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A parting of ways can be initiated either way. So, just because a defiant Jürgen Klinsmann says -- in the wake of South Korea's disappointing semifinal elimination at the 2023 AFC Asian Cup -- that he will not resign, that does not mean the Korea Football Association cannot opt to dispense with his services. The question is, will they? Recent history bodes well for Klinsmann given the KFA are far from a trigger-happy organisation. In the past decade or so, only Uli Stielike has been outrightly given the sack. Instead, the modus operandi of the KFA sees them allow their coaches to run down their contract and then opt against an extension as was the case with Klinsmann's predecessors Paulo Bento and Shin Tae-Yong. When Klinsmann was unveiled as the new man at the helm of South Korea last February, it was revealed he had signed a contract through to the 2026 FIFA World Cup -- a tournament that they should have no real difficulty qualifying for over the next year and a half. And on paper, bowing out of the Asian Cup in the last four following a shock 2-0 loss to Jordan, while not ideal for a team that were genuine contenders to win a first title since 1960, is far from an outright failure. But while there may not be immediate cause for concern for Klinsmann, that is not to say that he will be on a tighter leash now with plenty of areas to show improvement in. By now, anyone that has remotely kept abreast of developments surrounding South Korea in the past year would be aware of the various criticism directed Klinsmann's way. His decision not to permanently move to Asia. An apparent disinterest in the domestic K League and neglect of the additional talent that could be at his disposal. The former is a personal choice and it could be down to the terms he agreed with the KFA when he penned his deal a year ago. If it is so desired for the German to relocate to South Korea, the onus is on the national team bigwigs to make that demand of their employee. For that, Klinsmann should not be solely held responsible but what will have been more grating to the Taegeuk Warriors faithful is the fact that he simply has not decided that such a move would actually be beneficial to his prospects of success. South Korea have handy array of stars plying their trade in Europe and it is commonplace for national team coaches to regular check in on their players in club action. Yet, given the fact that the undeniable quality of players like Son Heung-Min, Hwang Hee-Chan and Lee Kang-In has been out there for all to see, would it not make more sense to learn more about the unknown quantities? In the modern age of football, getting match footage of his Europe-based contingent to review should not be too difficult a task. And even if Son does have a few off-colour performances, it is hardly likely that Klinsmann -- upon observing those up close and personal -- will be dropping the sole world-class player from his squad. On the contrary, what if there was a promising prospect in K League 1 delivering the goods on a weekly basis and waiting to be noticed? One does wonder what someone like Joo Min-Kyu has to do to earn international recognition, given the former midfielder-turned-striker has led scoring in K League 1 for the past three seasons with a formidable haul of 56 goals. Granted, Joo isn't getting any younger at the age of 33 but South Korea were not building for the future at this Asian Cup. They were in it to win it, and -- with Cho Gue-Sung only making an impact in fits and starts -- the Taegeuk Warriors could certainly have done with an alternative option with the required experience and physique to do battle with some bigger opposition bodies, as opposed to the younger Oh Hyeon-Gyu and Yang Hyun-Jun or even deploying Son out of position as the target man. Others like Na Sang-Ho, Go Jae-Hyeon and Won Du-Jae are either coming off excellent seasons where they would have been forgiven for feeling they deserved a national team shot, or have proven in the past to be among the nation's leading talent both at club and international youth level. Of course, this is merely conjecture. This is every chance that Klinsmann is aware of these players, did consider them and ultimately made his decision not to utilise them. Still, public perception can often be half the battle won or lost. Based on the chattering from fans throughout the Asian Cup, they were hardly amused by both Klinsmann's body language nor the fact that his team seemed to be relying on pure individual talent rather than a clearly-defined game plan or identity that he had instilled in them. The fact remains that all the missteps that Klinsmann has made, starting with the decision not to be based in Seoul or any other city for that matter, means he is now held in low esteem by the majority of the South Korean football fraternity, if not the entirety. It will not be enough yet to convince the KFA to dispense with his services earlier than planned, though make no mistake about the pressure he is now under. Klinsmann can be defiant and definitive all he wants about the fact that he will not be resigning, although it might do him some good to be less inflexible about some of his other thoughts -- that have thus far plagued his time at the helm of the Taegeuk Warriors.
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