Jeju SK FC ready to 'pick brains' of Bayern Munich players in exhibition match

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, Aug. 3 (Yonhap) -- The South Korean football club Jeju SK FC will be ready to pick the brains of Bayern Munich players when the two clubs square off in an exhibition match this week, Jeju's head coach and top goalkeeper said Monday.

Sergio Costa will lead custodian Kim Dong-jun and the rest of the K League 1 club against the German giants at 8 p.m. Tuesday at Jeju World Cup Stadium in the southern island of Jeju.

Costa's team played a thrilling, 3-3 draw against Incheon United in their latest K League 1 match Sunday. Before that, Jeju knocked off the second-tier club Hwaseong FC on penalties in the round of 32 of the Korea Cup tournament last Wednesday.

Costa said those who played 90 minutes Sunday and the full 120 minutes last week will be held out Tuesday in order to avoid putting them at risk for injuries.

As for the ones that are available, Costa wants to see them have fun.

"My hope, my desire is that they compete as much, trying to follow our ideas, our model, trying to put in practice their individual quality regarding what we do collectively," he said. "And once again, try to enjoy it because when we enjoy, we play best."

A former assistant coach for the South Korean men's national team, Costa said facing a team of Bayern Munich's caliber is "a new experience" for him, too, not just for his players.

"I don't know what life will serve us. I don't know if I am going to play against them in the future," the Portuguese tactician said. "Because of that, I will enjoy (it) as much as I can. To enjoy, it means prepare (for) the match as well as I can regarding what we should do in our game model, knowing that we are going to face a much better team than we are, one of the best teams in the world, the team that is used to being in the high standards of the European football."

Kim said he was looking forward to getting a closer look at Bayern goalkeeper Manuel Neuer, someone he has long admired.

"By competing against these players and seeing how they handle different situations, I think we will naturally pick up a few things on the pitch," Kim said. "I think we will learn some good ideas from this match that will help us for the rest of this season, and hopefully, those things can also help us become better players going forward."

Costa, who coached South Korea at the 2022 FIFA World Cup, also had a reunion with Bayern center back Kim Min-jae, a longtime South Korean defensive stalwart. Costa said he had not seen Kim since the end of the 2022 World Cup, though the two had stayed in touch via text messages.

"It is always a big happiness to see him. He is a fantastic human being, very humble and full of qualities in terms of personality," Costa beamed. "I told him, 'Tomorrow, easy. Don't stop our progression with the ball.'"

Since joining Bayern three years ago, Kim has lost his playing time to other center backs at Bayern, Dayot Upamecano and Jonathan Tah. But Costa said Kim should stick to what he has been doing his whole career because he already possesses fine qualities.

"All the coaches in the world for sure like players like him: strong defensively, one of the fastest center backs I ever saw, very good to play with a high defensive line, very strong in the buildup, very agile with both feet, very strong in the set pieces," Costa said. "I always say (the players) should take advantage of the opportunities, every single minute that they appear, and the players are the ones that can change the mind of the coach.

"Sometimes, the coach has some decisions already taken not only for one match but maybe for a microcycle or for a macrocycle for all the year. And suddenly, with a performance in the training session or in the matches, the coach may change their idea," Costa continued. "And this is what (Kim) should do. He should put the focus only on what he can control, and he only can control himself."