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영어

Eckhard Krautzun is a German-born football coach who once managed Korean national teams. He came to Korea in December 1967 and managed the under-18 and the senior national teams for 10 months. Krautzun based his training programs on warm-ups, 4-on-2 drills and strategic practices for each position. He did away with WM formation that had been in use in Korean football and introduced the libero system, which was favored by the world’s football powers at the time. Krautzun also tried to change Korea’s military-style training camps. Korean players, in turn, increasingly felt the need to alter the way they had been training and playing. Inspired by Krautzun, Korean players Kim Ho and Kim In-gwon, after their retirement, received coaching training in Germany. Krautzun’s philosophy would have made a positive impact on Korean football, but it never took root. The quality of football and the talent level of players were such that they were not yet ready to accept and absorb Krautzun’s advanced ideas. Korea has long tried to raise its quality of play to be on par with the world’s greatest powers. And yet in terms of individual skills, team tactics and football culture, Korea is still lagging behind. It would serve Korean football well to learn from Krautzun’s legacy and channel it into the driving force for the sport’s further development.