Klinsmann expects South Korea's Son to put his stamp on Asian Cup
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Son is one of the most recognisable players at the tournament in Qatar with years of experience
DOHA (Reuters) - South Korea skipper Son Heung-min has struggled to make his mark at the Asian Cup as defensive opponents do their best to shut him down but the Tottenham Hotspur forward will find a way in the coming games, coach Juergen Klinsmann said on Wednesday.
Son is one of the most recognisable players at the tournament in Qatar with years of experience in the Premier League, but he has scored only one goal in two games -- a penalty in a 2-2 draw with Jordan.
"Son will always get special attention in this tournament because he plays in the Premier League, it's a normal process," Klinsmann told reporters.
"When he gets the ball there will be two or three players closing him down since they play with a defensive-minded approach. It's similar for Lee Kang-in who plays for Paris St Germain.
"For them to find space and opportunities to score and assist, opponents will always try to minimise that wherever they can no matter who you play against.
"Sonny knows how to deal with that, he knows he can find space and we all hope he has more to put his stamp on the tournament."
South Korea have not yet guaranteed a top-two finish, with the team on four points, and play Malaysia in their final group game on Thursday. Klinsmann said there was a lot of room for improvement as they look to regain their rhythm.
"Obviously it's a very tight group, we're ready for this difficult game against Malaysia, we respect them. We've done our homework and scouting," Klinsmann said.
"We're focused on Malaysia. We don't look at whoever comes after that (in the knockout stage). There are no easy games in the Asian Cup whether it's game one or game seven. We got a lesson from Jordan.
"When expectations are high and you don't meet them right in the first games, then you're expected to take it step-by-step in the next games. We know we can play better but we need to respect the next opponent first."
Malaysia, who are bottom of the group after two losses, have a South Korean coach in Kim Pan-gon.
He is no stranger to the South Korean team having been a technical director of the Korean Football Association before making the switch to Malaysia and helping them qualify for the Asian Cup for the first time in four decades.
"Mr Kim knows these guys really well. He's very well informed about us, that's good for him," Klinsmann said with a smile.
"We have to approach the game the right way and respect his team."
