Lee Chung-yong (36, Ulsan HDFC) is back.
Lee Chung-yong played in both the first and second games of the 2024 Korea Cup semifinals against Gwangju FC and contributed to the team’s advance to the finals.
Lee had been out of the team’s roster since the match against FC Seoul on June 16. Lee announced his return to the ground in the first round of the Korea Cup semifinal match on August 21. Lee also played as a substitute in the 28th round of the K League 1 against Gwangju on August 25, and the second round of the Korea Cup semifinal match on August 28, boosting his sense of play. This is the story of Lee who contributed to Ulsan’s advance to the final round of the Korea Cup.
Q. Ulsan, which is trying to win its third consecutive K League 1 title, has advanced to the Korea Cup final.
I’m really happy that my team made it to the Korea Cup final. It was the 2017 season when Ulsan won the Korea Cup. I think it’s been a long time. I want to make good use of the opportunity to win this season. However, there is a long time until the Korea Cup final. I will do my best to show good performance and performance in the league.
Q: It was 17 minutes in the second half of the second round of the Korea Cup semi-final. Kim Kyung-min’s sensational shot over the goalkeeper’s height hit the post. It was Lee Cheong-yong’s down shot.
Min-gyu’s pass was very good (laughs). It was completely open. It is a pity that he could not score additional points due to the opponent’s great defense. If the goal had been scored, I think the team members would have been able to finish the game more comfortably. I feel sorry for my team members for not finishing the game.
Q. I was out of team strength after the match against Seoul on June 16. I am trying to recover from my injury. How much have you improved.
Not 100 percent yet. Still, it’s not bad (laughs). I’m constantly communicating with Kim about my physical condition. I wanted to come back sooner. I wanted to help my team work through a tight schedule a little bit. However, it was more important not to recur. I gave up my impatience and focused on improving my physical condition.
I think it’s good that I came back from an important match called the Korea Cup semifinal and helped the team. I have no personal greed. No matter how many minutes I play on the field, I want to contribute to the team’s victory. I will sweat more so that I can fulfill my role.
Q. While away from the ground, there were big changes in the team. Manager Kim Pan-gon took the helm. Lee Chung-yong is an experienced player. What is the biggest change for Ulsan that Lee feels.
There are many things. The first is team tactics. We spend more time in the opposing side. We try to make mistakes by pressuring the opposing side hard. We are preparing to allow the ball to spin as long as possible in the opposing side. If we take the ball away from the opposing side, we try to create chances to score quickly. 안전놀이터
However, it hasn’t been long since manager Kim Pan-gon took the helm. I don’t think the soccer I’m showing you is the perfect soccer of coach Kim Pan-gon. The players are trying every day to realize the soccer that the coach wants. I try to make up for my shortcomings by communicating with the coach after every game.