Even if the coach changes and all the players leave, ‘Pohang is Pohang’ Leading the way, beating all the candidates for the championship

Pohang is leading K League 1.

Professional soccer K League 1 Pohang Steelers are leading the way with better-than-expected results in the early part of the season. This year too, a large number of key players left the team and even the head coach changed, but the team is on a roll, as if laughing at concerns ‘this time too’.

Pohang came from behind to win 2-1 in the 6th round of Hana Bank K League 1 2024 against Daejeon Hana Citizen held at Daejeon World Cup Stadium on the 7th, and is leading the way in K League 1 with 4 wins, 1 draw, and 1 loss (13 points). This is in contrast to the faltering of Ulsan HD (3rd), FC Seoul (6th), and Jeonbuk Hyundai (12th), who were considered favorites for the championship at the opening media day. 메이저사이트

Pohang has consistently ranked in the top rankings, ranking 3rd in 2022 and 2nd in 2023, despite experiencing a large departure of key players in recent seasons. However, the outlook for Pohang this year was not bright.

This is because Jeka, Grant, and Ha Chang-rae, the core of the offense and defense, all left the team, and unlike the past two seasons, head coach Kim Ki-dong also left for Seoul.

Pohang has produced better results every season despite concerns, but there are predictions that this time they will face a real crisis.

However, Pohang is showing strong form from the beginning this time as well. After losing the opening game against Ulsan HD, they gained strength with 4 wins, 1 draw, and no loss in 5 games. 슬롯사이트

Although Pohang did not recruit special stars, existing resources such as Jeong Jae-hee, Baek Seong-dong, and Kim In-seong are active in the right places at every decisive moment and do not miss the results. Giorgi and Eo Jeong-won, who were brought in from K League 2 Cheongju, North Chungcheong Province, and Busan I-Park, respectively, also contributed with valuable performances. The newly formed defense team with the departure of Grant and Ha Chang-rae is also solid, conceding the fewest goals in the league (4 goals). The gap left by the players who left is not felt. One soccer official said, “Pohang has a well-established ‘system.’ Recruiting players is also done by sharing a large framework at the club level, creating a list, and then discussing it with the manager. So the framework and philosophy are unshakable,” he explained. He said, “The process of Pohang recruiting coach Tae-ha Park after coach Kim Ki-dong left was also the same. So, we were able to appoint a new director through a quick process.” New coach Park Tae-ha is also successfully enjoying his first season as a K-League coach with customized tactics and thorough analysis of the opposing team. Coach Park Tae-ha stepped down from his position as coach of the China Women’s B national team in 2019, and was appointed as coach of Pohang this season. Some also expressed concerns about the rather long hiatus, and Coach Park said at the winter media camp, “For the past three years, I have served as the technical committee chairman of the Korea Professional Football League and have consistently monitored the games of K-League teams on the field. He expressed confidence, saying, “I have pictured in my head how to deal with each situation as it arises.” As he declared, this season, Pohang is understanding the opponent’s tactics under Coach Park’s leadership, and based on this, they are gaining strength in each game. The 3rd round match against Gwangju FC and the 4th round match against Jeju United both resulted in winning goals in extra time in the second half, and the 2nd round match against Daegu FC and the 6th round match against Daejeon achieved come-from-behind wins. A soccer official said, “Coach Tae-ha Park’s Pohang has strong tactical response and competitive power. “It feels like the opposing teams can read every move,” he said. Meanwhile, the top ranks of the K-League this season, including Pohang leading the way, are going in a different direction than originally expected. Gimcheon Sangmu, a promoted team and military team, is in second place with 4 wins and 2 losses (12 points). Athletes who had not received attention until the opening, such as politicians and Kim Hyun-wook, are showing their potential. The team’s main player, a senior sergeant who said, “You have to be careful of falling leaves,” was not always good, but this season, he has been showing his fighting spirit from the beginning. In Gimcheon, this momentum is expected to continue as 20 new recruits, including Lee Dong-jun (Jeonbuk), Lee Dong-kyung (Ulsan), and Lee Hyun-sik (Daejeon), enlisted as ‘new recruits’ in April, strengthening the force. The rise of Jeju United, a new team under coach Kim Hak-beom, is also noteworthy. Coach Kim Hak-beom, who emphasized ‘100 minutes of soccer’ and conducted intensive physical training, declared, “By April, the soccer I want to play will gradually get back on track,” and in fact, the team jumped to fourth place with two consecutive wins starting in April. 토토사이트 순위