The keywords that penetrate the ‘Hana One Q K League 1 2023’, which was played up to the third round, are ‘determination’ and ‘mistake’. The very obvious soccer proverb, ‘If you play well in attack and defense, you win the soccer game’, fits perfectly.
As of the 3rd round, it is not an exaggeration to say that Final Group A (1st to 6th place) and B Group (7th to 12th place) are divided by goal decision power. From 1st place Ulsan (9 points) to 2nd place Pohang (7 points) 3rd place Seoul (6 points) 4th place Daejeon Hana (5 points) 5th place Incheon (4 points), the top 5 teams each scored 5 goals in 3 matches. are putting 6th place Jeonbuk (4 points) scored 4 goals. In the case of Incheon, they are tied for the most points (5 goals) as of the 3rd round, but they accumulated points based on the sufficient number of goals.
Teams in the lower ranks are struggling to score points. Gwangju in 8th place, Jeju in 10th place, and Gangwon in 12th place scored only one goal. Gangwon’s first goal at the bottom was Daegu’s own goal. 9th place Daegu (2 points) scored 2 of the 4 goals from penalties. Suwon Samsung is 11th with only 2 goals.
At the very beginning of the season, coaches say that it is difficult to perform at the desired level due to the combination of weather, tactical changes안전놀이터, player condition, injury, and adaptation to transfer students. In this environment, the difference in decision power inevitably has a greater impact on the result than when the season is in full swing. In the case of the promoted team Gwangju, Lee Jeong-hyo’s consistent attacking football impressed the fans, but they failed to score points in the last two matches. You must have realized the importance of scoring again while watching the Jeonbuk expedition on the 12th, losing 0-2 even after fighting on an equal footing.
Another variable that separates the joys and sorrows of the teams is the ‘goalkeeper risk’. After Jeonbuk Kim Jeong-hoon made a fatal control mistake in the opening game against Ulsan and scored the winning goal, goalkeepers from other teams are also making mistakes big and small. Daegu Oh Seung-hoon gave up the third goal against Pohang in the opening game. Subsequently, in the third round against Gangwon, Serato’s leg was bent and he could not handle the high-flying ball properly, allowing a point. Incheon Kim Dong-heon made a mistake in position selection, but Lee Chang-geun provided an excuse for conceding a point with a ball handling miss. Choi Cheol-won of Seoul had a ‘major accident’ in the 3rd round match against Ulsan. In the 42nd minute of the second half when the score was tight 1-1, fellow defender Kim Joo-seong committed a handball foul by grabbing the ball with his hand. The problem is then As if embarrassed, he easily gave the ball to Ataru, enabling the opponent to develop a free kick quickly. Choi Cheol-won blocked Martin Adam’s shot, but Lee Chung-yong caught the ball that flowed sideways and scored the come-from-behind goal into the empty goal. This is a case where the goalkeeper’s successive misjudgments influenced the outcome.
The reason why Ulsan and Pohang are cruising at the beginning of the season is that they maintain a sense of stability that does not make fatal mistakes even if they benefit from the opponent’s mistakes. In particular, in the match against Daejeon Hana in the 3rd round, Pohang accumulated points in enemy territory by enduring close to 60 minutes even in a situation where center back Ha Chang-rae was sent off in the 34th minute. 7th place Suwon FC (4 points) broke a draw thanks to goalkeeper Lee Bum-yeong in the opening match against Jeju and Goalkeeper Noh Dong-geon’s brilliant show against Samsung in the third round against Suwon Samsung.
Supplementing goal determination and goalkeeper risk management are not solved overnight. Although it is the beginning of the season, the concerns of the coaches are deepening.