Defending K-League 1 champions Ulsan Hyundai beat down, and FA Cup winners Jeonbuk Hyundai came back. It is the spring of the 2023 season that the storm advance of the ‘promoted team’ Daejeon Hana Citizen is particularly impressive.
The first K-League 1 stage in 8 years. Club members humbly shouted, “Our goal is survival,” but the performance is a completely different aspect. In the ‘Hana One Q K League 1 2023’, which finished up to round 9, it is proudly third with 5 wins, 2 draws and 2 losses, and 17 points.
Only the leader Ulsan Hyundai (7 wins, 1 draw, 1 loss, 22 points), which is aiming for a second consecutive league title, and the second-place Pohang Steelers (5 wins, 4 draws, 19 points), which celebrated its 50th anniversary, are on top. However, Daejeon Hana won 4 points against them. Ulsan beat them 2-1, and Pohang drew with no goals.
It didn’t stop here. Daejeon Hana even defeated Jeonbuk, which won the league 9 times, 2-1 on the 26th. Although it is still in its early stages, only one team, Daejeon, has defeated both Ulsan and Jeonbuk, which have been fighting fiercely for the championship for several years.
You need to pay attention to the strong firepower. ‘Samba Express’ Thiago scored 4 goals and 2 assists, versatile second-line striker Lee Jin-hyun scored 3 goals and 4 assists, and native goalkeeper Kim In-gyun scored 2 goals and 1 assist. Thanks to this, Daejeon Hana currently ranks first in team scoring with FC Seoul with 18 goals. The potential of scoring the most goals (70 goals) in K League 2 in the 2022 season is also being demonstrated at a higher level in K League 1. It is no exaggeration to say that Daejeon Hana has inherited the team color of Jeonbuk in the past, ‘Dakgong (shut up and attack)’.
However, there were not a few adversity and confusion along the way. Head coach Lee Min-seong (50), who made a name for himself as a great defender as a player, preferred stable play, and still does. If the composition of the team is similar, high scores are given to balanced soccer in which the ball and number are interlocked like sawtooth. 바카라사이트
But don’t stick to your own thoughts. He also had the attitude to boldly change direction to suit the situation. Director Lee, who took office in December 2020 and led Daejeon Hana from the 2021 season and promoted to K-League 1, renewed the 1+1 year contract earlier this year.
“I want to give a sense of balance, but we are not good at defense. What if I feel sorry for the diligent defenders? I don’t know the future. As long as I am the manager, I think I will have to continue to play aggressively.”
It is difficult to hide one’s shortcomings in a sport where each other’s strength is clearly visible. The choice of leader is important here. Director Lee decided to make use of the advantage of ‘attack’ and put it into practice. No matter which team they meet, everyone sticks out their tongues in a match where they boldly raise the line, always deploy the ball forward, and block all spaces to put strong pressure from the front line.
Player satisfaction is high. Veteran Ju Se-jong said, “If you lower the line, only the opponent benefits. If you go forward and win the ball and keep creating one-on-one situations, you can play comfortably.” Lee Jin-hyun also said, “We have no limits. I got used to the team color too. I am gaining both confidence and results by playing leading soccer.”