South Korea boss Klinsmann tells Son ‘to put stamp’ on Asian Cup
Son Heung-min is crowded out against Jordan
Doha – Jurgen Klinsmann challenged Son Heung-min to “put his stamp” on the Asian Cup when South Korea face Malaysia on Thursday with the last 16 within grasp.
Tottenham and South Korea skipper Son scored a penalty in a 2-2 draw with Jordan last time out but is yet to really fire in Qatar.
Having beaten Bahrain 3-1 in their opening match — Son failed to score and was booked for a dive — Klinsmann’s side can seal their place in the knockout rounds with a draw against Malaysia.
South Korea will be fully expected though to win, and handsomely, against the side bottom of Group E and without a point or a goal.
“It’s a normal process that Sonny will go through at this tournament, he will get special attention,” said German legend Klinsmann, a World Cup winner as a player and South Korea’s coach since last year.
“He gets the ball and there will be two or three people right away closing him down.
“He gets this kind of defensive-minded approach from opponents because he’s Son, because he plays in the Premier League.
“But Sonny knows how to deal with that… he has to rotate, he has to find himself space, and he does that.
“We all hope that he more and more puts his stamp on the games during the tournament.”