Team K League: Lads, it's Tottenham (again)
So, it's Tottenham again in the Coupang Play Series. A stronger and more well-balanced Team K League squad, that has the luxury of having the weekend off afterwards, should give Spurs a better game but does the visit of the South Korean national team captain with his club side carry the same levels of anticipation as it did in 2022?
"Lads, it's Tottenham." The now infamous Sir Alex Ferguson team talk while manager of Manchester United, delivered to his players before a home match against Spurs as if to say there's 'no need to worry too much, play the way you can and we'll win.' A similar principle can be applied to this upcoming Team K League friendly against Tottenham but tweaked slightly.
Coupang Play booking Tottenham again is like a music festival booking the same headline act again two years later. It's not quite Coldplay at Glastonbury but you might've contemplated giving it a miss this year. Why can't it be Bayern Munich who play Team K League? The Bundesliga giants are in town too and will play Tottenham on Saturday. Is Kim Min-jae not a big enough draw on his own?
Kicking off the Coupang Play Series in 2022 with Spurs made sense because of the Son connection. It was the first match involving 'Team K League' since the Cristiano Ronaldo no-show in 2019 and the organizers will probably have wanted some sort of guarantee that the main star will definitely show up. There's no risk of a no-show with Son Heung-min, and the increasing number of Tottenham fans in South Korea made it the logical team to fly over but booking them again is just a bit.... really? It's hard to get too excited about seeing Tottenham again so soon.
Coupang has informed K League United that there was no real reason as to why Tottenham were booked again, rather their main focus was to "provide the best experience to Coupang WOW (subscription) members."
The focus of 'Team K League United' is always Team K League anyway and, thankfully, the 2023 iteration restored a bit of pride after the debacle that was the year before (6-3 loss with Kim Dong-min getting sent off). Last year, there wasn't an overly diplomatic selection process whereby two players from each K League 1 team were shoehorned in, this meant a much stronger and more well-balanced squad. And it needs to be. The quality of Team K League is a reflection of the league. The players are representing K League. Tottenham have fans all around the world and their pre-season tour to Asia will draw widespread attention. If Spurs put six past a K League "all-stars" team (again), it's not a good look. And that's exactly how Team K League will be described by most from the outside, as an "all-star" team when really, half the squad is chosen via a fan vote.
Reputation on the line
What does K League aim to achieve with these "all-star" matches? Well, it remains to be seen as two people within the organization were unsure and unable to really say what K League seeks to gain from the Coupang Play Series when asked. So, with Coupang not being sure why Tottenham were picked again, and with K League non-committal on what the point of it is for them, it makes you wonder why anyone should watch at all. But, what it ought to be doing is using this friendly and the exposure it brings to attract more overseas fans.
The 2023 Team K League players had the luxury of having the weekend off afterward. This year is similar with K League 1 taking a one-week break in between rounds 25 and 26, meaning there won't be the repeat of 2022 when players had to do 30-minute stints before being subbed off, leading to a chaotic match and the absence of any sort of cohesion altogether. This, in theory, should result in a more entertaining spectacle, which is important as this year the K League increased the number of matches with English commentary on K League TV from two to three. It also opened an English Instagram account with the aim of reaching more fans outside of the country. A good display and some dazzling individual performances should, in theory, encourage more people to tune in and keep an eye on K League or at least make sure that its level isn't put into question.
KLU Pod: The State of It: Team K League & Tottenham Hotspur + The Matej Jonjić Interview
Where to Listen
Listen to the KLU Pod wherever you get your podcasts. Don't forget to leave us a review!
![[about]](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0mXcKy7h0fXIgdvWFm5DpFfwXkPr2ggzUt9_AoPo8vS0HOsFMT8KsO21qTLZBKoLyQXSOAckzy4OtJCPOoHtL5cGqAa0zXKzIdiW45D6TCFAisfJUODssBTfrkat95GXhJc8haWSP3nyV/s1600/KLU.png)
No comments:
Post a Comment