“Jeonbuk-Jeonbuk-Ulsan, it’s fun.”
There was an unexpected motivation point for Gwangju FC coach Lee Jung-hyo, who is looking to advance to the quarterfinals.메이저사이트
Gwangju will play Seoul Eland (K League 2) in the round of 16 of the 2023 Hana One Q FA Cup at 7 p.m. on the 24th at Mokdong Sports Complex.
Gwangju FC, who won the K League 2 title last season and were promoted to the K League 1, will meet Irand. Lee Land defeated Suwon FC 2-1 in the round of 32, while Gwangju defeated Busan I-Park (2nd Division) by the same score.
Although they’ve come out of their recent losing streak, Gwangju hasn’t won in the league in seven games. Lee Jung-hyo met with the media before the game, and he had lost quite a bit of weight. However, it was not for psychological reasons, but for health reasons.
He said, “My heart is naturally a little heavier. It’s heavier than it used to be,” he said, adding, “I don’t know how I’m doing it now, but I keep giving them different ways to do it. But I think it’s going to get better because I know how to do it and I’m giving them ways to do it, and we all know exactly what’s wrong and how to improve.”
However, Lee was concerned about the psychology of his players. “We’re not converting our chances on the pitch,” he said, “and we’re not converting them into goals. “I’m not worried because we’re still creating chances, we know how to do it, but I’m worried that we’re losing confidence. I’m worried because we keep losing games that we can win, games where we have chances to score goals, but we don’t score or win.”
After the 1-1 draw against Incheon United, Lee gave his players a lot of autonomy, but said after the game that he was disappointed that they kept taking the easy option towards the end of the game.
Reflecting on the game, Lee said, “We didn’t do what we did well against Incheon. Especially in the second half. I told them to do what we always do, so I didn’t put them in a big framework, but in a small framework and let them move autonomously in details. If we played in a big framework against Incheon, I gave them autonomy in a very small framework this time.”
“There is a tactic that we are trying for the first time today to use in the league,” he said, “We have two long strikers and we are not utilizing them, but we are trying to do something different. We’re going to try the first half without a striker today,” he said.
“I kept trying, and then there was the Sandro thing. I got the call just before we left for Incheon. You have to have a plan B, a plan C, different ways to try when you don’t have tall players. We’re going to give it a try,” he added.
Gwangju can’t put too much emphasis on the FA Cup as the league is going downhill. “The league is the priority. “We have to focus on the league because of the team situation. Still, there are players who are preparing to play. For their sake, we have to keep winning games.”
If Gwangju wins this match, they will face the winner of Jeonbuk Hyundai and Paju City Football Club on June 28 in the quarterfinals. Coincidentally, Gwangju has the toughest schedule.
“If we win this game, we’ll face the winner of the Jeonbuk and Paju Min. If we win, the schedule is a little funny. We meet Jeonbuk on the 24th, Jeonbuk on the 28th, and Ulsan Hyundai on July 2nd.” “I think it would be fun to meet Jeonbuk, Jeonbuk, and Ulsan, so I really want to win today’s game,” he said.
He did not prepare for a penalty shootout at all. Lee said, “We’re trying to win in 90 minutes. I didn’t force myself to practice the penalty shootout. If it goes to penalties, I want someone who is confident to take it,” he said, jokingly adding, “If not, I’ll go in and take it.”