Although they failed to advance to the finals, considering that they fought up to the semifinals without a major player, ‘Pangon Kim Magic’ is still valid.
Malaysia, led by coach Kim Pang-gon, failed to advance to the final after failing to overcome Thailand’s wall in the semifinals of the 2022 Mitsubishi Cup (ASEAN Football Federation Championship), also called the “Southeast Asia World Cup” on the 10th. They took the first leg at home 1-0, but lost the away game 0-3 in the second leg and were pushed back to 1-3 on aggregate.
The ideal picture of meeting and competing against coach Park Hang-seo’s Vietnam in the final was not drawn, but coach Kim and Malaysia promised the following. At the official press conference after the game, coach Kim said, “I hope I don’t blame the players. All responsibility lies with the manager,” he said, saying that he should be hit by the arrow of criticism.
In February of last year, he resigned from the position of the Korea Football Association’s national team manager and took office in Malaysia.
Above all, the future is expected in that coach Kim is changing the entire system of the Malaysian national team. Malaysia tasted the miracle of reaching the Asian Cup finals for the first time in 42 years since 1980 after Kim took over. Excluding the 2007 co-hosting by four Southeast Asian countries and qualifying as host countries, coach Kim’s performance is nothing short of surprising.
In particular, preparation for the Mitsubishi Cup itself was difficult. The 2020 tournament had to bring back memories of reaching the finals in 2018 as they failed to reach the semifinals.
The strong Malaysian characteristics of the sultan, the king of each region, were reflected. Prince Tunku Ismail Idris, the owner of Johor, has not handed over any players to the Malaysian national team, which has been training in Thailand since early December.
The core of the Malaysian national team are players from Johor. They have grown into a strong team last year in the Asian Football Confederation Champions League (ACL), letting Ulsan Hyundai taste the pain of being eliminated from the group stage. In Malaysia, the best players gathered, so the prince’s words were the law.
An official familiar with the Malaysian football situation said, “After Malaysia reached the finals of the Asian Cup last year for the first time in 42 years, coach Kim’s popularity increased. “How difficult it must have been for the coach to recruit Johor players. What Coach Kim could do in such an authoritative appearance was understanding, persuasion, and explanation.”
In the end, after the selection failed, 23 people were formed around the next best team players such as Kedah, Selangor, and Terengganu. In a word, it is said that the teams participating in the Mitsubishi Cup are 1.5 or 2 teams. 스포츠토토
Now Malaysia and coach Kim’s eyes are on the 2023 Asian Cup finals. We aim to pass the group stage. Coach Kim has been focusing on linking the national team for each age group with the A team since his appointment to Malaysia. As coach of the under-23 (U-23) national team, he has recruited and communicates with Spanish leaders who share his philosophy. If Johor does not give up a player, the national team of each age group will nurture and use them to develop a strategy to enhance their competitiveness.
He reduces his sleep time to four or five hours a day and concentrates on commanding the squad based on the data from the power analyst. There are other reasons for Kim’s lack of sleep. The weather is so hot that training itself is not easy unless it is early in the morning or at night close to midnight. Considering the body rhythm of the players, there is no answer other than for coach Kim to move more quickly. He often holds video meetings, so he often stays up all night to create materials, and naps are a luxury.
He is also contributing to promoting Korea. Coach Kim was using a ‘Japanese made’ vehicle given by the Malaysian Football Association. However, Kia Motors Malaysia, which saw this, erased the Japanese color by presenting three official vehicles such as Carnival to the Malaysian Football Association. The image of director Kim using a Korean vehicle for official travel has become a symbol.
Manager Kim signed a contract with Malaysia until February 2024. It is a short period if short, but it is definitely positive that it is gaining strong support from fans as well as the Malaysian Football Association.