"Confidence in losing four consecutive league games." Why did Kim Pan-gon feel sorry for coach Lee Jung-hyo
"Confidence in losing four consecutive league games." Why did Kim Pan-gon feel sorry for coach Lee Jung-hyo
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"Don't try to beat Gwangju, but if you beat FC Seoul, Pohang, Ulsan, Jeju, and Daejeon, you are close to winning. When you play against these teams, please be 200 percent ready."
Gwangju FC head coach Lee Jung-hyo drew attention with his unique candid speech at the Media Day held at the Korea Football Center in Sinmun-ro, Seoul on the 5th ahead of the opening of the AFC Champions League Elite (ACLE) and the 2025 season K-League. In particular, his meaningful advice to Jeonbuk Hyundai's new head coach Gus Foyet created a strange tension.
Having experienced the Premier League, Foye was mentioned as a candidate for the Korean national team after leading the Greek national team until recently, but he took the helm of Jeonbuk after suffering hardships. Lee Jung-hyo was also on the list of candidates for the Jeonbuk coach. The relationship between the two coaches added weight to the media day.
Coach Lee Jung-hyo has made remarkable achievements since he took the helm of Gwangju FC in 2022. He led the team to win the K-League 2 title and promotion in his first year, and created a stir by ranking third in the K-League 1 in the 2023 season. He ranked ninth in the league last season, but is on the verge of advancing to the round of 16 with his outstanding performance of four wins, one draw and one loss in ACLE. In particular, he proved his potential as a resourceful man by defeating Japanese powerhouse Yokohama Marinos 7-3.
However, this season is not likely to be easy due to the absence of key players en masse. Midfielder Jung Ho-yeon, who has maintained the team's midfield, has left for Minnesota of the U.S. Major League Soccer, and Lee Hee-kyun, who was the core of the team's offense, is wearing the defending champion's Ulsan HD uniform. Heo Yul, who served as the team's breadwinner for both center back and striker, also left for Ulsan.
Amid the power leak, the team has set a realistic target for the mid-ranked team. "Whatever team becomes the sixth-ranked team, I will do my best to keep the team from leaving even if I grab its pants," coach Lee Jung-hyo said. "I have to go to Shandong Province in China on February 11, but I think I will only think about that game," Lee said on the situation preparing for the opening of the K-League at the same time. "Currently, I don't think our team can afford to think about it until the next game."
Coach Foye, who is about to make his K-League debut, showed a humble attitude. "The Jeonbuk club is a team that always has to aim for trophies," he said, but added, "I came to the K-League to learn Korean soccer first." As for the goal he wants to achieve in Jeonbuk, he said, "Let's create an environment where players can fully demonstrate their skills," adding, "If there are more players from the Jeonbuk team who have been assigned to the national team and if they can produce results while playing good soccer, that will be a way to help Korean soccer."
Ulsan HD coach Kim Pan-gon, who is aiming to win his fourth consecutive title in the league, expressed strong confidence. "I will make an effort to give the fans a double that I couldn't do last year," Kim said. "The team provided a very good environment, and we had a good training session in Dubai." He also expressed satisfaction over the transfer window. "I'm sorry to coach Lee Jeong-hyo, but we've rounded up a whole bunch of very good players. I think we've done a good job of recruiting Korean players," Kim said with a smile.
"More players who played well last year will join us to generate good synergy," Pohang Steelers coach Park Tae-ha said, expressing expectations for the new season. 바카라사이트 "We started off really hard and ended up in a situation where we could smile at the end, but we had a lot of time in preparation for the training this time." He also expressed confidence in his bid for the Korea Cup for the third consecutive time. Pohang won the trophy by beating Ulsan, the champion of the league, in the final.