for appointment? When he looked at the past World Cup and the direction he needed to move forward, what did he decide was appropriate?
△ Before reviewing the standards스포츠토토, I thought we should look at the human aspect first. Everyone has different experiences. I thought we should focus on this point. Afterwards, he set up five criteria and judged how to lead Korean soccer. It was quite tricky to create five criteria and create a questionnaire according to candidates. Above all, it was more difficult to see the human side because it was a person-to-person work. I was surprised that many people were interested in the Korean managerial position.
It was confirmed that many candidates could meet the five criteria. Among them, in the case of director Klinsman, there were many attractive parts such as a strong personality. The most obvious thing was that he really wanted to be appointed as a Korean coach. The mind and interest itself to develop with the association was greater than other candidates. Coach Klinsman first asked when the first match was and who the opponent was. He confirmed his desire to succeed with Korea. He considered the role of a manager rather than a mere football manager and a considerable motivator.
As the chairman, I had to think about who would be the most suitable and the best choice. The important thing is that I had to think about how I had to run the team as the national team manager in the current situation. For example, EPL managers do not simply order passes to their players. Control the situation in a big frame and collaborate with the coaching staff.
– Were there any domestic directors among the five finalists?
△ There were none in the group of 5 candidates. There were 61 candidates. There was no Korean leader among the 5 candidates who looked at the 5 criteria. The original plan was to meet with a Korean leader if there were no five candidates. I thought it was not respectful to approach a Korean director while having confidence in the five candidates.
– How did you evaluate the five criteria and what kind of verification process did you go through for the areas that were criticized, such as field vacancy and tactical issues?
△ It is necessary to take into account the teamwork by utilizing the individuality of the players, handling the star players, and considering various factors. I thought that only the tactical part was not the answer. I think the mental strength the players show on the pitch is also very important. I think that when a series of elements are combined, it appears as a team performance. Coach Klinsman participated in the World Cup in Qatar with TSG. In addition to the tactical part, it was confirmed that he was competent in grafting data in modern soccer.
Football can be said in four aspects. Looking at our team, there are many advantages of experience and individual players. Considering that coach Klinsmann is working with the national team members, I am very excited to see how he will improve his performance by utilizing his personality. I thought Klinsman’s strength was being a leader. So it was judged appropriate.
-Director Klinsmann decided to reside in Korea. Are there any stipulated conditions?
△ It is difficult to say exactly about the terms of the contract. It’s not something I’m familiar with. What I can say with certainty is that I have met all five conditions and have a great desire to live in Korea.
-Are there any head coaches and Korean coaches to assist coach Klinsmann?
△ Coach Klinsman also thinks he has tactical strengths. It is difficult to say right now because the head coach and the Korean coach have to talk to the coach and decide. The composition of the coaching staff will be discussed with Klinsman on Thursday. The whole process is not complete, so I can’t tell you all the details. The parts that can be shared will be released at the right time. Yesterday, through the Power Reinforcement Committee meeting, we talked about what kind of Korean coach would be best to select.
– Will coach Klinsman continue the previous football philosophy? Or will he introduce a new philosophy.
△Each person has a different personality and personality. It remains to be seen how it will affect the team. I can’t wait to see how he meets and solves Korean players. Instead of following a specific coach’s soccer, we need to think about what to do with Korean elements. During the game, there are four phases: with and without the ball, from defense to attack and from attack to defense. It is important how to solve it with tactics and individual abilities at every moment.
– What aspects of Korean soccer do you expect to improve?
△ It was the same before coach Bento, but I thought a lot about Korean soccer. Director Klinsman thinks he will find a way to create more scoring opportunities and score more goals. He scored on a counter-attack if you think of the Qatar World Cup match against Portugal. As such, I think we can expect him to score easily and quickly. Another part is that when you lose the ball and switch to defense, you can expect to come down with immediate pressure or tight defense. (Did coach Klinsman talk about it?) Manager Klinsman also thinks the same when he sees what he shows in the game. If you ask Klinsman at the manager’s press conference what kind of image he will show, he will be able to know more details.
-Was there a Korean director on the middle list? What was the missing part?
△ I hope there will be no misunderstandings in the selection process. 61 had Korean leaders. It is not that Korean directors have been excluded. I kept watching. No distinction was made between Korean leaders and foreign leaders. I thought about what kind of director we really need. I didn’t meet the other candidates because the five finalists were great.