After the game against Manchester United in the 21st round of the 2023-24 English Premier League at Old Trafford in Manchester, England, on the 15th (Korea time), he said in an interview with Bein Sports, “I will watch Korea’s game (tomorrow).”
Postecoglou’s comment came from the question of whether to watch the Asian Cup. A reporter interviewed Postecoglou asked if Australia would be able to produce good results again in 2015 when he led Australia to the top. “I don’t know much about the details after my career as a national team coach is over,” Postecoglou said. “I think I will watch Son’s game tomorrow (at the Asian Cup). There are many good players in Australia as well, so I will do well.” 토토사이트 순위
Australia advanced to the finals at the 2015 Asian Cup in Australia, and beat Korea 2-1 after a neck-and-neck race to lift the trophy. Then, Australia’s coach was Postecoglou. Interestingly, Son Heung-min scored a goal in Korea. He shook Postecoglou with an extra-time goal in the second half when the team was losing 0-1.
Postecoglou clearly remembered the moment when he met Son again after taking the helm of Tottenham. “He scored a goal against me at the 2015 Asian Cup, and that was enough,” he said. “I saw enough that he was a good goaltender. Son has always been a goaltender.”
Tottenham, who sent Harry Kane to Bayern Munich, did not recruit a striker from outside, but instead used Son Heung-min, who was mainly playing on the side, as a front-line striker in more than 10 games in the first half. The decision reflected Postecoglou’s opinion, and one of the reasons was the memory of the Asian Cup.
Postecoglou said, “It is not realistic to bring in a player who can score 25 to 30 goals in the transfer market. Son has excellent ability to play and pressure. I thought it would fit us really well. It wasn’t the only option I was looking at, but he was the one who best fits what we need as a team. The more Son plays, the more he can become a goal threatening player, and that is a huge asset (for our team).”
Postecoglou is not the only coach who will be paying keen attention to Korea’s game. The Korean national team, which is considered the strongest team ever, has a number of players who play as key players in European big leagues as well as Son. They include Kim Min-jae of Bayern Munich, Lee Kang-in of Paris Saint-Germain, and Hwang Hee-chan of Wolverhampton Wanderers. As the coaches of each team have recruited key players within their teams during the season, chances are high that they will at least manage the results of the game even if they do not watch it live like Postecoglou.
South Korea, which belongs to Group E such as Bahrain, Jordan and Malaysia, will play its first Group E match against Bahrain on the 15th. It is the fourth time that South Korea meets Bahrain at the Asian Cup, and it has a 2-1 lead in its previous three matches.
At a press conference held at the Asian Games Main Media Center (MMC) in Doha, Qatar on Wednesday, national team coach Jurgen Klinsmann said, “There is no easy match. The first match that starts a competition is important. (All of the players) are strong. I respect Bahrain, the first opponent team, and I think it will be a difficult match.”
“The FIFA World Cup held in Qatar one year ago was a special and good competition. I am here taking charge of the Korean team. It is special and the atmosphere is good. I want to bring good results and entertainment to you,” he said.
“The message we keep sending to the players is to play every game and think about the next one. The most important game for us at the moment is against Bahrain. We can think about the next game only after that. All our focus and goals are on the first game,” he stressed.
On the team’s chances of winning the title, he said, “Korea is a very strong team and we will win it. This event will be a marathon and a drama for us. The competition is a drama. The last World Cup was a beautiful drama.”
Hwang Hee-chan, who also attended the event, said, “You could be tired. Still, players are happy to join the national team. I don’t often say that even if it’s hard, it’s hard,” adding, “They talk about positive things about how to do well.” Players try to create synergy among themselves. The preparation process for the tournament was good. I want to win every match. Then you’ll get the result you want.”
Coach Jurgen Klinsmann likened the Asian Cup to a marathon. “A competition like the Asian Cup is a marathon,” he said. “Players who play in Europe like Hwang Hee-chan are raising the level of the Korean national team. Our team is well prepared. We will bring great joy to our fans.”
On the match against Bahrain, he said, “A single match is not easy. All of them are strong. No team is weak. In particular, the first match is more important than ever. He stressed to the players that they should focus on the upcoming match. First of all, it is important to play well in the match against Bahrain.”
The Korean national team, which is trying to win the title for the first time in 64 years since 1956 and 1960, is said to be the strongest ever. Starting with Son Heung-min, who is ranked third in the Premier League with 12 goals this season, Hwang Hee-chan, who is enjoying his prime time with 10 goals in the Premier League, and Lee Kang-in, who has become the main player in Paris Saint-Germain, will lead the attack. The defense will be played by Kim Min-jae, who has become the world’s best central defender in Bayern Munich. In addition, players who led the advance to the round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup under the former coach Paulo Bento, such as Lee Jae-sung and Hwang Hee-chan, are firmly maintaining their position in the Clinsman team.
“We have reached the final four times since our last championship, but we recently knelt down to Australia after extra time in the 2015 tournament,” soccer statistics firm Opta said of Korea. Like Japan, we have advanced to World Cup tournaments and boast talented squads including Bayern Munich defender and Paris Saint-Germain star Lee Kang-in. Two capable Premier League strikers are also one of their options. Tottenham’s Son Heung-min and Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Hwang Hee-chan have already scored 22 Premier League goals this season, adding, “With our impressive lineup, Korea may feel that now is the time for them to win.”
Opta set a 67.3 percent chance for Korea to rank No. 1 in Group E, and a 62.2 percent chance for Korea to advance to the round of 16. Furthermore, the odds for Korea to advance to the semifinals are 39.9 percent, and the odds for Korea to the finals are 24.9 percent.
Attention is focusing on whether Son Heung-min, the star player in the upcoming event, will win the title. It is actually his last attempt to win the title. Starting with the Qatar event in 2011, Son will seek to win the Asian Cup for the fourth time in his career, following the Australia event in 2015 and the United Arab Emirates event in 2019. His best performance in his previous attempt was the runner-up at the 2015 Australia event, and he aims to secure a win that he has not achieved for a long time in Qatar.
According to The Associated Press, the total prize money for this year’s event amounts to 14.8 million U.S. dollars. The winner will receive 5 million dollars. The runner-up will receive 3 million dollars. The winner will receive 1 million dollars. In addition, all participating teams will receive 200,000 dollars. In order to motivate them to win the Asian Cup championship, the Korea Football Association has also promised 50 million won per participant.
