Jurgen Klinsmann, head coach of the South Korean men's national football team, is a firm believer in the effectiveness of remote working, someone who takes advantage of technology to stay connected with his backroom staff even when he is not in South Korea.
In response to recent criticism that he isn't around the country that employs him as much as he should or as his predecessors, Klinsmann insisted the nature of his work is "international" and he can work just as diligently while staying overseas.
In a wide-ranging Zoom interview with South Korean media last Thursday, Klinsmann defended his style of running the national team, while also discussing his experience in South Korea so far and his learning of the Korean language.
Klinsmann, who left for his Los Angeles home at the start of August and also spent some time in Europe for personal and professional commitments recently, said he understands where criticism against him comes from. The coach that Klinsmann succeeded, Paulo Bento, lived in South Korea year-round even when the national team didn't have matches. For earlier foreign coaching hiring, the Korea Football Association (KFA) made living in South Korea one of the requirements of the job.
"Maybe it's something new to people that are used to doing it differently. I don't blame anybody when they say, 'Where is he?'" Klinsmann said from Los Angeles. "The work of a national team coach is international. I need to know what goes on in Europe. I need to be in touch with the coaches of the (Korean) players in Europe. I need to always understand what the best teams and the best nations do, and what we can do better.
"I am a workaholic. I love to work like Koreans love to work," Klinsmann added with a smile. "If I'm not maybe 24/7 in the country, I still work 24/7, calling people, observing, and watching videos about opponents. I talk to a lot of people outside my working environment in order to pick up new information of trends in professional sports, not only in football, to learn from other sports."
While he is outside South Korea, Klinsmann leans on two Korean members of his staff, Cha Duri and Michael Kim, to scout the domestic K League. Klinsmann, a former German World Cup star, uses his considerable network in Europe to stay on top of that side of the globe.
Klinsmann claimed that he had seen his share of K League matches in person, enough that he and his staff now have "a very good picture" of the players in the pool for future national team consideration.
Perhaps Klinsmann wouldn't have been under so much heat for traveling around the world had he produced better results on the field. Klinsmann has yet to win a match as South Korea's head coach, with draws against Colombia and El Salvador, and losses to Uruguay and Peru so far.
Starting in early September, it will be a long series of matches lined up for Klinsmann. South Korea will play Wales in Cardiff City on Sept. 7 and then travel to Newcastle, England, to take on Saudi Arabia on Sept. 12. They have two more friendlies coming up in October, followed by World Cup qualifiers in November.
Klinsmann will hold an early training camp with K Leaguers to prepare for the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup kicking off in January in Qatar.
"I am a competitor. I want to compete," Klinsmann said, reiterating his oft-stated goal of winning the Asian Cup. "I can't wait until these games start."
When Klinsmann travels to Europe, he makes sure to visit with at least some of the Korean players plying their trade there. He said he was recently in Ireland for the 80th birthday party of a close friend with whom he built a football facility in Los Angeles more than a decade ago. And while he was in the area, Klinsmann flew to Brentford, England, to watch the national team captain Son Heung-min open the new Premier League season for Tottenham Hotspur. Klinsmann also had a chance to speak with Brentford's new South Korean defender, Kim Ji-soo.
While he coached the U.S. men's national team, Klinsmann helped some American players take their talent to Europe. He is ready to do the same for South Korean players if they are willing.
"When I had the players in training camp, I made it clear that I am always there for them," he said. "If they need anything in terms of their career, they can always come. The way I work is I always offer my services to the players. Whatever they need, they can come and I will help. That's my job."
Though Klinsmann has spent more time overseas than in South Korea since taking the national team job in early March, the multilingual German native has been learning Korean while he could.
Klinsmann, who speaks German, English, Italian and French, said he is still only learning the Korean alphabet, hangeul.
"I am not learning the words necessarily yet. Once I hopefully get to be able to read the alphabet, then I can start actually to say the words and translate the words into English or German or Italian," Klinsmann said. "So that's why I am still very shy and quiet with speaking it. But I'm actually excited because when I now drive through the streets in Seoul or wherever I go, I can read a lot of advertising boards, names, signs on the streets. So it's coming along. Compared to where I was three months ago to where I am today, I'm actually proud but I don't speak it enough yet."
Klinsmann was no stranger to South Korea even before he became the national team boss here. He spent a few weeks here in 2017 when his U.S.-born son, Jonathan, played for the United States at the FIFA U-20 World Cup hosted by South Korea. Klinsmann said the polite manner of the South Korean people never ceases to amaze him.
"Politeness of the people is something I adore," said Klinsmann, who also said he appreciates the safety and cleanliness of the country. "You have a very special way of making people feel welcome and feel comfortable."
Source: Yonhap News Agency