At least the goalkeeping overhaul is ongoing. Klinsmann’s goalkeeping coach, Andreas Köpke, will be observing Krieger.
The issue of Jürgen Klinsmann’s residency in South Korea is on the table. Klinsmann, who agreed upon his appointment that he would be based in South Korea to continue to identify and evaluate homegrown talent, has been spending time abroad, 메이저놀이터with the exception of March and part of June, when he played the A-League.
This was a concern even before Klinsmann’s appointment. He had worked extensively from home in the U.S. while leading the German national team in the past, and his previous coaching style, which included announcing his resignation from Hertha Berlin remotely, raised concerns about his ability to stay in the country.
“The promise that he would be based in South Korea has already been broken. Klinsmann is currently based in the United States. Instead, goalkeeping coach Köpke is in South Korea, working with a power analyst to carry out Klinsmann’s domestic checks.
Köpke will be on hand to watch the K League 1 resume this weekend after a break. According to the Korea Football Association, he will travel to Gangneung to watch Gangwon FC and Ulsan Hyundai on the 12th, before travelling to Daejeon to watch Daejeon Hana Citizen and FC Seoul on the 13th.
Inevitably, attention turns to the goalkeepers. Köpke boasts a stellar career, having played 59 times in goal for the German national team as a player. He started his career with Hertha Berlin and played for clubs in Germany and France, including Frankfurt, Marseille and Nuremberg. Since 2004, he has been the goalkeeping coach of the German national team for 17 years.
The list of German goalkeepers who have passed through his hands includes Jens Lehmann, Manuel Neuer, Thierry Henry and Bernd Leno. His animal-like ability to make saves helped him to perfect the underfoot skills that led to the sweeper-keeper trend.
Köppke, who has a firm set of evaluation criteria, has expressed his satisfaction with the Korean goalkeeper since joining Klinsmann. For the two A matches in March and June, he kept Kim Seung-kyu (Al Shabab), Cho Hyun-woo (Ulsan) and Song Bum-geun (Shonan Belmare). Ahead of the European Championships in September, there is a sense of change. Köpke is reported to have made it clear that he wants to see more competition in the national team’s goalkeeping ranks.
Heading into the trip to Daejeon, one source of interest among domestic goalkeepers is Lee Chang-geun (Daejeon Hana Citizen). Lee made his debut for Busan I-Park in 2012 and joined Daejeon last year, where he has been a regular in goal. Although Daejeon is a promoted team and is one of the most conceded goals in the K League 1, Lee’s individual play has been well-received. His 96 saves are among the best in the league.
He was recently named to the K League All-Star squad and showed off his saves in a friendly against Atletico Madrid. He was cheered by the fans who filled the stadium as he kept Atletico’s attack to one goal. Köppke, who watched Klinsmann and Lee in action on the field, was also impressed with their reading skills.
In addition to inspecting the players, Köpke also visited the age-group teams to share his know-how. When the Hana OneQ FA Cup semi-finals were postponed on the 9th due to the Saemangeum World Scouting Jamboree and Typhoon Kanun, he went to the Paju National Football Team Training Centre (NFC) to interact with the U-18 team.
With an eye on the FIFA U-20 World Cup in two years’ time, the U-18s are starting afresh, with Lee Chang-hyun taking over on an interim basis and participating in the SBS Cup International Youth Competition. Ahead of the tournament, Köpke has been busy filling in for Klinsmann, sharing information with the U-18 staff.