“Playing until the end is a big change.”메이저놀이터
It’s been an eight-match winless drought, but things are slowly changing for Gangwon since Yoon Jung-hwan took over as head coach.
Gangwon drew 0-0 away to Daegu FC in the 22nd round of the Hana OneQ K League 2023 at DGB Daegu Bank Park in Daegu on 11 November. With 15 points, they remain in 11th place in the promotion play-offs.
Coach Yoon said, “I am not satisfied with the result, but the players were motivated until the end. We did a good job of blocking the strong attacks of foreign players such as Daegu’s Sejingya. It was a difficult situation in the second half when we were low on stamina, but we managed to defend. In attack, we had some passing mistakes, but we played well. We didn’t have many shots, but we played better than in the first half. We had chances at the end of the game, but our finishing was lacking.”
The game was made even more challenging by the fact that it was played underwater after a hot summer and heavy rain. “We fought well in a physically demanding game,” said Yoon. We have to be satisfied with this result. The players are getting better, but we need to score goals to get results. We are still immature. But I feel like we’re waking up a little bit. Everyone is focused until the end, which is different from the Gangwon of old. It’s important to keep it going. At home, we will be ready to get the three points.”
Despite the defensive emphasis, the team has made a big change by trying to go forward. “We play more forward,” said Yoon. It’s different from the previous Gangwon. In the second half, we ran out of energy and faced a counterattack. That wasn’t the case today, which is positive,” he continued.
In previous games, Yoon had criticised last year’s players for their lack of commitment. He said, “In the past, there were times when we didn’t pay attention to rebounded balls. Now they are conscious of it. I think it’s a big change to play until the end, and I think that’s what makes Gangwon different from the past,” he explained.
On the other hand, regarding the ground ball against Gwangju FC in Round 21, he said, “The Gwangju goalkeeper didn’t delay it. We didn’t do that. I don’t know the situation, but it’s okay for a player on his own team to delay, but not for a player on the other team to delay,” he said, criticising coach Lee Jung-hyo.
Lee criticised Gangwon’s time-delaying behaviour to the press, pointing out that it was “not professional”, and before the start of the game against Jeju, he called for a normal game, saying that “the basics must be observed”.
After hearing this, Yoon said, “The same goes for the argument with Alibayev. It is not advisable to talk to an opponent openly. Our coach was also offended by what the player said, so he protested. I think coach Lee Jung-hyo needs to show respect for his players.”