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WILD CONTRAST IN PATH TO ASIAN CUP QF AS ARNIE’S TROOPS SHOW UP WORLD NO. 23

South Korea’s road to the final eight at this Asian Cup has been far from smooth.

Jurgen Klinsmann took over managerial duties from Paulo Bento last February but his tenure has been dogged by large swells of criticism from South Korea.

The German great quickly found himself offside when he elected to remain living in the United States once appointed to the role, relying on his assistants to attend K-League matches and report back to him.

It is in complete contrast to Klinsmann’s predecessors, who all made the move to South Korea after earning the job.

Klinsmann’s early results did not help either, failing to win any of his opening five matches before finally achieving his first victory as South Korea boss after beating Saudi Arabia 1-0 in September.

Drawn in Group E alongside Bahrain, Jordan and Malaysia, nations ranked 86th, 87th and 130th in the world respectively, it represented a golden chance for Klinsmann and his troops to make an early statement at the Asian Cup.

But if pundits thought a cruisy 3-1 win over Bahrain was a sign progression to the knockout stages would be a breeze, how wrong they were.

South Korea were bailed out by an own goal in second half stoppage time to salvage a 2-2 draw against Jordan and conceded in the 15th minute of second half stoppage time against Malaysia to draw 3-3.

Klinsmann was even seen sporting a smile after the draw against Malaysia, a gesture that gave his most vocal detractors even more ammunition.

The two draws meant South Korea, rather embarrassingly, finished second in their group behind Bahrain.

In a twist of fate, not topping Group E meant the Taegeuk Warriors avoided a clash against fellow Asian heavyweights Japan, as a Round of 16 fixture against the Roberto Mancini-led Saudi Arabia beckoned instead.

Yet again, South Korea were rescued by stoppage time heroics as Cho Gue-Sung scored the equaliser in the 99th minute after Abdullah Radif put Saudi Arabia ahead almost as soon as the second half began.

Neither side could find the winner in extra time, forcing the contest into a penalty shootout in which South Korea prevailed to seal a quarterfinal showdown against the Socceroos.

In contrast to South Korea’s journey, the Aussies were rarely troubled by their Group B rivals.

Graham Arnold’s side kept clean sheets in wins over India and Syria but once again, a perceived lack of inventiveness in the final third was the main talking point from the first two games.

Struggling to break down teams who defend in deep, low blocks has been a constant criticism throughout Arnold’s tenure, although the Aussie boss has passionately argued it is results rather than style that matter most in tournament football.

Former Socceroo Robbie Slater also defended the team’s tactical approach in the Asian Cup, reiterating the need to “build” as the tournament goes on.

“I spoke to Arnie about it, and he doesn’t like to get too much into it but I can tell his disappointed … I think (the criticism) is unfair,” Slater told SEN.

“We’re in a tournament (where) we’ve conceded one goal, we’ve scored eight. Have we played like Brazil at their best? No, but it’s a tournament and you build.”

A controversial penalty helped the Socceroos seal top spot in Group B with a 1-1 draw against Uzbekistan and was followed by a comfortable-yet-feisty 4-0 victory over Indonesia in the Round of 16.

Given South Korea have a day less to recover from the draining 120-minute encounter against Saudi Arabia, it is a huge bonus for the Socceroos, even if Klinsmann suggested a penalty shootout win “gives the team an enormous amount of energy.”

Couple that with the Socceroos’ propensity to perform with reduced possession against better teams and it’s as good a chance as ever for the Aussies to make the semi finals.

A win for either nation would lead to a semi final against Jordan or Tajikistan, who are ranked 106th in the world.

It would be too dismissive to suggest the winner between South Korea and Australia would go on to a spot in the Asian Cup final, but an easier ride to the last stage might not present itself ever again.

THE TRIO OUT TO VANQUISH DEMONS OF 2015 … AND HOW ANGE HAS PLAYED A HELPING HAND

Few in South Korea have forgotten what happened in the final of the 2015 Asian Cup.

That day, a 22-year-old Heung-Min Son scored a stoppage time equaliser in the second half to cancel out Massimo Luongo’s sizzling strike and send the contest to extra time.

But, as then-Socceroos boss Postecoglou was at pains to point out during his team talk prior to extra time, Son and his South Korean teammates had exhausted every ounce of energy they had while the Aussies appeared fresh as a daisy.

The Socceroos soon found the winner courtesy of James Troisi in a moment etched into Australian football folklore, but for South Korea it represented yet another Asian Cup heartbreak.

Of that Socceroos team that started in the final, only Mat Ryan and Aziz Behich remain.

As for South Korea, the trio of Son, Kim Young-Gwon and Kim Jin-Su are the sole survivors.

Having come agonisingly close to ending the nation’s wait for a first Asian Cup since 1960, the trio’s desire to vanquish the demons of 2015 will burn deep.

Much has changed since that day at Homebush, especially for Son.

It was only a few months after the 2015 Asian Cup he moved from Bayer Leverkusen to Tottenham Hotspur for $AUD42 million, where he remains today.

In the near-decade he has spent in north London, Son has established himself as one of the Premier League’s deadliest wingers.

Whether it be burning defenders for speed or producing Houdini-like escapes to wriggle out of tight spaces with the ball, the South Korean has constantly dragged Tottenham out of several holes.

Although Son suffered a dip in form last season under Antonio Conte and scored only ten league goals — his lowest tally since the 2015/16 season — the 31-year-old is back to his brilliant best.

Behind Son’s resurgence this season has been former Socceroos boss Postecoglou, who took over from Conte as Tottenham manager.

It was Postecoglou who named Son as Tottenham’s new captain in the wake of Harry Kane’s departure to Bayern Munich and it is a role in which he has embraced and subsequently flourished.

Even though some pundits anticipated Son to struggle without Kane, he has stepped up in the latter’s absence with 12 goals and five assists from 20 league games.

Despite entering the Asian Cup as the most dangerous player across the entire competition, Son has been largely nullified by weaker opposition.

But it didn’t stop Arnold from cracking a joke about how he plans to stop the rampant Spurs winger.

“I rang Ange and asked Ange if he can take him back,” Arnold said during a press conference.

Although Arnold publicly took a humorous stance on the matter, privately he will have been intensely plotting on how to prevent Son from running riot.

But it’s not like the Socceroos boss will need to draw up a blueprint from scratch.

After all, the Socceroos defenders have come up against the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Jack Grealish and Lionel Messi twice in the space of just over a year.

Son isn’t the only attacking threat the Socceroos must plan for, with Wolves forward Hwang Hee-Chan and Paris Saint-Germain winger Lee Kang-In also presenting major defensive headaches.

However, the Socceroos are one of the strongest teams defensively at the Asian Cup having faced just four shots on target throughout the entire tournament.

It’s why Behich is not losing sleep about what South Korea’s forwards are capable of.

“We don’t focus on individuals in teams,” Behich said, per ESPN.

“Yeah, you have to be careful, it’s obviously in the back of your mind as a player when you’re on the pitch that these types of world-class players can change a game in a moment.

“But it’s all about us and what we can do as a team.”

Given South Korea’s short turnaround from their Round of 16 fixture, the deck is heavily stacked in the favour of the Socceroos when it comes to the physical battle.

But, much like the Socceroos against higher ranked opponents, beware the team that is ready to run itself ragged for the cause.

Couple that with a trio, led by talismanic skipper Son, desperate to avenge the 2015 Asian Cup final defeat, and Arnold will be in for one of the toughest tasks of his managerial career.

But if he passes the test, the case for Arnold as one of the Socceroos’ greatest coaches will be significantly strengthened.