"I've got my plan with everything necessary for the World Cup preparations," the former Germany striker said after Franz Beckenbauer scolded him for returning home to California instead of attending a World Cup workshop.
"I was in Germany for three of the last five weeks after the Bundesliga started up after the winter break," the 41-year-old told Tuesday's issue of Bild newspaper.
Beckenbauer, Germany's World Cup organising committee president, said on Monday he was angry and disappointed that Klinsmann was not in Duesseldorf for the two-day meetings to discuss technical issues.
It is not the first time Klinsmann has faced criticism for his decision to keep living in the United States. Since taking the top job in August 2004, he has been commuting between his native Germany and his home in southern California.
However, Klinsmann is under fire for more than just being a long-distance commuter.
After Germany's shock 4-1 friendly defeat by Italy last week, several deputies said he should be summoned before a parliamentary committee to explain his training methods.
The three-times world champions have not beaten top class international opposition in a 17-match winless streak since a 1-0 win over England in October 2000 and the local media are now predicting a debacle for the host nation at the World Cup starting on June 9.
Klinsmann has been blamed notably for fielding a young and inexperienced defence and for leaving the seasoned Christian Woerns out of Germany's World Cup plans after the Borussia Dortmund defender blasted the coach's management style in the media.
OWN WAY
Ever since taking over, Klinsmann has made it clear he wanted to run the team his own way, and not everybody likes it.
A long-time critic of the German Football Association (DFB), the former Tottenham Hotspur striker was not the preferred candidate and was picked only after Ottmar Hitzfeld and Otto Rehhagel turned down the job.
He said straight away that Germany could lift the World Cup on home soil in 2006, which sent the right message to the fans.
Then came the appointment of American fitness trainers and the introduction of unusual exercises in training.
Poor results on top of that have already led some newspapers, starting with Bild, to speculate on who might replace him with Matthias Sammer and Ottmar Hitzfeld seen as the two favourites.
It is very unlikely, however, that Klinsmann will lose his job before the World Cup.
"It makes no sense to keep questioning his work and his methods," said DFB chief executive Theo Zwanziger.
"We must all stand by him."
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