He would find willing accomplices eventually. After spells in Greece and Austria, Andersen admits North Korea “was not my plan”. “But after conversations with them, everything felt more positive. I knew if I did a good job, more eyes would be on me.
“They have the same high mentality as me, the players want to train twice every day, and focus only on football. We improved a lot.”
He won eight and lost only three of 15 matches in 21 months, but after securing Asian Cup qualification, with a victory over Hong Kong, Andersen resigned because of the country’s dire economic situation.
Andersen declined chances to coach the Thailand, Vietnam and India national teams in favour of South Korean club Incheon United, but lasted only 10 months.
His availability piqued the interest of Hong Kong officials, who got their man in December 2021. It has paid off well enough to allow a shift in mindset as Hong Kong prepare for UAE, who are 64th in the Fifa rankings, Iran, who sit 21st, and 99th-ranked Palestine.
“We know we are Hong Kong, ranked 150, one of the smallest teams in international football,” Andersen said. “The Asian Cup is the platform for the next step.
“We made history by qualifying; we reached the Asian Games semi-finals, and beat China. Now, no one here is saying we will lose three matches then go home.
“People are thinking maybe we can go to the next round. Two years ago, they did not think like that.”
Andersen is allowing Hong Kong football fans to dream, even if he does not have time in his day to enjoy that luxury himself.
https://www.scmp.com/sport/football/article/3248327/afc-asian-cup-jorn-andersens-journey-qatar-hong-kong-after-bettering-klopp-feud-tuchel-and-revival