Coach Kim Eun-joong found another clue to victory even in a difficult situation.
Suwon FC, which played the 37th round of Hana Bank K League 1 2024 at Suwon Stadium on the 9th, won a 4-0 victory over Gangwon FC.
Suwon FC was expected to have a tough battle this season just like the previous one. Andersson and Jung Seung-won are considered successful recruits, but Kwon was the only one who was considered one of the top K-League players at the time. There were also many concerns that Kim will also have difficulty in achieving results in professional leagues, as there have been many precedents, along with expectations that he is a leader who led the team to the semi-finals at the U20 World Cup.
Suwon FC was shaken by three draws and two losses after winning 1-0 at the opening match against Incheon United. Manager Kim continued to build his own soccer without being swayed. Instead of moving toward placing importance on defense, he tried to reorganize his organization even if he lost. As time passed, the players became more united, and the build-up through short passes, which was not good in the beginning, was getting better. He also displayed his tactical choice of using Lee as a “game changer” in the latter half instead of using Lee as a starter. Since winning 1-0 at Daejeon Hana Citizen on April 14, Suwon FC had never lost three consecutive games until September.
The second crisis came in the summer transfer market. Suwon FC was able to recruit veterans ahead of this season because it had a promise like a gentleman’s agreement. It was obvious that Kwon would say goodbye to the team if they had a good offer, and he actually left for the Corpacan Club in the United Arab Emirates. On top of that, Lee Seung-woo moved to Jeonbuk Hyundai with half a year left on his contract, and Lee Young-joon chose to challenge himself to go to Grashofer of Switzerland after being discharged from the military. So far, the reinforcement of the team has been to recruit Han Kyo-won, who was released from China, as part of Son Joon-ho and Lee Seung-woo’s transfer.
Manager Kim overcame the challenge by changing the roles of some players. Andersson, who was close to being a helper, has become a player who targets the goal in earnest when Lee Seung-woo transferred. He had one goal and 11 assists in 24 games before Lee Seung-woo left, but significantly increased the frequency of scoring by scoring six goals and three assists in 13 games after Lee Seung-woo left. Gradually, he appointed Son Joon-ho, helping Yoon Bit-garam improve his physical stamina, and Lee Jae-won, who is active, also helped his team quickly attack.
The third crisis came as Son Jun-ho left Suwon FC due to China risk. In fact, the atmosphere of the team became very restless as Son Jun-ho, who could be considered the only reinforcement in the summer, left the team due to unfavorable circumstances. As the number of injuries increased, it became difficult to fill the bench. In the immediate home game, the team lost 0-6 to Jeonbuk. The team was so broken that it could no longer use the existing tactics, and if the lower split teams had not slowed down, the upper split could not be guaranteed.
Kim started searching for answers in away games in Seoul. He started using three-back games instead of four-back games, and experimented with player combinations. It was during this period that Noh, who was recruited in the summer, was appointed. With excellent performance and repression, Noh was indispensable for operating the 3-4-3 tactical system. In addition, he elevated Park Cheol-woo, who originally had an aggressive talent, and deployed right stopper Lee Yong, who could control his defense and overlap freely. The front three-top team filled the vacancy and maintained a triangular formation.
Suwon FC, which had allowed 10 runs in the previous two matches, has not allowed more than two runs since then. Although it took nine games to win due to lack of offense, the performance itself was not much different from the match against Gangwon, which had a great victory. Now that all of the “game changers” have disappeared, the game itself has changed to a solid management direction. There were environmental factors that could not be complacent with the result, but it is also clear that manager Kim has pushed the strategy with great determination.
Players have strong faith in Kim. “I couldn’t communicate with him since I first arrived here, but I always asked him if he had any difficulties and what he wanted with an interpreter. He was a great help as a foreigner when I asked him in English,” Andersson, who hosted a press conference for the coach’s instructor against Gangwon, said. “He made demands and talks to me sometimes, but I feel that he trusts me even if I don’t have to tell him,” adding, “I feel good because he had a successful year as a motivation to join Suwon FC.” 먹튀검증
In a meeting with the “footballist” two months ago, Jung Seung-won said of Kim, “The coach knew a lot of my abilities and gave me faith, and as a result, I was attracted to the transfer to Suwon FC. I moved after seeing the coach,” adding, “When I was in the Olympic team, he would joke around with me to score a goal as a coach. After becoming a coach, he gives me a lot of detailed orders. Listening to the coach gives me a lot of energy with a good mindset.”