A cross with poor accuracy, a side attack without breaking through the center. Pohang Steelers football these days is like this. It is a situation where the players do not give up and continue to work hard until the end. Like that, Pohang won 3-2 with Go Young-jun’s theatrical goal in Daejeon Hana on the 13th and ended the 3-game draw (2 draws and 1 loss) link. Pohang coach Kim Ki-dong said, “I am grateful to the players who ran to the end without losing faith in each other at an important juncture,” and “showed that we are a strong team that overcomes difficulties.”
Pohang has a thin player base. When the best members are established, the selection is good and the backup is strong, but the difficulty is multiplied when there are injuries. Coach Kim sighed, saying, “There are many times when backup members have to be composed of players around the age of 20 these days.” In the match against Daejeon, Kim Jun-ho (21), Lee Ho-jae (23), and Jo Jae-hoon (20) filled the backup members.
Pohang also played a difficult match against Hana in Daejeon. After scoring the first goal, they conceded the goal in 2 minutes and scored again, but allowed the score to equalize in 10 minutes. It is really difficult to score goals as the attack power is somewhat low. The gap left by injuries to Kim Jong-woo (30) and Jung Jae-hee (29) resulted in simple attacks and weakened scoring power.
Kim Jong-woo is a central midfielder, and his pass to the left and right is excellent. He played 22 games in 2022, scoring 3 goals and 1 assist, and this year he also appeared in 8 games and marked 1 assist. He has been sidelined recently due to a bruised bone. Coach Kim said, “I asked Kim Jong-woo to return to the team as soon as possible.”토토사이트
Jung Jae-hee, a side striker, is an excellent player in both breaking and passing. In 2022, he led the team’s attack with 7 goals and 3 assists while playing 33 games. He also scored 2 goals in 6 appearances this year. Jung Jae-hee’s injured part is the hamstring, which does not heal well and requires considerable time to fully heal. Director Kim said, “I expect to return around the end of August at the earliest.”
As technicians who are good at passing are missing, Pohang has no choice but to play football with endurance rather than destroying opponents with hot and sharp offense. As of the 13th, Pohang is in 3rd place with 23 points (6 wins, 5 draws, 2 losses). As of last year, the salary of the Pohang players was only 11th out of 12 clubs in the first division. The situation is similar this year. Coach Kim said, “Considering the team’s situation with a thin player base and a salary cap, they are still doing very well,” and “I will try my best to endure until the injured players return.”