'Korea's Worst Coach Ever' Audaciously Criticizes Hong Myung-bo's Tactics: "Substitution Timing Was Late; If It Were Me..." Jurgen Klinsmann Faces Another Wave of Controversial Remarks

*This content was translated by AI.

Former South Korea national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann, who led the team through what is considered the worst slump in Korean football history, appeared on a U.S. sports media outlet and offered audacious analysis. The figure widely blamed for ruining Korean football has now stepped in to evaluate the national team's performance as if he were a third party.

Klinsmann appeared as a panelist on ESPN's analysis program immediately following the second group stage match of the 2026 FIFA World Cup North America qualifiers between South Korea and Mexico.

On that day, South Korea failed to overcome a painful error in the early second half and narrowly lost 0-1 to host nation Mexico, postponing its chance to secure early qualification for the Round of 32.

Klinsmann, who faced criticism for lacking tactical identity and frequently working from home during his tenure, proceeded to criticize the tactics of his successor, coach Hong Myung-bo.

During the broadcast, Klinsmann pointed to tactical timing as the reason for South Korea's defeat. He stated, "I think South Korea's aggressive substitutions came a bit late. They should have used substitution cards to strengthen their attack around the 10th or 15th minute of the second half, but the coach waited too long," he noted.

Klinsmann continued, "In the first half, Mexico clearly tried to dominate the match. However, the moment they scored the opening goal, they lowered their line slightly, which is a typical style of Mexican or Central American teams. This was due to the fear that South Korea would push forward again," he explained.

He also added, "South Korea definitely has very capable players. Since there are players who can strike the opponent at any moment, the momentum suddenly shifted. The South Korean team's performance in the final 30 minutes was far better than in the first hour," he analyzed.

He also mentioned Cho Gue-sung's decisive opportunity late in the match. Klinsmann said, "South Korea created chances. There were fantastic consecutive saves by the Mexican goalkeeper against Cho Gue-sung. Under normal circumstances, Cho would have scored," expressing his regret.

However, in the final conclusion, Klinsmann sided with Mexico over South Korea. He stated, "Ultimately, I believe Mexico had sufficient grounds to win today's match, and the fantastic crowd and atmosphere in Guadalajara also played a role. Overall, it was a very tight game, but Mexico held a slight advantage," he assessed.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.