The hot summer that Gwangju FC should spend begins now.
Gwangju will have to play the semifinal match between the league and the Korea Cup in a short period of time from mid-August, while preparing for the AFC Champions League (ALC) that starts in September. For Gwangju, which has even a thin squad despite hot weather, it could be a hell of a summer.
Gwangju will play the 27th round of the league against Gangwon FC at Gangneung Stadium on the 18th and face Ulsan HD in the first round of the Korea Cup semifinals three days later. It will play a series of matches against Ulsan four days later on the 25th and three days later on the 28th. The match will be held at home on the 25th and at Ulsan Munsu Football Stadium on the 28th. An away match against Daejeon Hana Citizen is also scheduled on the first day of September.
It is burdensome to play consecutively with Ulsan’s high-weight team in the heat of the heat wave exceeding 33 degrees and the heat wave warning and heat wave warning are issued every day, but the most difficult thing is the tight schedule to play every three to four days.
The short interval schedule is the fate of a team that has risen to a high position in the Cup tournament while playing a number of competitions, but this schedule comes to Gwangju as a particularly burdensome one.
Gwangju is not a team with a thicker squad than other teams, and while sending out a number of players, including Um Ji-sung (Swansea City), who was at the core of the team during the summer transfer market, he was banned from recruiting players during the additional registration period because he did not meet the conditions of the financial soundness system.
After all, rotation is the answer, but Gwangju is the team that has limited rotation. In order for Gwangju to achieve a good result, some key players have to spend more time on average than others, naturally leading to physical burden. It is not strange if coach Lee Jung-hyo’s head explodes.
It is natural that the more physical burden the players have on them, the more likely they are to collapse. When one starts to collapse, it is easy to collapse like a domino.
Currently, Gwangju has accumulated 37 points in the league, widening the gap between Daejeon, Daegu and Jeonbuk, which are in the relegation zone, by more than 10 points, but there is still a risk of falling into the Final B. It is fortunate that it recently won the match against Jeonbuk Hyundai, but it is still in a position and situation where we cannot let our guard down. 메이저놀이터
Furthermore, ACLs that begin in mid-September will inevitably be affected.
Gwangju will enter the ACL Elite East Asian League stage in the 2024-25 season between the 16th and 18th of next month. The opponent has not been decided yet, but strong players from East Asian countries, including Vissel Kobe, Shanghai Hi-Gang, Central Coast and Joho Takjim, belong to the same East Asian group as Gwangju. It is the first ACL participation in the club’s history, but Gwangju will not want to finish the tournament without a win.
Gwangju needs to find answers again. This season, Gwangju lost its first six games in a row, achieved inconsistent results, and eventually found a breakthrough even when key players were sidelined due to injuries.
Even after Um Ji-sung’s recent transfer, Gwangju found a solution in Gwangju’s way after organizing incorrect answer notes, which led to four consecutive wins in official games. Thin squads, tight schedules and increasing number of games are just one variable after all.