Why FC Seoul continues to struggle against Jeonbuk Hyundai: Expert Analysis and Insights

2024-04-20 23:55:00

FC Seoul lost once more to Jeonbuk Hyundai.

Since the Jeonbuk match played at home on July 2, 2017, there have been 21 draws in the league alone. Including the 2 finals of the 2022 FA Cup (predecessor of the Korea Cup), there have been 23 matches, 6 draws and 17 defeats.

Why is Seoul so weak once morest Jeonbuk? We interviewed commentator Lee Sang-yoon, who broadcast the season opener between Seoul and Jeonbuk on April 20 at the Seoul World Cup Stadium.

FC Seoul goalkeeper Choi Cheol-won (far left in photo), Jeonbuk Hyundai forward Song Min-gyu and Seoul coach Kim Ki-dong. Photo = Korean Professional Football League

Football commentator Lee Sang-yoon, former national team player. Photo = reporter Lee Geun-seung

Q. You broadcast the match between Seoul and Jeonbuk in the 8th round of the 2024 K League 1 season which took place at the Seoul World Cup Stadium. How did you see it?

Director Kim Ki-dong’s Seoul is not finished. Kim Joo-sung, Jesse Lingard, etc. left the team due to injuries. Kang Seong-jin, Lee Tae-seok, Baek Jong-beom and Baek Sang-hoon compete in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) U-23 Asian Cup. It takes longer for Director Kim’s colors to blend. From Seoul’s point of view, goalkeeper Choi Cheol-won’s fatal mistake was also painful. It’s a victory Jeonbuk achieved by constantly digging into Seoul’s weaknesses.

Q. Looking back on the first goal of the day, was it a mistake by goalkeeper Choi Cheol-won, or was Song Min-gyu’s timing of pressure and tackling excellent?

It was a mistake by the goalkeeper. Choi Cheol-won is a goalkeeper with good stopping skills. When he is well, he blocks everything he thinks is lost. However, we made a similar mistake once more following the Ulsan HD FC match last year. The weak point is under the feet. Jeonbuk and Song Min-gyu analyzed well and exploited weaknesses, leading to an early goal. I think director Kim Ki-dong has two options.

Q. What options are available?

Not every goalkeeper in the world can be like Manchester City goalkeeper Ederson. Choi Cheol-won has exceptional saving skills. His kicking skills are not good compared to his saving ability. To put it more bluntly, it is not a goalkeeper who can be involved in the preparation. Here you have to make a choice. Develop Choi Cheol-won’s developmental ability through repeated training. The other is to maximize Choi Cheol-won’s strong defensive ability and reduce the burden of preparation. Not all goalkeepers are required to participate in preparation. There is no right answer in football.

Q. Seoul turned things around with back-to-back goals from Ilyuchenko and Palosevic. What do you think is the reason why this trend is not continuing?

Jeonbuk’s situation this season was not good. Jeonbuk was a team that hadn’t had a single win this season before the Gwangju FC match on the 13th. I also experienced the lowest ranking (12th place). However, Jeonbuk players facing Seoul showed confidence in their every move. Fluency is really important in football. I was convinced that I might win this match. The goals of Lee Young-jae and Jeon Byeong-gwan are clear examples of this.

Q. Can you be a little more specific?

The goal once morest Seoul was Lee Young-jae’s first offensive point of the season. Lee Young-jae was seen coming back to life little by little starting from the Gwangju match on the 13th. In the match once morest Seoul, we even showed increased confidence. The two shots attempted by Lee Young-jae once morest Seoul were effective. His efficient shooting was also the most among the seven games he played this season. Head kick from Jeon Byeong-gwan. It was a goal that mightn’t even be attempted without confidence.

FC Seoul striker Ilyuchenko. Photo = Korean Professional Football League

Q. Seoul pushed Jeonbuk following allowing Jeon Byeong-kwan to score a return goal. However, no results were obtained. What do you think was missing?

I will speak calmly. Jeonbuk is the team with the best players in the K-League. Hyun-beom Ahn, Seon-min Moon, Kyo-won Han and Jae-ik Lee came on once morest Seoul. These are players that would not be surprising to play as starting players. Let’s look at it the other way. For Seoul, Son Seung-beom, Kim Jin-ya, Hwang Do-yoon and Park Dong-jin were substitutes. The players they had to replace were Willian, Ryu Jae-moon, Palosevic and Ilyuchenko. The replacements must perform better than those who started as starters. Currently, I think Palosevic and Ilyuchenko should play full time in Seoul.

Q. Is there a reason?

There are no resources to replace Palosevich or Ilyuchenko. In particular, I don’t see a player capable of demonstrating as much decisive power as Ilyuchenko. A starting striker cannot score a goal in every match. In this case, another player must intervene. While watching the Jeonbuk match, I thought a lot regarding Na Sang-ho, who played the role of Seoul’s ace until last year. Seoul is good at creating chances, but the number of goals leading to goals is very low.

FC Seoul striker Cho Young-wook. Photo = Korean Professional Football League

FC Seoul striker Willian (center photo). Photo = Korean Professional Football League

Na Sang-ho, who played an important role as FC Seoul’s ‘Ace’ until the 2023 season. Photo = Korean Professional Football League

Q. Seoul is Korea’s most popular professional sports team, beyond the K-League. A team like that hasn’t won 23 straight games once morest one team. Looking back on my experience as a player, I wonder if I might be that weak once morest just one team.

Why aren’t there any (laughs)? The player skills are just a little different. If conditions are right on match day, the skill gap between professional players can be easily reversed. It’s not a big difference. The biggest difference between the two teams is confidence. Seoul may have tried not to care regarding the results of the previous match once morest Jeonbuk, but it wouldn’t have been easy. When we conceded the first goal or allowed a comeback, the curse would have been even stronger. Seoul seemed to shrink over time.

Q. Seoul loses for the second time in a row at home. Is there an essential factor in changing morale other than regaining confidence?

Cho Young-wook and Willian need to show consistent performance. You must also act as a problem solver. Ilyuchenko cannot be solely responsible for the score. When Ilyuchenko is blocked, he must play the role of Ilyuchenko. These players must act as problem solvers to revive the team atmosphere. When the team atmosphere returns, the performance of unexpected people like Byeong-gwan Jeon increases. I’m sure I’m not the only one who thought of Na Sang-ho’s name that day.

Sangam (Seoul) = Reporter Lee Geun-seung, MK Sports

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